It’s the dream for many people: taking on a property that needs a complete facelift. From redoing the gutters to plastering up cracks, you’re not just putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and choosing nice new carpet. You’re doing a huge job – close to building your own property. While it’s incredibly rewarding, and often cheaper than buying your dream home already finished, there’s a lot of things to do, and it can be tricky to keep track of it all. Not only do you have all the stresses that come with any house move, but you’ve got the added worries of not having any habitable rooms, or even needing an entirely new roof put on. If the property hasn’t been lived in for a while, you’ll need to cope with all the stresses that come with such a decision.
So, to help you out on this journey, here’s a list of things you need to do when moving into your property.
Sort the structure
The most important part to focus on first is the structure. If you’ve already had a pre-purchase survey done, then you’ll know the most pressing areas. However, before you do anything else in the home, it’s the perfect time to knock down walls and have crowds of builders in to repair the beams and existing walls. Plus, you’ll want to make it as safe as you can before moving in. If you’re still not sure about the interior yet, do as much as you can. Then when you’ve made a plan, you can look at putting up or tearing down internal walls.
Fix the roof
If the property’s roof is leaking or falling apart, either get it fully fixed or look at having a temporary solution put in place. If it’s winter when you move, you might struggle to find a company who’ll be able to do a roof renovation, so you’ll have to settle for a temporary fix. However, make the most of a summer move: get the roof done as fast as possible. That way, you can start working on the interior, without worrying that a rain shower will undo all of your hard work.
Get the windows sorted
If your new property is in serious disrepair, then you might have missing, cracked or boarded up windows. So, make an effort to get them sorted out early on – especially if it’s cold and wet weather. Windows are one of the easiest ways to smarten up a home, so you’ll notice a big difference, without doing too much work.
Check for leaks
If you’ve found small puddles of water around the house, you need to find the source of a leak as soon as possible. If it’s from a holey roof or cracked windows, you’ll already be sorting them out. However, if you’re unsure of the cause, then get the professionals in.
Redo the plumbing
It’s likely that your new bathrooms will be in a horrific state – and no one wants to use a bathroom covered in mold and dirt. So, one of your first ports of call should be to a highly recommended plumber. Ask them to do a quick once over around the house, and sort out any immediate, smaller problems, before getting stuck into bigger tasks like installing your new bathrooms.
Get it wired up and connected
If your house has been empty for a while, it’s likely that you won’t have a phone line or an internet connection. You might need to get an electrician in to check that all the existing cables are safe for use before doing anything yourself. Likewise, this is a good idea for checking over lights and sockets for electrical appliances. Once this is done, you can carry on and get your broadband and phone line installed.
Find a good gardener
One of the quickest ways to improve the outside appearance of your property is by doing the garden. Not only does it make it easier to do work on the inside, as you can use the garden as a base, but it makes the entire place look more inviting. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, or there’s too much to do, hire a gardener to come in with industrial machines. You might need ride-on mowers to tackle the worst of it, as they’ll make the job much easier.
Watch out for unwelcome visitors
If your house hasn’t been lived in for a while – and has a bit of a jungle for a background – then you’ll probably find quite a few unwelcome visitors seeking shelter. Depending on where you are, get professionals like Lake Norman Pest Control in Davidson NC, to come in and deal with any pest infestation or swarms of insects. It’s not a nice job to do yourself, and it needs to be dealt with effectively to put a stop to it.
Sort the outside façade
The outside of your new home probably looks a bit worse for wear, so give it a once over with outdoor-friendly paints. Painting the outside of your home will make a huge difference for little effort. Likewise, do the same for any fences or posts surrounding your property.
Secure fences, doors and gates
If you’ve got pets or children, you need to make sure the property’s perimeter is secure. From broken fences to doors that don’t shut, you need to do an intense check of your boundary and fix anything that looks a bit weak or tired.
Plaster up the cracks
Before you start painting, you’ll need to fill in any cracks. This can be a tough, time-consuming job, especially if the house is covered. Hopefully, by now, you’ll have decided which interior walls you’re keeping up, and which are coming down, so you don’t waste any time by making nice the walls that will be demolished.
Get cheap furniture for the renovation period
Now, you’re going to need places to sleep, eat and relax while you’re renovating, but it’s not worth buying your dream furniture while there’s still a risk that it’ll get covered in dust and paint. Use sites like Craigslist and Gumtree to find cheap furniture that can survive a decoration period.
