Condo renovation might be easy and challenging for some reasons. First, the project might be seamless if you know the condo board rules and have a good plan.
Otherwise, the project might face countless challenges and setbacks. That said, it’s vital to understand and adhere to these rules before commencing the project. Moreover, you should be realistic about the renovation and understand your renovation and design limits.
If you’re looking forward to renovating your condo, you must inquire and do your research to learn more about condo renovations.
This way, you’ll ensure that you’re making informed decisions and taking action according to rules and regulations. That said, here are six things to know about condo renovations:
Tips To keep In Mind While Doing Condo Renovations
1.Condos Have Rules And Regulations
Before commencing the renovations, you must understand that there are rules and regulations to be followed. For example, you must adhere to the condo board rules and regulations.
While the board might not interfere with your cosmetic decisions or material preference, it’s more likely to have rules regarding the days and times when renovations should take place and when the material should be brought on site.
Failing to understand these rules might cause you lots of hiccups when scheduling deliveries and so on. Besides that, you might find yourself on the wrong side of the condo board, which might not go so well with you.
It’s vital to understand that condo boards don’t put such policies in place to disappoint people looking forward to renovating their properties. These policies are put in place to avoid interfering with neighbors’ activities.
Therefore, you should understand that such policies might slow down the renovation process; hence you should assign the process a long timeline to avoid disappointments.
That said, it’s advisable to consult an experienced board member regarding the perfect timeline depending on your renovations, then add at least two months to the timeline for realistic expectations.
2.You May Encounter Design Limitations
In real estate, every project has limitations, and renovating a condo isn’t an exception. With that in mind, you must know the building’s design guidelines and limitations when designing plans.
This way, you’ll be able to avoid renovation projects and designs that are too complicated to come to fruition; hence they should be developed moderately. Therefore, hiring an outside consultant is advisable to avoid unrealistic expectations.
3.You Should Understand Why You Are Renovating
Before the renovation starts, it’s vital to revisit the reason behind the project. Are you renovating the condo for yourself or for selling purposes? Once you have the answer to this question, revisit the timeline to see if it corresponds to the project.
When renovating the condo for yourself, you might not be too concerned about the timeline since you might not be in a hurry.
On the other hand, when renovating for reselling purposes, you might want the renovations to be done before the peak months, primarily if the condo is located in a geographical area where properties sell in a particular period.
Additionally, renovating a condo for yourself is a bit straightforward since you already know what you need in a home.
However, when doing it for reselling purposes, you might need to research what most property buyers are looking for in properties to ensure it’s up to date with the current market.
4.It Is Not Necessary To Relocate The Fixtures
When renovating a condo, you don’t have to spend money on relocating the fixtures. Besides being costly, relocating fixtures requires effort and time, which can interfere with the project’s timeline.
Instead of relocating fixtures, it might help if you incorporate unique designs to complement them and elevate your space.
5.It Is Vital To Be Flexible
Most homeowners embark on renovation projects with minds already done on things they want in their condos. For instance, a particular homeowner might want their condo installed with a huge fridge and extra size beds.
If such items can’t fit in their space, such homeowners are bound to be heartbroken and devastated. For this reason, it’s essential to understand that sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Therefore, you should be flexible and allow things to flow. If some things can’t fit or be installed in your condo, there will always be another option that might even be better than what you wanted.
6.You Might Need To Lower The Lighting
Many condos have cement ceilings, reducing the chances of drilling into them for lighting fixtures. However, you can add dropped ceiling panels over the kitchen to create room for overhead lighting.
This tip is mainly helpful when looking for ways to incorporate new lighting. Based on the lighting fixtures you need to add, you might need a six to 12-inch drop.
With such a drop, there will be noticeable changes in some parts of the ceiling, but it can be managed by taking advantage of unique design features.
Conclusion
The success of your condo renovations depends on the plan and how informed you are. Ensure you understand the rules and regulations set aside by the condo board before beginning renovations and set a realistic timeline to avoid disappointments.
Besides that, it’s vital to be realistic about the renovations, understand the reason for the project, and act accordingly.
