SO, YOU’RE ABOUT TO RENOVATE YOUR HOME
Renovating your home can be an exciting project and it is often a better solution than moving. Then too, there are entrepreneurs that seek out old, run-down homes and transform them into something spectacular before selling them for a profit. Renovating is exciting, but it can also be a daunting experience. There is a definite process involved and you can’t just start knocking down walls and hoping for the best. Renovating and refurbishing your home takes careful planning to ensure all the work is completed to the highest quality and safety standards. You also need to consider if spaces need to be repurposed or if you’re want to achieve a more open plan.
Before you transform your outdated-looking home into something a little more modern, functional and add value to your home, contact Eternal Design and Build Ltd. Our experienced team of designers and contractors will guide you through the renovation process so you get the home of your dreams, without the need to move.
Renovations & Knocking Down Walls
Grabbing a sledgehammer and knocking down a wall may seem easy, but not if you start banging down a load-bearing wall. One thing that is common in many older homes in the UK is that practically all the rooms are separated by walls and doors. Add hallways to this mix and you have a lot of floor space going to waste. When it comes to the kitchen, dining and living areas, the walls make these rooms look tiny and cramped. Opening up these separate areas and creating one larger open space not only gives you more room to move, but it also brings these family areas together which also makes it easier for the family to spend quality time together.
Bedrooms are another favourite among renovators and quite often this includes adding an ensuite to the main bedroom or a two-way bathroom between other bedrooms.
While all of these renovations are a brilliant way of repurposing your existing spaces, you need to be assessing what you have to work with. The assessment must include a structural check and if a bearing wall must come down, it’s crucial to construct adequate support to replace the wall and this could include beams and posts. Eternal Design and Build will send an expert in building and engineering to your home to give your home a thorough inspection and assessment before any walls can come down.
Can I Keep My Existing Walls?
If you are happy with the layout of your home and just want to redo certain aspects such as a kitchen or the bathroom, you don’t need to tear down existing walls. However, renovating is not something you will be doing too frequently as it is time-consuming and can be costly so it’s worthwhile considering expanding some areas while you have the contractors in your home.
While you’ve got your furniture in storage or adequately protected, consider having some decorative elements added to your home. You can have an entire wall constructed to make a bookshelf or an entertainment unit for your big screen TV. In short, you can keep your walls, just make them a little more interesting and functional.
Which Walls Can I Knock Down?
When it comes to renovating you can, in principle, knock down any internal wall in your home but it’s important to understand the difference between a separating wall and a load-bearing wall. If the new layout of your home involves knocking down a wall, have a professional like a building engineer assess the wall. If it is a load-bearing wall, support alternatives must be designed to replace the wall. Eternal Design and Build has the knowledge and expertise to help you redesign your home, without compromising the structural integrity.
Changing The Layout Of Your Home
Many, many years ago, when houses were being built, the main focus of the home was where to put the living and dining areas. The rest of the house was not given much thought. It was not uncommon to have the living room at the front of the house and the kitchen at the back of the house, with a few bedrooms in between. Today, this layout is not practical and it’s a little confusing too. Renovating your home means you can change the layout of the home to something that has a natural flow and puts all the living areas together while separating private rooms like bedrooms.
Changing the layout of your home doesn’t need to include a major overhaul of walls, beams and posts. It may be as simple as moving one room to a different area and creating a completely different layout. Talk to the design team at Eternal Design and Build and we’ll help you with your renovations so your home can have a more practical layout.
Do I Need Any Permits To Renovate My Home?
Before you start renovating or refurbishing your home, you should check with your local building authority. Minor renovations generally do not require a permit, but if you are planning on knocking down walls, especially load-bearing walls, changing windows and doors, or changing the overall shape of your home definitely requires a building permit.
If you live in a terraced or any type of attached home, you also need to consider your neighbours if you’re working on a party wall. This includes adding any built-in features, adding a partition wall as well as anything else that involves you banging on the party wall. As long as you aren’t making any structural changes to a party wall, it is often enough to notify your neighbours with a Party Wall Notice so they are not surprised by construction noise banging on an adjoining wall.
Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed by renovations to your home. Eternal Design and Build has a complete team of experts available to help you design, plan and complete your renovations so you not only get the home of your dreams, you have quality renovations that are constructed to the highest standards of quality, safety and functionality.
