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As with every home development project, a home makeover comes with heaps of preparation and, hard work, but it is a remarkable way to breathe new life into an old home.

RESEARCH PERIOD FEATURES AND SAFEGUARD THEM

Get to know your household better, the time it was constructed in, and the kind of individuals who would have lived there. The greatest tactic is to repair current structures, make the house dry and safe.

CHECK FOR RENOVATION RESTRICTIONS BEFORE YOU START

There are certain restrictions that don’t allow you to remodel your house after a certain extent, it should be made clear to you when you purchase the property but if you are unsure about the regulations you should check them up, as it is a criminal offence to carry out unauthorised work to a listed home. Restrictions in Conservation Areas generally affect only the exterior of the property as the intention is to ‘preserve or enhance the character or appearance’ of an area, but the right to develop your house will be affected. This means the kind of work that you could have easily completed in a different location may need certain planning and even permissions to complete in your area.

CREATE A DESIGN FOR YOUR HOUSE RENOVATION

It is very important that you take your time to perfect the design. This will help to ensure that the finished work is in tune with your needs. You will also need to figure it out how the changes might play with the original building.

FIND THE BEST CONTRACTORS FOR YOUR RENOVATION

If you are planning on managing the renovation project yourself, it is advisable to ask from friends or family who have renovated their house before and have undergone a similar experience. They can help you find the right architect and builder. Or else, you can always opt for a project manager.

Windows or lightwells can be a great way to introduce natural light into your basement, making it a more valuable, enjoyable space. However, they’re not always an essential requirement.

It’s important for your basement conversion to meet ventilation and fire safety building regulations. Windows can be a good way to do this, but they’re not the only option. Stack or mechanical ventilation, or ensuring that stairs up from your basement connect to an exit can be a good alternative.

So, while windows can be a great asset to your basement conversion, if you can’t afford them or they’re not structurally feasible, you can still create a basement conversion without them.

How To Plasterboard A Brick Wall

Do you want to cover your brick wall with plasterboard? The key to success here is the preparation. You must ensure that brick wall is prepared well enough to receive the plasterboard. To get started, there’s the need to attach wood furring strips to the wall which serves as studs in a wood frame structure. This way, the plasterboard will be prevented from getting in touch with the brick. You can always hang pictures or any other forms of decoration in between the gap between the walls. Let’s have a look!

lAttach Furring Strips

• Get a 2 inch by 4 inch wood stud and apply a bead of construction adhesive.

• Using a masonry bit, drill a pilot hole through the wood stud’s base as well as the brick wall.

• Hit a 3 inch fluted nail through the hole using a sledgehammer

• Using a construction adhesive, bind a horizontal 2 inch by 3 inch stud to the upper edge of the wall.

• Using an adhesive, bind the length of a 2 inch by 3 inch stud on its wide side.

• Use a masonry drill to drill a hole on the wood stud and 1 1/2 inches into the brick wall.

• Hit a 3 inch fluted nail through the pilot hole.

lApply Plasterboard

• Hold a plasterboard sheet against the furring strips.

• Use plasterboard screw to hold the drywall sheets in place.

• Use fibreglass to cover the joints where the two plasterboard sheets meet.

• Use a thin layer of the joint compound on the tape. Once done, screw it using a 6 inch taping knife, then allow to dry overnight.

• Use a sandpaper to smooth the joint compound.

• Use a fresh coat of the joint compound to block the holes and joints. Once done, allow the compound to dry.

• Use a light sandpaper to smooth the final coat.

Plasterboarding a brick wall is a simple task but the preparation part must be done right to protect your investment. Therefore, we’d recommend you hire the services of a skilful professional, who can guarantee the best results especially if you lack enough training and experience to carry out a DIY project.

How To Put Up Plasterboard

Putting up a plasterboard is a vital process when it comes to home renovations. However as daunting as it may seem, with a good guide and regular practice you can master the skill within a small period of time. If you lack proper training and experience, we’d recommend you hire a seasoned professional plasterer for help so as to get the best result and also avoid additional costs due to possible damages.

Putting up plasterboard is way quicker than wet plastering and also significantly reduces the drying time that can slow down your renovation plans. With a plasterboard, you can delve straight into the decorating stage and achieve a smooth finish. Below are the steps required to put up a plasterboard.

• The first step is cutting the plasterboard to shape which be one of the most challenging parts of the process. This is because you’ll need to fit the board around things such as plug sockets and window sills. As a result, this involves cutting complex shapes rather than just a simple straight line. To get this done, simply mark out the cut required with the use of a tape measure, combination square and spirit level for a better precision. Once done, you can then use a plasterboard pad saw to cut along the marked spots.

