All that is needed for a house renovation project is a house that requires some work. Almost all houses have potential for renovation. But the house renovation costs must be kept into account. Assessing house to renovate is not an easy task. One has to follow some simple procedure before deciding.

Finding Opportunities:

The key market place for sale of old homes are auctions. The potential home buyer can track down owners to save on the payment of the estate agent. He or she can also drive around to distinguish between potential and empty properties. The person needs to ask questions to him or her whether the location is good, whether there is a scope for off road parking etc.

Evaluation of Design Potential:

The person has to assess what can be done about the design. Some of the essential questions one will have to ask include the requirement of extra bedrooms, whether the kitchen size can be improved, etc. Then the person must judge the internal problems like the position of the master bedroom or the orientation. The external factors like the garden and roof also need to be evaluated.

Evaluation of the Structural Potential:

The potential home buyer must have knowledge of the structural component of the house. It is safer for one to take the help of chartered building surveyor and get an expert opinion, than suffer huge losses. However such surveys have limitations as they are only visuals and may not convey hidden problems.

Assessment of Construction Potential:

The materials used during the construction of the house will have an influence on the materials being used for house renovation, thus influencing costs. Houses built after World War two are usually less costly to repair while older houses which were made of stone will require more effort and cost.

Rewiring and Damping:

One can tell if a building needs rewiring by inspecting portions of wiring and fuse box. Some of the signs that signal the need for rewiring include an old style fuse box which has no circuit breakers, a cabling which is not modern PVC etc. One must also look for signs of dampness which are easy to repair once the source is identified.

Cracks: Structural Movement

The person must try to assess if the building has suffered from structural movements. Active movement is the most concerning as the cracks may lead to collapse of the house. In that case, the building will have to be stabilised and then repaired.

Windows and Doors

Replacing old windows and doors must be a second choice because the original windows are part of the building and it may be easier on the pockets to repair them than replace them. However the discretion lies entirely on the hand of the homemaker.

The above list will act as a handy guide for any potential homeowner. It will help assess the potential of the house and ensure the likely end value of the house is greater than the house extension cost.

Post your requirement at Bag a Builder and hire reliable builder to do the renovation job for you.