Renovate a house
Remodeling a house can be a large-scale project. You will have to deal with clutter, residual waste, building materials, contractors over the floor and of course the costs associated with it for a considerable period of time. Sometimes it seems easier to tear things down and just start over. Don't worry, renovating your house really doesn't have to be that frustrating as long as you make good planning and get your affairs in order step by step. There are quite a few choices you have to make, we are happy to help you with practical information and an overview of which steps to take when renovating. In any case, don't forget that you have to break first before you can start building. That means a large mountain of waste that you have to dispose of. You can go to afzetbak.nl for debris, garden waste and other residual materials. Then you can cross that challenge off your 'to do' list!
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Home remodeling contractor
The first choice you have to make is to carry out the project yourself or to renovate your house through a contractor. The main reason to do it yourself is to save costs, but hiring a contractor does not mean that you will immediately pay more. An expert knows the way better and ensures that you can avoid pitfalls in the process. There are three ways to remodel your home:
- Outsource everything to the contractor: This is the simplest way and it doesn't even always have to be the most expensive option. You must have confidence in the contractor. You can commission a contractor to renovate your home and you and the entire household will stay elsewhere for a while. With family or friends or at a holiday park. This can be a good solution for short-term renovations or renovations. This is not always the most attractive option for long-term projects.
- Take control: If you are handy yourself and have a network of handy hands, you can tackle the project yourself. However, there are limits to DIY remodeling. If you are going to work with load-bearing walls, construction or live in a monumental building, you cannot just do everything yourself. In addition to breaking the rules, it can be dangerous to just start hacking and breaking.
- Work with the contractor: The third option will work best in most cases. You are looking for a contractor who thinks along with you and who, in addition to providing information, is also a good listener. You draw up a plan and divide the tasks. For example, you can outsource the installation of pipes and electricity, but you can rent a storage container and demolish the old bathroom yourself. This way you keep an eye on the project and you are sure that all details are correct.
What does a contractor do when renovating a house? These are the main activities that professional contractors perform for you:
1. Design phase
You are not just going to build a brick wall at a house. Drawings will first be made by an architect or a designer. First, your wishes are inventoried, which results in a concept design. This will be adjusted based on practical and budgetary considerations until a final version results. The result is called 'specification', which contains all important matters that apply to the renovation.
2. Scheduling
Further on this page you can read more about the steps involved in renovating a house. The contractor can take care of part of the planning for you. This is the part of the project where you discuss which party is responsible for each item on the schedule. It concerns a chain of processes in which a delay at one point can cause problems in the follow-up process. There will also be activities that overlap. The contractor will include this in the planning, including the budget.
3. License
Permits may be required both indoors and outdoors. You may have to apply for these yourself, the contractor will indicate what is needed and how you can obtain these permits. It is not necessary to apply for a permit for every intervention in an owner-occupied home, especially for things that take place on the outside, such as construction, you must request permission. Applying for permits can take time, make sure you have all the necessary documents ready. For example, you may have to request information from the Land Registry or submit construction drawings to indicate what the plans are.
4. Control
It is important to have a 'central brain', someone who will oversee the entire project. For example, it is not convenient if the plasterer comes to plaster a wall before the electrical cables have been laid. If the house is full of rubble that you have to dispose of via a rubble container, the installer of the underfloor heating cannot do much in the house. There is a great demand for professionals in construction, these workmen are not sitting at home on the couch waiting for them to get started in your house. Good management of all parties involved is therefore important.
5. Materials
In a number of cases, installers will purchase and bring the materials themselves, but this is not always the case. Has it been agreed that you will provide the materials yourself? Then make sure they are at home on time. Do not wait until the last minute because there may be a delivery time between the moment of ordering materials and the delivery. If someone comes to build a wall and there are no bricks, you lose time and money.
6. Coordination
All the above points require central coordination. If you do this all by yourself, you have to stay on track. If you enter into an agreement with a contractor, agree who is responsible for each action. In the unlikely event that something should go wrong, you need to know who is responsible and how this is arranged with the insurance company. In addition, when renovating a house, the workshop must be set up in accordance with statutory standards in order to limit the risk of damage and injury as much as possible.
As mentioned, you do not have to outsource everything to an external contractor, especially good cooperation with short lines and clear communication is of great importance. When hiring a contractor, ask for references from previous clients.
Renovate house
You want to renovate a house, where do you start? Very simple by making a list with all the activities that will be discussed. This works best in a task app where you can easily adjust the order and content. While making this list you will always get new ideas to steer the project in the right direction. To help you get started with renovating your home, here are the steps you need to take:
What does a house renovation cost?
1. Inventory
What do you want to renovate and more importantly; what do you want to achieve with the renovation? Want to add more space in your home or an extra room? More living comfort with less energy consumption is not a bad thing, of course. In this step you can still fully dream, later you bring the ambitions back to a feasible level. Involve the entire household in this inventory and look at the longer term. In this step you will determine whether you want to renovate per room or renovate the entire building as a whole.
2. Budgeting
Renovating a house is not free. Please note that prices for materials and labor have increased significantly. On the one hand, it seems cheaper to renovate the kitchen now and then continue to save and take care of the bathroom at a later stage. On the other hand, larger projects are cheaper if you add up. You must have the budget to finance a complete project. This can be done from equity, a (one-off increased) donation or by taking out a loan from a lender. If you have equity on your house, you may be able to borrow extra money with attractive conditions and a low interest rate.
