Important Things To Know Before Renovating

Renovating your property can come with various pitfalls. Here we look at the different things to check and look out for when adding to your property. Renovating a home is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking. When renovating your property, there are lots of things to think about. It isn’t a simple decorating job, and the result is much more permanent than a change of paint colour, so the research needs to go a lot further than browsing ideas on Pinterest, comparing swatches and looking for tradesmen to do the job.

This is an extensive, physical change to your home. If you’re making changes to your property, this article will help you get an idea of just some of the things you need to be aware of to help everything run smoothly:

Insurance, Insurance, Insurance

Your home insurance may well be excellent, but once you change the structure of your home, the insurance is not likely to be quite as good. A lot of home insurance providers stop providing cover if the structure of a home is changed. So, you stop having cover for the duration of your renovation. For this reason, it is important to get site insurance to cover your home and renovation areas until the work is completed. You might find that your tradesmen let you know that they have insurance, but their insurance is likely to sway against your best interests in the event of a claim. Natural disasters like damage caused by a storm are also unlikely to be covered. In all instances, do your research and take out your own cover to ensure you are protected.

Toilets And Shower Rooms Can Go Wherever You Want

In older laws and building regulations, shower rooms and toilets needed a room or adequate walls or space between them and any other room. This is because of hygiene in relation to food preparation. This building regulation no longer stands, and you can have a WC or shower wherever you want, as long as there is a sink available to wash hands, and good enough ventilation. But do remember that the most common type of tiles used for bathrooms is now porcelain tiling rather than ceramic tiles; and porcelain tiles require stronger plaster or plasterboard walls than in the past so check this when deciding where to locate your new bathroom.

Ceiling Heights

There is no longer a minimum ceiling height you need to abide by according to building regulations, but a practical minimum ceiling height still exists. From floor to ceiling most rooms are at least 2.4m and the minimum height usually stands at 2.1m.

Blocking Light Is A Problem

When you put plans in for a property renovation, your neighbour has a right to protest your plans if the new renovation blocks light from their property. Legally, a right to light exists but the circumstances where that right would be protected are very specific. If they do have that right protected you will likely have to adjust your planning permission and development plans. More often than not, the right to light legality is only upheld in heavily built up areas where buildings sit extremely closely to each other. If it becomes an issue you may need a specialist lawyer to help you.

A Quote And An Estimate Are Different

This is so important to be aware of when you are planning an expensive restoration. A quote is a complete price for the work detailed within that specific quote. An estimate is an estimated price, where the person has suggested a price for the work, but not a confirmation as it could cost more or less. For example; if you like a set of porcelain tiles, the seller might estimate the porcelain tiles to cost £1,000 but they may actually end up being £1,500 when you provide the specific details of the amount of tiles you want. If you ask for a quote, you provide the details to the seller, they tell you £1,000 so the tiles will cost you £1,000.

Hopefully these tips have helped you feel more confident about planning your renovation. Take a look at the second half of the article for more useful tips.