Gazza’s Carpentry | Renovating with Purpose
Author // Georgina Auton, Place Graceville
The decision whether to renovate a home or not can be a difficult one, and requires the weighing of all of the pros and cons.
Will the investment in a renovation add value to the home, or cost more than it’s worth?
Will all of the effort and hard work be worthwhile?
Might it be better simply to relocate rather than investing your blood, sweat and tears into a potential costly and time-consuming renovation?
We decided to have a chat to an expert.
Gary Cahoon from Gazza’s Carpentry has years of experience in assisting homeowners with their home renovations.
He gave us the low-down on what to expect, what to consider that you may not have thought of and some of the potential pitfalls for new players - thanks Gazza!
What would your advice be to someone thinking about renovating their property?
Ensure that you have a clear scope of work to be completed, so that the outcomes you desire are achieved.
It may be useful to engage the services of an interior designer and work with them to ensure that the final design is exactly what you’re after.
Working with an interior designer can also help you allocate, and work within a budget.
What's the first thing to consider before you renovate?
When considering property renovations, it’s crucial to consider whether the renovations will meet both your family’s current needs and your future circumstances.
Renovations can be quite costly so you want to ensure that they’ll not only last for years to come but will also be value adding to your property.
For example - if you are planning to grow your family, you may think about adding additional bedrooms and bathrooms at the time of renovating.
You may also want to consider whether the addition of an ensuite to the master bedroom may be financially beneficial when renovating and considering future resale.
Considering all aspects of the renovation is important to ensure one step does not undo the next.
How can renovating increase the value of your property?
Everything has an expiry date and the same goes for homes.
Renovating can help to freshen up an outdated home, with the addition of modern day creature comforts improving the lifestyle for the home-owner, and in turn the value of the property.
Renovations which complement the current trends, whether it be the removal of walls to achieve more open plan living or the addition of verandas/decks onto the old Queenslanders, all have the potential to add value to your property.
What are the biggest mistakes people make when renovating?
Too often we see people falling into the trap of over capitalising, which reduces the likelihood of profit when the property is sold.
Being mindful of the target buyers in your area when renovating as this will help to ensure that the renovations are value adding in the market.
Where possible, try not to customise the renovation to suit only your specific needs, as this may affect the resale and the number of people the property appeals to.
What's the worst home job that you had to fix?
The list is endless and we cannot stress enough that most home improvements should be completed by the qualified tradespeople.
Recently, we’ve seen a spike in the number of unsafe decks which have been built by DIY and unlicensed handymen.
It would appear that a major contributor to this trend of unsafe property improvements, would be the influx of DIY TV programs.
Whilst the television programs may make it look easy and 'cheap', it will most likely cost you more in the long run.
Finally, should you renovate if you're not thinking about selling?
Renovating all comes down to personal preference and it just so happens that many people begin renovating or updating their home in preparation for sale.
But why not enjoy your home to the full potential when you get to live there?
Your home should be a place that you're proud of, where you can relax at the end of the day.