It’s common knowledge that undertaking home renovations can be an expensive project. Whether it’s one room of the house or a whole home re do, the costs can add up quickly. Most people factor in the obvious costs when planning like labour and materials, but it’s the hidden costs that pop up along the way that can take you over your budget. Envision has been a big part of plenty of home renovations Gold Coast wide. In all our experience, there are the top 5 hidden costs to consider when renovating.
Council
It’s one thing to draw up your dream renovation plans but you can’t get the ball rolling until your local council gives your project the go ahead. Council approval can actually cost you in both time and money. Some plans can sit with council for quite a while until they are approved and ready to go. It’s important to budget in council fees as they are non negotiable. Avoid blowing your budget before even beginning by speaking to your local council and builders with experience to gage how much you might have to cough up in council fees.
Additions, Variations & Adaptations
You can plan every little part of your renovation but you will never be able to avoid unforeseen circumstances adding to your project along the way. Once work begins there’s a million things that could change the course of the build. Discovering structural damage, termites, or wood rot for instance require extra work that will quickly add to costs. You may also change your mind and alter plans once you see things put in place in real life instead of paper. This is something you want to allow yourself to be able to get the best possible result. Make sure your renovation budget has an allowance for unforeseen extras and changes along the way.
Structuring
If you’re re-modelling any structural elements of your home this needs to be done perfectly and precisely in order to ensure safety. The structure of your home really is the hidden cost of renovating as there is no way to entirely know what’s going on behind your plasterboard. Especially when renovating old homes structural issues can arise and need to be dealt with before continuing. Make sure you have a little extra leeway in your budget to look after and surprise structural changes along the way.
Accommodation & Storage
Renovating is a great way to update your home and make it better than ever to live in but for the time in which the renovations are happening, your home won’t be the cosiest place to live. While room by room renovations allow you to pretty much keep living as usual, whole house or larger renovations allow you to get the job done in one fell swoop. The catch is however that you and your things, will have to live elsewhere. If you can’t make alternative plans make sure you budget for putting furniture and large items into storage and paying for accommodation while your house is a building site.
Renovations are a big responsibility. While a good job is always worth the money you need to plan carefully and cleverly to ensure you don’t go over budget before even starting. That’s why it pays to trust your renovations with a building group who know exactly what they’re doing. Get in touch with Envision today for a quote on your next renovation project.
