by Lanny Ho

You can be anywhere in the world and renovation costs can seem quite steep. And it can be the same in Malaysia. Depending on the size of the space you want to renovate, the cost of home renovation can be scary especially for those who only recently started “adulting”. But all these costs when invested in the right place can translate into decades of value and comfort for you and your household.

But, the question is, how do you even go about starting with your home renovation? Once you get started, it’s probably extremely overwhelming to the point where you’ll freeze from indecisiveness.

Don’t worry though! We’re here to guide you. Here are the 5 home renovation guides you can take to a successful home renovation.

 

1. Make up your mind. What do you want to do?

 

When it comes to planning for your renovation, you have to keep in mind that trying to do everything at once is only going to be counterproductive. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve just moved into a new home in need of renovations or just trying renovating a small space. You need to take things one at a time or you may just end up being lost and lose motivation right from the get go.

For those who are renovating a whole home, you may try to think about which space would matter most to you. Could it be your work or study room? Bedroom? Baby room? Kitchen? Which space would bring you the most joy if renovated beautifully or bring you great misery if not done well? Perhaps, a space you think you’ll be occupying a majority of the time when you are home. Once you have decided this, you can prioritise certain rooms or spaces.

Then, what you should do next is to decide how you want the space or your home to look overall. What kind of feeling do you want your space to give off? What kind of colours or theme do you think would give off the look you want? Is there an overarching theme? You don’t need to decide each and every detail but you need to decide which direction you want to go. You could go on pinterest or other online sites for inspiration. Put together photos of designs you like for a start. You can also put in some time to visit showrooms and show homes for inspiration.

And, most importantly, you should list out what kind of functionalities you would like in certain rooms or spaces. You should do this because when it comes to designing or planning a space, the way the room works in your favour or accommodates to your lifestyle is important for a smooth, comfortable and convenient experience when you’re home.

If you tend to work from home, do you need a lot of storage for your documents? How much table space do you need? Do you need something in the room for your child to distract themselves with when you’re busy? Think back to all the times you’ve told yourself on certain details you had wished you had so that your life could be made easier.

 

2. Set a budget. Based on (1), how much is your estimate?

 

Obviously, getting your home remodelled or renovated will cost you some coins. As mentioned previously, depending on the size and type of home or space you’d like to renovate, it will have different costs. Some projects could be more expensive than the other but how much you are willing to spend will help you determine the extent of what you can do with your living space.

Look into how much renovation typically costs in Malaysia or be more specific and research about costs in your hometown in particular. You could easily research on the Internet for an estimate number or you could ask around people in your circle about whether or not they’ve done renovations to their home before.

Once you’ve got an estimate, then price up the plan that you have for your home against the estimates of projects you have found online. You are also advised to include a contingency plan in your budget in case of any unexpected costs for anything. And yet again, it is fine if it is just a rough estimate. The point of this step is to give yourself an expected amount to put aside.

 

3. Consult an interior designer

 

After you’ve completed the first two steps, you would have a basic idea of what you want for your home or certain space. The next thing that is recommended for beginners is to consult an interior designer who can help you bring your plans or ideas into life. After you’ve thought of what you want or how much you are willing to spend on the project, an interior designer can help you figure out how the aesthetics can be tied together, the flow of the room (functionality), and even give you a more solid estimate of the costs.

Interior designers will be able to give you a variety of options regarding materials, colours, brands, products, be a channel for you to bounce your ideas off of and many more. They can give you a 3D rendered visualization of the design you want and handle every other aspect of the renovation process. You just need to let them know what you want, let them get to know you and your lifestyle habits, and let them know the budget that you are willing to go with. In fact, they may even provide you options to complete your project below your desired budget limit.

 

4. Visualize living in the design

 

After your interior designer has given you the 3D model of the design, it would be a good idea to sit down and do some visualization process of how it would be like to live in the design that they have created for you. Imagine yourself being put into that space for real once it has been remodelled, for example, can you imagine thinking to yourself how smooth the workflow is for you when navigating around the kitchen or how easily it is for you to work your way around the cabinets or drawers.

This whole visualization process can help you decide whether or not the design is ready for you to give the green light or if you may have additional plans or anything you would like to take away from the design. Remember the questions that you have answered in the first step. Think back to the way you flow into your home and the kind of habits you have that could be facilitated by the design.

 

5. Sit back and relax

 

After you have done all of that and decide that you would want to go on ahead with the renovation. You can just sit back and relax. Your interior designer can help you handle the rest. Even after the fact of your whole remodeling process, you will also be able to enjoy after sales services provided and perhaps even make a new friend out of your interior designer.

Thank you for reading this article. We hope this has been helpful.