A Cake Walk through an Affordable Renovation

Posted on April 3, 2019 in Blogging

Whether you are bored with your house, the interiors are too outdated, or you wish to increase the investment value of your home by remodelling; renovation can be an expensive affair. Rejuvenating your house without breaking bank may be difficult but here are some DIY ideas that may just come to your rescue.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

You can reduce the material required by reusing the existing materials. You can refurbish old cabinets and drawers to give them a new look. You can replace existing closets and wardrobes by exchanging them and getting a lower rate for your more modern cupboards and wardrobes. Unless the kitchen equipments are not working, it is better to simply give them to a local dealer for a quick oiling/ cleaning and maintenance check, as opposed to buying wholly new equipment. And don’t forget to do your bit for the environment. Rather than simply dumping waste material, recycle them!

Shop till you drop

Salvage yards, garage sales and flea markets are the best places to find both quirky and cheap stuff. They may be in used/ second-hand conditions, but you save not only money but also find some interesting stuff. However, be wary and be careful. Make sure that whatever you buy is in excellent, tip-top condition. IKEA is another good option for purchasing and setting up your own furniture. These sources either conduct cheap delivery services by themselves or you may also resort to hiring low loaders that can get these items delivered to you conforming to economic prices.

Paint

Paint your walls. Choose from pale colours that will best reflect the sunlight coming in through your windows to bright colours for that corner room with no natural light. Painting is an exercise that can be tackled by anyone over a weekend. Call your friends and family for help and support their enthusiasm with good food and beer!

Ceiling fans

Air conditioners are not only unhealthy for the environment but also for your electricity bill. Choose to install ceiling fans which keep you fresh in summer with steady air-flow without having to keep your air conditioner switched on the entire day.

Curtains, bedsheets and more

Use your stitching skills to turn an old bedsheet into a table cloth, curtains into, and you can make your own pillow by stuffing cotton inside. You can save by making your own cushions and head-rests by reusing old curtains and bedsheets instead of buying new ones and throwing the old away.

Planters and terrariums

Throwing away plastic boxes or broken glass containers? Why not turn them into planters and make your own terrariums? With some instruction and video-lessons, you can make your own terrariums and jazz up your house! Not only do you not spend on décor, but you can also grow small house-plants that bring some green inside. If your kitchen window receives moderate sunlight, you can plant your own, small herb-garden. You save money in herbs, and your kitchen looks bright and smells nice.

Cement, cement and more cement!

It is understandable that some may resort to the option of hiring crane services that work on the foundation of your home or any other mixing work if required. But now that the concern is only renovating an existing layout, you can make your pots, candle-holders, home décor items and even chairs/ stools using cement. It may not come out perfect, but it will certainly add depth and character to your house. And you save money. You can make molds from blueprints of your own hands and even something like a waste carton. Some paint and voila! Your beautiful, self-made décor is ready!

In the beginning, DIY can be intimidating, and you may feel that it is beyond your skill-set. However, you can start with smaller projects and build up your experience and skills. While DIY may not give your house that perfect, professional finish; it will undoubtedly give you the satisfaction of having your hand-made stuff in the house, your personal touch that makes the house, yours. YouTube is one of the best places to get really good video-instructions. So roll up your sleeves and start working!

How Teamwork can make Renovation much Simpler

Posted on April 1, 2019 in Blogging

When doing renovations, one of the things you want to avoid is hiring a lousy contractor. If he is is not up to the task in every sense of the word, it can lead tons of problems in the long run. This is why teamwork is a crucial part of the renovation process or anything that requires more than one person. It is essential to have a team that you can trust to improve the quality of the project. Nevertheless, here are a few more reasons why teamwork is essential to renovation.

Lightens the workload

If each member of the team plays their part, it will help significantly with the renovation process, given that each person knows what they are supposed to do. When each team member is able to pull their own weight and make a valuable contribution, it makes the job easier and nobody will be under the impression that he or she is being overworked in comparison to the others. The workload can be further split in two groups in terms of the team in charge of exterior or outdoor renovation services and the team that can be given the role of interior styling services. Both will now have seaparate supervision and functioning and can be catered to in a much more detailed manner.

Allows open communication

We can all agree that this is the most important part of any job, especially in the case of renovation. There is no way you can start a team-based project if communication is lacking. How can you get any work done under those conditions? The team will be clueless about their roles, and that will only spell disaster, especially if everyone decides to do their own thing. Effective communication in this sense can help you identify issues that someone else may have overlooked, and you can even work together and come up with an applicable solution. It is cliché, but teamwork really makes the dream work.

Builds trust

Imagine being able to do a project without having to worry about any members of the team. That in itself is a great feeling because it shows that you have faith in your team and they will also be proud of themselves. Thinking about it from the viewpoint of the team members, they will appreciate the fact that there is no need to watch over them constantly. This kind of confidence can go a far way because there will be less need for supervision and everyone will remain focused for a longer time.

Sense of ownership

Being able to take ownership as part of a renovation project says a lot about you as an individual and as a team member. It shows that you are not afraid of responsibility and you will do your best to ensure that your job is done correctly. The same way the quarterback has a specific role in a football team, the same logic can be applied to a renovation team as well. For example, if one team is in charge of the commercial and industrial side of projects, and if the other is given an entirely different project related to coastal living and interior design renovation, both the parties need to be given full control over their responsibilties. This can lead to an improved porductivity and sense of ownership in terms of having control and being accountable.

Personal improvement

Working in a team can also work wonders for you as an individual because in the long run, you will find it easier to relate to others and make adjustments as needed. Additionally, but it also gives a boost to your self-confidence knowing that you can work alone or in teams without any problems. Last but not least, it can put an extra touch on your resume, which may help in acquiring future projects.

Boost in morale

Aside from being fun for the people involved, working together effectively can lift the general attitude of the team, which will lead to more work being done. Positive energy is contagious, and if your team is brimming with confidence, you will already have the upper hand in any renovation task you set out to do.

In concluding, we can say that renovation is one of the many things that can be improved right people and effective teamwork. Take everything in steps and eventually, it will all come together.