Ron Wolf

Renovating is not a walk in the park, no matter how it appears so on home makeover TV shows. It takes careful planning, time, and patience to deal with various issues that can arise unexpectedly during work. For example, delivery of your material may be late, some of the pieces may come damaged, or the contractor turns out to be unreliable.

Even when everything runs smoothly, it’s probably because you organized certain aspects well before the renovations started to deal with problems and obstacles. Since that’s the ultimate goal, here are the tips on how to speed up home renovations and be done in no time.

Create a plan and stick to it

A renovation plan is necessary for various reasons. It will help you set priorities, choose materials, consult with experts, and hire contractors, but before anything else calculate the costs. Moreover, if renovations are extensive, you will need to find a place where you can be during that time.

Those working from home will also need to consider taking time off work for the duration of renovations. Alternatively, you can rent a coworking space or find a spot where you can work for hours, like cafés or parks. A functional and well-prepared plan is the perfect way to organize your life around renovations and speed them up at the same time.

Calculate the costs before renovations

Once the plan is ready, you can start calculating the costs. Some find this a bit tedious since you have to check stores for materials, interview contractors to hire, and think of additional costs, like relocating.

Another reason for calculation is to prepare financially and set a budget you are comfortable with. In case you have to ask for a loan from a bank or borrow money from someone, it’s best to know the amount and whether you can pay it back. Being in debt is not unusual in this day and age, but having the smallest one possible means less stressing out over finances.

Avoid doing it all by yourself

Even if you are skillful with tools or are prepared to spend hours learning from tutorials how to renovate, you can still make amateur mistakes. This can lead to additional costs, injuries, property damage, and prolonged renovations beyond the plan. Of course, if there is something you know and can do by yourself, you should proceed with that DIY project.
Otherwise, hiring a contractor may seem expensive, but it brings expertise and years of experience to the table. Plus, the majority of contractors have suppliers that give them discount prices and the best quality of materials.

Rely on technology

Today, there are so many ways to speed up the renovation process and make it easier for you and your workers. If there is any kind of technology that can help you out and fits your budget, don't hesitate to use it.
For instance, forklift rental services allow you to use such machinery for heavy lifting and transporting more items from one place to another. A paint sprayer will speed up the process of painting the walls, façade, fence, and any other big surface that would otherwise take hours with a brush.

Get all the permits in time

Your neighborhood and district may require certain permits for the types of work you are about to carry out. Without those, you will have to pay fines, return your place to the state before renovations, and start all over again once the permits arrive. If you don't know what type of permits you need, you can ask your contractor or architect you work with on renovation plans.
Ask your neighbors and friends who renovated recently for advice or hire a lawyer who specialized in construction. Since it may take a while until the permits arrive, find out as much as you can before setting up a schedule so you don’t waste anyone’s time starting without them.

Clean every day after the work is done

Renovating a home will leave behind a lot of dust, dirt, and debris every day for you to clean up. From construction materials to sawdust, such waste should be taken care of regularly to clear the space for new tasks. In some areas, you can mop and wipe, but others may need more people involved to clear out, like a pile of bricks.

If your contractor doesn't have a policy to clean up after themselves, you can do it to some extent and hire a professional cleaning service for a bigger mess. In some cases, a contractor has a cleaning person on staff if the client wants to add this service to the contract as well. This may turn out cheaper and take one task from your list of chores.

Final thoughts

Every person wants to know how to speed up home renovations and be done in time so they can return to their normal life. Planning the renovations, calculating the budget, relying on technology, and hiring a reliable contractor should be at the top of your list. Just remember that renovating is a team work and you should work with your contractor and architect to come up with the best solutions for your home and wallet.