DIY renovations can save money and give great satisfaction to those who love working with their hands.  Whether you love working with timber, painting, or simply planning it all out, working out when electrical contractors and other trades should come and fitting the different pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, doing home renovations is what makes life worthwhile for many people.

If you are into home renovations and improvements it is essential to know what is legal for you to do and what is not, when council permission is needed and what all those other rules and regulations are. No one likes red tape, but it is a fact of life and ignoring it can be costly.  Here are some ways to avoid any problems with your renovations.

• Cost out the job. If it is going to cost more than $3,300 you will need council permission.
• Work with the council to determine what is needed in your state, as the rules and regulations vary by state.
• Ensure you don’t do work that needs a licensed professional, such as an electrician or residential plumber, even if it looks simple.
• Make sure all your tradies are fully licensed and have insurance.
• Have your plans are approved by council and get the necessary inspections as the work progresses, even if it means a delay waiting for the building inspector to come.
• Don’t attempt to do work you are not qualified for or skilled enough to do. It may seem like it’s going to save money, but in the long run, problems can pop up and be more costly to fix.

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Many people enjoy doing home renovations themselves, getting a lot of satisfaction in working with their hands – and tools – to create an improvement to their home and their lifestyle. Many renovations require you to move furniture out of the home and it is best to get a budget furniture removal company like Brilliance Removalists Perth in to do this, because they are much fitter for lifting than you are likely to be. They also have the aids that will help them. It will save back strain to have others do that heavy job. Here are some more tips to keep you safe during renovations.

• Always wear eye protection. Even if you need to wear glasses, they don’t protect your eyes from flying debris or dust. You need to have goggles that will fit over the top and seal around the edges. They are made from stronger material than glasses and won’t shatter if a nail should fly into them. People have lost all or part of their vision because they didn’t follow this simple rule.
• Wear a hard hat. Sure, we know that builders on construction sites wear hard hats, but many home renovators don’t even think about it. Things can fall on you, or you can get up and bump your head on something easily enough when crawling around the small spaces such as under the floor or the ceiling cavity. You only have one head; protect it.
• Wear steel capped boots. It is easy to drop something heavy when doing renovations. Timber can bounce right onto your toes when you drop it. If you are working in joggers it can break your toe or a bone in your foot.

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If you are into home renovations, it is a good idea to choose those that add real value to the home because one day you may have to put it on the market and book a removal company like Brilliance Removalists Melbourne. When this happens it is good to know you can add the price of the renovations onto the price of the home and be likely to get it.  So what kind of renovations are likely to give you a return on the investment like that?

• Experts tell us that most kitchen renovations add good value to the home; the kind of value you can get back when you sell. The kitchen is one of the hardest working rooms in the home and so is most likely to wear out. Upgrading it can cost a great deal, so it is wise to set a budget of no more than 2% of the home’s value and stick to it.
• This should be plenty to make a big difference in your kitchen, but you can still do renovations for less than that. Just adding more storage will make a kitchen more efficient. Repainting the walls and changing the lighting will make it look better and adding a moveable island will increase bench space, something that many chefs want. A new splashback and cupboard doors will lift your kitchen, too.
• The bathroom is another area that can usually benefit from some renovations, especially in an older home where this important room is usually small and dark. Again, benchtop space is more important in the bathroom than most redecorators allow for.
• Storage is essential, lighting should be ample and the hand-basin should be big enough for people with large hands. Even adding a mirror opposite the window will increase the natural lighting and enhance use. How about adding a stool or low bench to sit on or put clothes on?

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