3. Sustainability measures
A renovation without taking sustainability into account is hard to imagine. You do yourself for the environment, for your surroundings but also just for yourself. Less heating means lower energy costs, less draft means more comfort at home. Solar panels are an investment, but the payback time is getting shorter and shorter. There are also other options including insulation or a new boiler.
4. Contractor
You can hire a contractor earlier, especially if complicated construction drawings have to be made or if you prefer to outsource more to an expert. Contractors are not short of work, this does not mean that you have to settle for every contractor. Unfortunately, there are companies that do not do a good job, so always ask for references and see how long the company has been around. You can divide the tasks together.
5. Contracts and Permits
Record all agreements, divide the tasks and make sure you know where the responsibilities lie per person or company. This way you will not be faced with unexpected situations later on. Did you know, for example, that at afzetbak.nl we will empty your container and collect it full again? That saves you a lot of trips to the landfill! If permits are required, you must also arrange them in this phase.
6. Execution
At some point it's time to roll up your sleeves. The workshop must be set up according to the rules, you will have to clear rooms and prepare them for the renovation. Now all the balls are going to roll and once they are in motion you cannot just reverse these processes. That is why the previous steps are so important.
7. Delivery
You finally reap the benefits of this long journey. You can now enjoy your renovated home. The last container with waste leaves and the last leftovers are swept together with the broom. Have you made clear agreements about the delivery and final payment term? Make sure that the contractor does not leave you with defects and pay the full amount only after you are sure that everything is in order.
Now you have the answer to "remodeling a house, where do you start?" but as said, this is only the start of the project. Not all steps will be equally relevant to you and specific activities will have to be carried out that are not applicable to everyone. To answer the question of what steps to take when renovating, this is only a start. It is also certainly wise to make a note of the executing person or company for every step or action. With a number of jobs you will perform the work yourself, sometimes it is better to call in a professional. If you work with a spreadsheet, you can add a field with contact information. If you have any questions, you can contact the right organization directly. Think of the municipality for permits or the Land Registry if you need an extract from your home. Or the link to afzetbak.nl so that you can quickly rent a container to dispose of waste properly.
In addition to the steps, activities and contact information, you can also state the costs per step. This does not have to be accurate to the penny, but it does help you gain insight into the cost items. Especially if you are going to apply for a construction account from the mortgage provider or take out a personal loan to finance the expenses, you will have to properly map out where the costs are when renovating a house. In a number of cases you will discover that a different method can save you a lot of money. The contractor will apply a similar method to a new-build home. The project is divided into phases and the total amount is divided between these phases. You can also use this method if you are going to work yourself. Planning is not the most fun part of the project for someone who prefers to get straight to work, but it will help you save time and money during the renovation.
Do you have to rent a container yourself or does the contractor or subcontractor do this for you? That depends on the mutual agreements that are made. Both private homeowners and contractors can visit afzetbak.nl to rent various types of containers for the disposal of residual materials. Especially for larger projects such as renovating a complete house and renovating a large house, it is not advantageous to rent a large disposal bin for residual waste. You pay more for containers in which waste is not separated beforehand. You can have different containers delivered and collected per phase or rent several smaller containers. For example, you may not fill a container for garden waste with sand or rubble and tiles do not belong to wood waste. If you would like to know more about this, please feel free to contact the Afzetbak team. We are happy to think along with you to dispose of residual materials efficiently and cheaply.
Renovate house
What is the most common reason to renovate a home? Sustainability is currently number one. This has to do with incentives from the government, in addition, the high rates for energy have strongly increased the demand for sustainability measures. When renovating a home, you can borrow extra money on your mortgage if you decide to make it more sustainable. Think of installing insulation, but also installing solar panels is currently very popular. The cost of renovating a house has risen due to the high demand as well as a shortage of materials and personnel. An energy label with a higher score is beneficial, although the initial renovation costs are currently higher. In addition, contractors and executive companies are often very busy, so when renovating a home you will have to start making agreements on time. The good news is that at afzetbak.nl we can deliver most containers from stock, check the website for availability. You can discuss with the contractor which materials or containers you need at any time.
Old house renovation before and after
Refurbishing an old house presents unique challenges as well as exciting opportunities. Do you want to renovate an old house with monumental status? Then you will first have to find out whether special permits are required. For a monument as a home or workplace, no sustainability requirements apply (yet), you do not have to meet a specific energy label. Renovating an older house offers the most advantages because the insulation values are often low. With interventions such as insulation, underfloor heating and HR+++ glass, you can turn a fixer-upper into a palace.
An important point when renovating an old house is the presence of asbestos. Houses built since the 1990s should not contain asbestos-containing materials, but caution is always advised. Homes from the 1960s and 1970s will most likely contain asbestos in various parts of the home. Is this a problem? In themselves, asbestos-containing materials are not dangerous as long as they are not damaged. Drilling or sawing causes asbestos fibers to be released, which is very dangerous to health. In addition, it is a very polluting material and should not be disposed of just like that. Do you have doubts about the presence of asbestos when renovating an old house? Then first contact the municipality and ask for details about the procedure. Processing companies such as Afzetbak are not allowed to move asbestos-containing materials, as a homeowner you are punishable if you dump waste containing asbestos. Do you have any questions about this or do you encounter other questions about renovating an old house? Then please contact one of our employees. We are happy to help you!
Maurice Hagen
Artikel is geschreven door Maurice Hagen. Eigenaar van Afzetbak.nl en Rolcontainerservice.nl, met 23 jaar werkervaring in de recycling/milieusector.