What to Consider in Renovating your Condo Unit

You have recently purchased a previously-owned condo. And you are now excited to renovate it to suit your style.

Note that renovating your condo is not as easy as renovating a stand-alone house. There are many things to be taken into consideration. Here are tips for condo renovation.

Planning Stage

What level of renovation will you do? Will it be a simple repainting? Or will you need to do major renovations?

For major renovations, consider hiring an interior designer and a contractor. They can help you plan the space better. Many designers are experts in making a small space fully functional. They can maximize small spaces and make each item useful. They can suggest convertibles to make the furniture dual-function. These can save spaces.

For design, align with your designer or contractor. Tell them about your needs. For example, if you work from home, do you need a new office space in a corner? Or do you have kids? What type of rooms do they want? Discuss it with your family members. If the house is for long-term use, you would want everybody to be happy and satisfied.

You can plan the interiors also based on your personality and preferences. Don’t simply select a design based on suggestions. You will be the one who will be living in the house. Match it with your own style! For example, do you like rustic designs? How about minimalists? Or do you want to go bold with your colors and designs? Let your designer know so he/she can fit the plan according to your preferences. In this manner, you will avoid having to go back and forth revisions.

Budgeting

From your ballpark figure, do a proper and detailed breakdown of costs. If you plan to bid out the project, select a designer that suits your budget. But don’t sacrifice quality. Make sure you still choose good and experienced designers and contractors.

After choosing your contractor, ask them to submit their plan and budget proposal. This should have cost details per area. With this, you can check if you are comfortable with the costs or you need to trim down.

Check what makes an area expensive. Is it the materials to be used? For example, if you are renovating the bathroom, there are many choices of tiles. But the tiles’ prices vary considerably. Some designs and types can be really expensive. Choose which you will be happy with. If your choice goes over budget, at least you know why. The important thing is for you to be fully satisfied after all these. But you don’t want to get broke or loan to meet changes in your budget right? So balance what you ‘want’ versus what you ‘need.’

Remember to keep receipts. Track them on excel and monitor spending versus your budget. Discuss with your designer if there is any part you are no longer comfortable with.

Coordination with property management office

The first thing to do is to check with your property management office. Condominiums have rules and regulations when it comes to renovations. They have their own do’s and don’ts. Usually, these guidelines take into consideration the actual building structure. Note that many things are interconnected with each other like pipes. Hence, close coordination is needed. This is to make sure your contractor does not bust anything critical for the building itself. Property management also checks safety protocols.

Some condo set limitations for the material weight that you can use. For example, some do not allow heavy hardwood flooring. Plumbings and drillings also need to be properly coordinated.

Major condo renovations require a permit from your property management office. Make sure you get clearance before starting the work. Otherwise, you might encounter issues and complaints.

Elevators and Bringing of Construction Materials

Where is your unit located? Is it on the lower or upper floors? Does your condo have service elevators? How big are the elevators? These are important questions to ask. These can impact your construction. Consider these and discuss them with your contractor.

You have to make sure your materials fit in the elevators. Some low to mid-rise condominiums do not have service elevators. Hence, you have to also consider the furniture and materials you will bring up.

Furniture

Plan your renovation well. If you have an interior designer, he/she can suggest the type of furniture that matches your theme.

There is a lot of ready-made furniture. Choose your furniture well. Balance style and functionality. For example, some sofas may look cool and elegant. But they are not so comfortable to sit in. It’s best to try out the furniture and see them for yourself if you can. Visit the showroom to have a feel of the furniture. While online ordering is convenient, it does not enable you to try the furniture.

If there is a limitation in carrying the furniture up, consider building the furniture inside the unit. For smaller condos, many designers suggest built-in furniture that has dual functionality.

Timelines

Set timelines for your renovation project. Agree with your designer or contractor. Set commitments. Print it out so you can always see it if the timelines are followed.

If you are doing a full condo renovation, your option is to stay at a relative or rent a temporary place. This will entail costs on your end. Hence, you want to make sure you finish the renovation on time so as not to increase rental costs. Also, more delays mean more costs in manpower or labor.

Ready for your condo renovation Bangkok? If you are, we hope the tips we gave can help you plan your renovation project.

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