Where to start repairs: step by step instructions?
The hardest part is to start. To survive the repair and for new furniture with the least loss of time, effort, and money, it is important to know what to do and in what sequence.
We decide on the type of repair
It is necessary to assess the condition of the premises and your capabilities. In many cases, old apartments overhaul with the replacement of furniture, electrical wiring, and windows, but often they are limited to new windows, doors, and wall alignment.
Sometimes it is enough to carry out cosmetic work: to scrape the parquet or lay a new carpet, remove the wallpaper and paint the walls. First of all, you should be aware of the square footage area using an online square footage calculator.
Overhaul includes:
- dismantling work;
- redevelopment and erection of partitions;
- ceiling installation;
- floor screed, ceiling, and wall decoration;
- detailed measurement of rooms.
If you find it difficult to estimate the volume of repairs and the necessary actions yourself, contact a specialist. It is not necessary to order a design project; you can choose the style and content of the interior yourself.
But if the basic parameters are incomplete, then it is possible that a new cosmetic repair will be damaged due to cracks in old windows or leaks in pipes. The duration, complexity, and costs of the upcoming repair depend on the number of works.
The latter should be given special attention: the more plans, the more money will have to be invested in their implementation.
Choosing an interior design
With the help of cosmetic repairs, you can completely transform the apartment. If your budget is tight and a professional designer is not part of your plans, practice seeing. This is best done by collecting examples on interior sites.
Think about what you like: bright colors or understated minimalism, or maybe the brick walls of the house are ideal for creating a loft, or you want to bring the design closer to cozy boho chic. Save the selected photos to a separate folder on your computer or phone, highlight the characteristic features of the selected examples.
Designers recommend focusing on interiors created in similar conditions: pay attention to the size of the rooms and their functionality, and the location of the windows. Consider the architecture of the space – in a modern house there is no point in making stucco moldings and bas-reliefs, but these details can be beaten if they already exist. If several people live in the apartment, coordinate the selected styles with them so that everyone is comfortable in the renovated apartment.
You can use special applications and online services for apartment design to find the right combinations and further arrangements of furniture.
Who will repair the apartment?
Many tasks can be completed independently, but if you do not have experience, it is better to entrust especially complex processes to specialists. Ultimately, this will save money on rework and the elimination of deficiencies. You don’t have to buy materials, expensive equipment, and tools on your own.
In addition, the work of a professional team is a great guarantee that cracks will not appear on the new ceiling due to non-compliance with the rules and technologies of staining, and fresh tiles in the bathroom will remain intact.
It is better to entrust specialists with the installation of doors and windows, floor screed, electrical and plumbing work. You can paint the walls and arrange furniture yourself – it’s a matter of desire, effort, and time.
Selection of the required materials
When you decide on the design and content, you can proceed to the calculations and create a list of necessary building materials and consumables. It is best to purchase them with a small margin. So, if unsuccessful gluing damages the part of the wallpaper, you can replace it with a spare roll.
In addition, the selected tile may not remain in the store, and half a meter of plinth will have to look for and ordered with overpayments – a wholesale purchase is always cheaper. If it is difficult to make calculations yourself, contact the professionals. Many companies provide a service for allocating a budget and purchasing everything you need for repairs, even if you decide to do it yourself.
In addition to building materials and furniture, try to include small things and details in the list: lamps, additional shelves, carpets, and decorative elements.
Repair budget forecast
The estimate will come in handy even at the stage of planning the repair or for new furniture. You can use online calculators, collect shopping carts in online stores, and follow your designer’s advice. To make the correct calculations, you need to know the exact parameters of the room: footage, the height of walls, location of windows, and doors.
The contractor can make an estimate, but in any case, you must provide him with a measurement plan and agree on specific wishes for future repairs. Be sure to voice, or better document, the types of work, technologies used, categories of building materials, deadlines, and desired costs.
The desire to save money is understandable and understandable, but try to turn to professionals when it comes to safety. It is better to entrust these repairs to specialists:
- replacement of electrical wiring;
- plumbing and plumbing;
- installation of windows and doors;
- stretch ceilings ;
- complex highly skilled work (for example, leveling and plastering of walls for painting).
On average, a major overhaul will cost twice as much as a cosmetic one. But this is a long-term investment in the comfort and safety of residents, and it is not worth saving on.
Room renovation plan (furniture and more)
After the development of the design project and the purchase of materials, you can proceed directly to the work. The repair plan should reflect all measurements, layout, location of sockets, switches, and lighting. It is best to start work with the most difficult and dirty ones: replacing windows, pipes, installing window sills.
During the rough repair process, a lot of dust generates, so it is incompatible, for example, with the tint of the walls in the next room. Often they start with redevelopment and wall erection. And after laying the tiles in the bathroom, they move on to the kitchen.
If you are staying in the apartment during the renovation, make sure that dirt and debris do not spread to all rooms. Be sure to pack and store items from the workroom.
The sequence of work during the repair
Try to stick to the planned work plan; step-by-step instructions will help you not to miss important points:
- Measure the apartment. A detailed plan will allow you to correctly distribute the budget, calculate the time of work and their labor input.
- Disassemble. If redevelopment is planned, then demolishing and erecting the walls is the first thing to do during the renovation process.
- Conduct an electrician. In addition to the location of the sockets, do not forget about the need to lay the cable for the TV and connect to the Internet.
- Replace or lay pipes for washing machines, drainage, and heating.
- Install windows and front door. Do not remove the tape from them until after the dirty repair work.
- Make the ceiling and walls. Relevant if surfaces require leveling. At the final stage of the repair, the stretch ceiling is there.
- Screed the floor. Please note that the cement-sand screed sets within 24 hours, and the coating can be laid on it no earlier than two weeks later. At the same point, you can consider laying a warm floor.
- Carry out work in the bathroom. The tiles are installed after installing the bathtub so that perfect joints can be made.
- Remove construction debris at the completion of rough work.
- Proceed with the final finishing of the ceiling and walls (wallpaper, panels, painting). The installation of radiators is near the finished walls.
- Install plumbing besides the bathtub (faucets, toilet, sink).
- In addition, install the skirting boards.
- Install interior doors.
- Install a kitchen set and connect household appliances.
- Furthermore, at the final stages, cornices mounted external switches and sockets, and the installation of lighting devices.
- Perform general cleaning of the apartment, arrange furniture, hang curtains, lay carpets and textiles.
