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The second half of this year will be the most brutal period of reshuffling, with stricter environmental inspections and multiple rounds of raw material price increases! According to the home decoration market, labor costs for tiling, carpentry, painting, and other decoration workers have all increased to varying degrees! All these factors are leading to increasingly higher decoration costs!
Netizens jokingly say, "Renovating at noon is the cheapest, because prices will go up sooner or later." Don't panic in the face of rising prices; let's take a look at how to save money on renovations!
1. Save money in the right places
Saving money on home renovations should not be done blindly, especially for basic projects. Reducing costs too much can lead to problems later on, such as needing to fix things or even have to be redone. Important basic projects, such as plumbing and electrical system modifications and wall finishing, should ideally be done correctly the first time.
The pipes, waterproofing materials, and tiles used in water system renovations should all be of high quality. If the pipes leak, the waterproofing layer is damaged and leaks, or the tiles become hollow and fall off, repairs will involve extensive construction, causing inconvenience to the family's daily life.
Sockets are also an indispensable part of circuit modification. The copper plate inside the socket is very important. In a high-quality socket, the copper plate is relatively smooth, while in a poor-quality socket, the plastic wire is prone to peeling off, which can eventually lead to a short circuit and cause unnecessary damage to home appliances.
2. Pay attention to saving money in the details.
When decorating, the biggest principle for saving money is practicality.
Important foundational projects should be prioritized for investment. Later accessories, lighting, curtains, and other fabrics can be purchased with relatively inexpensive products. These items are updated more frequently, and even if the best products are not used at the beginning of the renovation, they can be easily replaced later.
During construction, some small details can also affect the saving of decoration costs. For example, some workers, in order to save time, do not make overall plans when cutting boards, resulting in large pieces of boards being wasted.
If custom-made wood products are needed for the interior, workers should work from "large" to "small" first, making large items such as wardrobes, bookcases, and TV cabinets, and then making smaller items such as shoe cabinets and coat racks. This can save a lot of wood, and the leftover scraps from making large wood products can be used to make partitions, drawers, etc. of small furniture.
By eliminating certain wasteful practices during renovation, you can save 10%-20% of the cost. For example:
① Using lightweight materials for room wall partitions can reduce costs.
② Make good use of pull-out baskets in custom cabinets
③ Interior structural modifications should be carried out according to the design drawings; do not make arbitrary changes on a whim.
④ Before tiling the balcony, check if waterproof material has been applied to avoid hollow spots and rework.
Here, we must mention the "factory-based home renovation" concept advocated by the VIDEO Group. This concept has been successfully used abroad for many years. It means that materials such as doors, windows, flooring, and wall panels are supplied in standard sizes at the factory, saving on materials and renovation time (labor). The healthy and environmentally friendly VIDEO OSB+ series of multi-layer solid wood can create a formaldehyde-free space, greatly reducing renovation costs! 3. Consult a designer for advice.
When renovating, if you hire a designer, you should communicate with them regularly. Before purchasing building materials, you should consult with the designer about the brands, styles, and colors of the materials you want to buy. A reliable designer will save you money and provide suggestions within your budget.
4. Learn to calculate material usage.
Before renovation, accurately calculating the area of each space in the house, understanding the actual size of the house, and roughly knowing the amount of materials to be used can save money when signing contracts, purchasing building materials, and making payments.
The area of a room can be divided into several parts: walls, floor, ceiling, doors, and windows.
Measuring the area of doors and windows is relatively easy. If the construction team only needs to paint the walls or install wallpaper, be sure to ask whether the area of doors and windows needs to be deducted.
The calculation method varies depending on the material. For paint and wallpaper, the area is calculated by multiplying the length by the height, and the area is measured in square meters.
Length: Net length of the main wall surface
Height: If there is no wainscoting, the height is from the indoor floor to the ceiling; if there is wainscoting, the height is from the top of the wainscoting to the ceiling. If there is a suspended ceiling, the height of the suspended ceiling should be deducted.
When calculating the area of the ceiling, it is necessary to clarify whether the area of partition walls, beams, and columns passing through the ceiling should be deducted.
5. Choose a suitable decoration method
The best way to save money on home renovation is through a partial renovation package.
Semi-package is somewhere between a labor-only package and a full package. The contractor is responsible for the construction and the purchase of auxiliary materials, while the homeowner purchases the main materials. The advantage is that you can control the major costs by purchasing the more expensive main materials yourself, while the contractor can purchase the various and less expensive auxiliary materials, which is more convenient.
6. Don't buy everything at once.
When choosing main materials, there are many good options, and each item may not seem very expensive on its own. If you purchase all of these items at once in a short period of time, the financial burden will be significant.
Therefore, when purchasing materials, you must set a price in advance and then select materials according to the predetermined price. It is best not to buy materials that exceed the budget price by 10%, otherwise, before the home decoration is completed, the money in your bank card will disappear without you knowing.
7. Simple and elegant decorations are sufficient.
Home decor should be kept simple and minimalist; a clean and simple look is best.
Having too many household items not only wastes money, but also becomes cumbersome and messy over time, especially under work pressure, which can unconsciously lead to feelings of annoyance.
Please pay attention to the following color combinations:
① Door frames, window frames, baseboards ② Wall paint ③ Kitchen and bathroom tiles ④ Floor tiles ⑤ Flooring ⑥ Cabinets ⑦ Furniture ⑧ Curtains
These colors are the most crucial factors in determining the overall effect of a house, so they should be chosen carefully. Therefore, everyone should discuss with the designer and pay attention to the harmony of the overall design.