• After you made the required cuts, the next step is putting up the plasterboard. And depending on where the boards are going to be put, this could be a very challenging task. If you’re going to put the boards on the ceiling or somewhere very high up, you’d probably need an extra pair of hands for help. To get this done, use the appropriate screws to secure the boards in place if you’re installing them directly on studs. However, if you’d be fixing them onto bricks or blocks, a drywall adhesive is your best bet.

If you’ve converted a non-residential barn into a home, you might be able to reclaim some of the VAT that you’ve paid for your project. This includes money spent on:

• Construction materials

• Flooring

• Light fittings

• Kitchen units and worktops

• Electrical, heating and plumbing materials

To reclaim your VAT from HMRC, make sure you request and keep all of your invoices. You’ll also need proof of planning permission and evidence of completion. You should then submit your claim with all relevant paperwork within three months of receiving your completion certificate. You’re only allowed to submit one claim, so you’ll need to make sure you get it right first time.

In the event whereby you’ve got big refurbishment ideas for your house but a small budget, then you know it’s time to be a bit more creative and apply some cheap and simple tricks. The best possible way to go about this is to invest time in acquiring new skills rather than trying to save up more money to pay a pro to deliver the results you want. After all, the most significant cost when it comes to house refurbishments is usually the labour cost.

The key to making cheap tricks a lot effective in the refurbishment process is by undertaking small tasks that’ll make a huge impact. A great way to start would be by taking it one task at a time rather than rushing to complete all at once. This way, you’ll have enough time to perfect your skills before moving on to the next.

✓ Paint the interior walls. Although this is a simple task but it’ll save you a lot of money if done as a DIY project. To get started, you’d have to text colour options by painting samplex on the wall first. Once done, you can go for the one that adds warmth, dynamism as well as energy to the room.

✓ Fix up your furniture. This involves re-upholstering and refinishing any piece of furniture that appears tired or overly worn (you can leave out the ones that you do not really like or unnecessary items).

✓ Spruce up small but important items used on a daily basis. This includes spray-painting inexpensive picture frames, recovering lampshades with a vibrant paper or patterned fabric, adding throw pillows to armchairs and couches and the likes.

✓ Fix all small things that are broken. This includes activities like patching the nail holes in the wall, repairing the latch on the kitchen cabinet, fixing the gutter, putting a new handle on the door and lots more.

Generally, extensions can be a very tricky undertaking - where it can be quite difficult to have a clear comprehension of the rules, regulations as well as costs. Therefore before you rush in to kick start your ground floor extension project, it’ll be wise to get a good grip on the cost. In this article, we’re going to give you a rough estimate of the cost of a ground floor extension. Let’s take a look!

Just like several other home improvement projects, the cost of constructing a ground floor extension is based on a number of things which includes the size, materials used, your location, the quality of the tradesmen or company hired and lots more. For instance, if you happen to reside in London, the cost of your ground floor extension is going to be a lot higher than the other regions.

The single cost of a ground floor extension should fall within the range of £1,500 per square metre to about £2,000 per square metre. However, if you happen to live in London or the South East, this price can reach up to £1,900 per square metre to about £2,400 per square metre. These prices are for good quality ground floor extensions only. Basic or low quality extensions would naturally cost less while superior quality extension will cost more.

Now looking at the size of the ground floor extension, if you’re looking for a size of about 5m x 5m, you can expect to pay a price within the range of £32,000 to about £36,000. And as usual, in London or the South East, this price can reach up to £50,000 or even more. And that’s just for constructing the extension. If the other relevant costs like the 10 percent to 15 percent professional fees for the architect, planning application (if needed), building regulations and more, the price goes up.

Converting your garage into a habitable room can be an option that’s too good to pass up especially when you’re in dire need of more living space in your home. If you’re in a similar situation and considering the cost of a single garage conversion in your home, then you’ve come to the right place! The fact is, the cost of a single garage conversion is dependent on a number of influencing factors which includes your specific plans as well as your location. Generally, the price of garage remodel is expected to cost about half of what you’ll incur when building a home extension or addition from scratch. However, before commencing a project of this magnitude you should put into consideration some things.

A single garage conversion is a huge job which typically involves wall insulation, floor raising, heating addition, cool and ventilation as well as updating doors and windows. Before you get started you should consider if converting your single garage into a room is a good option, whether a permit is required to convert a garage, the type of room a garage can become, does it add value to your home and how much its going to cost.

Just like any other home improvement project, garage conversion cost varies depending on several factors like your garage space specifications. Other factors include the general condition of your garage - the condition of your foundation, walls, floors or roofs, the ceiling and more, planning applications, your location, the services of a structural engineer, internal or external garages etc. According to Santander, the average cost of converting a single garage costs approximately £6,300. However, considering the aforementioned influencing factors we’d expect the cost of a single garage conversion to cost within the range of £5,500 to £10,500.