Image from Pexels – CC0 License
Investing in a fixer-upper is an exciting venture, but it can be scary too. If you’ve never done it before, even knowing where to start can be tricky. You might have a huge amount of work ahead of you, and you can even start to worry that you’ve made a mistake. Once you have the keys to the property, you’ll be able to start working on it right away. But before you get started, make sure you have a plan in place. You might start by having an inspection carried out if you haven’t already had one. It will help you to get a full picture of what you need to do.
Stop Further Damage
The most important thing to do, before you do anything else, is to prevent any further damage from occurring. If there’s anything that could cause further issues for your property, you need to take steps to stop it. That might involve turning off the water to prevent damage from a leak or boarding up a window to prevent the wind and rain from getting in. These are the most pressing things to take care of if you want to begin working on your fixer-upper in the right way.
Image from Pexels – CC0 License
Check Structural Issues
Any structural problems will need to be addressed quickly too. They might not look that bad now but they can start to get worse and be more expensive to fix down the line. You might have to repair foundational problems, fix some water damage, or make repairs to the roof. Doing these things can help to prevent further damage from occurring, as well as take care of some of the most essential repairs. After ensuring your property is structurally sound, you can start to think about some of the more cosmetic issues that you need to fix.
Inspect Plumbing and Electrics
Before you start decorating, it’s a good idea to have the plumbing and electrics in your property inspected. Any problems in these areas will need to be repaired before you get too far with other parts of your renovation. You don’t want to have to rip into a new kitchen or bathroom to fix a problem that was previously undetected. There could be some minor problems to repair but it’s also important to be aware that you might need to carry out some more extensive work to fix your plumbing or electrics.
Image from Pexels – CC0 License
Identify Features to Keep
In an older home, there can often be period features that you want to keep or restore. Before you start renovating your home, you might want to identify any features that you want to preserve. Some might be features that you want to preserve or restore where they are. Others could be features that you want to repurpose or materials that you want to reuse so that you can have part of the original property used in a different way.
It can be hard to know where to start when faced with a mammoth renovation project. However, there are usually some things that clearly need to be taken care of first.
Please note that some of the links above and below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own.
