Real estate remains a safe bet and each year several hundred thousand apartments are sold. Among these sales, a significant proportion of real estate that needs a more or less important upgrade. What are the tips for a successful makeover of your new place?
Buy an apartment to renovate it?
Renovating an apartment does not only require materials or ideas. These are works that can be long and bring multiple complications between need and fulfillment.
Several situations can arise when buying an apartment:
- The apartment has already been renovated, wall coverings and interior design you like: in this case, you just have to put your bags. It should be noted however that the price will be related to the investment of previous owners. It is rare to buy a property at a price lower than the market if there is nothing to do when entering.
- The apartment requires a simple upgrade such as electrical installation or painting work: this is the most common cause and one in which the risk/benefit ratio is most favorable. You can even make the painting job easier with the right tools. Reviews are available on Top10Goods!
- The apartment is damaged (infiltrations, very old dilapidated ..) And / or it is poorly arranged: attention, this type of purchase requires either a successful experience in works or to be well surrounded by a general building company. The greater the difficulty, the more you can negotiate the price, but beware of the surprises that are inevitable in this type of site. If you are looking for right condo for you , check this out.
How to prepare the renovation?
Proceed methodically in the following order to evaluate yourself the extent of the project:
- If you do not have the original plans, refer to the parts section of the diagnostic report to create a paper document or better a 3D plan using online software that you can find online. The advantage of computer modeling is that it will allow you to play with the arrangements very easily. Everything does not appear on the diagnosis, you will, for example, measure some walls to evaluate the m2 of tiles you will need.
- List all the work to be done in your apartment room by room with the maximum of details according to your wishes.
- Even if the contractor can do it, buying the materials yourself can be financially rewarding. With your plans, make quotes on materials (flooring, tiles, windows, etc. ..) from different suppliers. Do not forget to budget + 10% on the overall cost to address the unexpected.
Optimization of space
Even more than the size of an apartment that can vary (25m², 50m², 100m², a large living room or several small rooms separated by walls), it is the optimization of the space that will give a solid base to your renovation.
Think about the spaces before starting to work. If necessary, if you wish to open a load-bearing wall, involve a concrete engineer for technical studies in addition to the advice of your project manager.
It is common that in old housing the rooms must be redistributed and the impact on the building structure should not be underestimated.
