Renovations To Make to Your New Home Before You Move In

Moving into a new house can be exciting, but you shouldn’t rush into it. If you’ve had a snagging survey done and the surveyor has found issues with your new home, you should fix the snags right away. Also, if you have any changes you’d like to make, get them out of the way so your home is ready to move into. To give you an idea of what you need to get done first, here is a list of renovations to make to your new home before hire Bekins Moving Solutions to move your belongings in.

Changing Locks

This may not count as a renovation, but you should change the locks of your new home as soon as you’re handed the keys. You don’t know who the previous owners had keys cut for, so it’ll give you peace of mind knowing that a stranger won’t be able to randomly walk into your house.

Roof

Depending on how old your house is, it may require repairs to the roof. Even if your home is newer, shoddy workmanship or loose tiles could mean you might have leaks which could damage the rest of your house. If your house has a skylight, make sure it is sealed properly, and check that there are no problems with the chimney.

Driveway and Yard

If the driveway has a pothole or cracks, this could cause damage to the wheels and the underside of your car and scratch the paintwork. The problems with your driveway will only get worse, so it’s best to fix them so you’ll have somewhere safe to park your car when you move in.

You yard may also have issue, for example it may be waterlogged due to sloping and lack of drainage. Northern Mat can help to safely access your yard while you take the time to fix it.

Plumbing

There’s nothing worse that dealing with plumbing problems after you’ve moved into your new home. Fixing the plumbing will require you to shut the water off, and if you have to replace old pipes or fix leaks, you’ll have to deal with no running water in the kitchen and bathroom and no usable toilet or shower.

Electricity

Whether you’re planning on adding as few more sconces to the hall or more ceiling lights to brighten up the rooms, be prepared for the electricity to be shut off while you’re doing any upgrades. If you’ve bought an older home, it may not have enough outlets and switches and you may wish to add a few more. There’s also a chance that the house may have unsafe wiring that will need to be replaced. These things will take time, so you’re best off doing it before moving in.

Walls and Ceilings

If you plan on adding or removing any walls, do it before you move in. Your house should look the way you envisioned, so whether you plan on creating an open plan space or making the rooms seem cosier, this work should be done right away. You should also sort any ceiling and wall insulation at the same time.

If you’re going to remove the popcorn texture from the walls and ceilings, you should do it before you move in so you don’t have to worry about making too much of a mess. Painting the walls and ceilings should be done sooner rather than later too. That way, you’re not going to have to rearrange and cover furniture or have to live with that awful chemical smell while the paint dries.

Flooring

You won’t want to deal with certain rooms being off limits because the old carpeting has been ripped up to make way for new flooring, which is why you should have it all done before you move in. The same goes for replacing or repairing the staircase. Ripping out a staircase and replacing it will take a few days, so if you already have moved in and the bathroom and bedrooms are upstairs, it will cause a lot of inconvenience.

Kitchen

If you’re planning on ripping out the old kitchen cupboards to make way for new ones, and want to install a new sink and other kitchen appliances, do it before you move in.

If you renovate the kitchen after you move in, you’ll have to store all of your dishes and smaller kitchen appliances somewhere else, and if you’re replacing the fridge/freezer and cooker, you’ll be eating out and having takeaways for a while.

Unless you have experience with home renovations, you should always hire professionals to complete these tasks to make sure they’re done properly. Once all the renovations are done, you can ire professional movers to move your belongings in. Click here more information on hiring the best movers.

Image Credits: Monica Silvestre