Experience in reducing home repair costs

Demand home repair has increased around the world due to blockades, distances, making us spend too much time at home. Families are mainly renovating to have a gym, an office or an open space.

Report from Rated People, Since the start of the pandemic, the price of a complete bathroom overhaul has increased by 40%, lofts and kitchens have increased 25% average.

Costs are rising due to a number of factors such as global raw material shortages and labor costs. This year, it is expected that high labor and material costs will be 22% more than last year and more than 40% compared to 2020.

The company has also compiled some of the experiences of people who have done their own repairs in the past year and believe these will help reduce costs significantly.

Buy second hand

Alice Greedus, of the UK says that buying second hand is a great way to save money. When Renovations kitchen, she mainly buys used items.

By every day scrolling through classifieds, auctions, and electronic marketplaces (e.g. eBay), she finds items she likes, very good, but not old. Specifically, the kitchen cabinet system for 200 pounds, has a very beautiful and relatively new quartz table.

“My husband negotiated a lower price on the condition that we would have to disassemble and transport it ourselves, because renting would cost a lot of money,” she said.

They also bought many items that would be quite expensive if new, including wine cabinets, induction cookers, fancy kitchen faucets and even a kitchen robot. “Homeowners all buy these new items but don’t like the color or get bored, so they sell them,” she said.

Hire an acquaintance

Alice also advises getting a list of local plumbers before starting renovations. It’s unlikely that you can do it all yourself, so a phone number of an electrician or a plumber is necessary. Ask the neighbors and relatives of these workers, both guaranteeing the quality and reducing the cost, compared to finding workers online yourself.

Do some work to help the craftsman

Please help the mechanic do the work to make the renovation process fast, as well as promptly detect unsatisfactory points. Alice’s husband helped the electrician with all the prep, heavy, messy jobs, leaving the electrician to focus on the more specialized tasks.

“The electrician was very pleased with this arrangement as he usually hates the time-consuming prep work,” she shares.

By befriending a local mechanic to fix the door, they bought a new £1,000 door for just £200. This door is left over from a previous project by this person.

Self-taught to do simple things

On social networks there are many channels to help you fix your home. Alice’s husband learned how to install herringbone flooring and the dining room tiles fit perfectly.

Do not hire supervision

Natalie, who is busy renovating her first home in Walthamstow, London, says if you have the time to manage the renovation process yourself, it saves a lot.

She was initially quoted £15,000 for a supervisor. The amount that she and her husband realized was too expensive. Fortunately, Natalie’s husband works as a freelancer, so he can flexibly work and supervise the renovation process.

Buy used building materials

Usually, DIY enthusiasts will sell leftover materials such as mortar, plaster, paint… and often much cheaper than buying everything brand new. “Especially if you only need a small amount it will save a lot of money buying new and then throwing it away,” says Natalie.

Take the time to experiment

Natalie also recommends taking some time to be sure of the paint colors to use. Most want to be quick so don’t try paint colors but it will cost money in the long run. So even if it feels like a waste of time, it’s still a good idea to experiment and test colors in different lights and times of day.

Bao Nhien (According to Metro)