Why Renovate Your Home? Energy Saving, Comfort And Health

Deciding to renovate your house or apartment is never easy. Embarking on a renovation project indeed entails a series of constraints but also a significant financial cost.

Against all expectations, a survey carried out a few years ago by Batibouw showed quite significantly that Belgians took the time to renovate for two main reasons. The first, not least, is the comfort of life. The second reason that stands out is energy savings.

Renovate To Live Better.

Suppose one of the primary causes of renovating a room, particularly a kitchen or a bathroom, is to improve its daily comfort. In that case, the benefits of renovation work on well-being and health should not be forgotten.

Reducing as much as possible the ills linked to an unhealthy and sometimes almost unsanitary environment is indeed a priority. For example, it is recognized that lack of lighting and poor ventilation can lead to fatigue and, in the long term, cause damage to health. This is also the case for poorly regulated indoor temperatures or poorly insulated housing, which can be the cause of real illnesses.

It would help if you therefore thought about creating good conditions conducive to your comfort, but also and above all to your health. To do this, prioritize the renovation of your lighting system (natural and artificial), waterproofing and insulation, as well as ventilation of your home.

Renovate to Save

Because energy savings are at the centre of current concerns, for both economic and ecological reasons, today, every Belgian strives to consume reasonably. Indeed, more and more work is undertaken by a large number of citizens each year with a view to improving the energy performance of their homes and thus reducing heating and electricity bills.

In general, the works are spread over a long period since it is very complicated and expensive to carry them all out at the same time. It is estimated that, on average, the amount invested in housing renovation work over a year amounts to 12,700 euros.

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Bonuses And Financial Aid

To support you in your ecological efforts, the government recently increased renovation and energy bonuses in Wallonia and Brussels. This is good news if you decide to replace your frames and your joinery or to improve the quality of the insulation of your walls and floors.

In Belgium, the majority of homes were built more than 35 years ago. Since then, urban planning and ecological standards and requirements have evolved significantly. Don’t make yourself dizzy thinking that you will have to renovate your entire home for an exorbitant sum. The goal is to find how to best optimize the costs of your work, that is to say, calculate as precisely as possible what an investment will bring you in terms of lower energy bills. 

Please note in order to benefit from the bonuses, your work must be entrusted to professionals in the sector. You will also be protected by several compulsory insurance policies taken out by your contractor.

Further Information

Are you considering becoming an owner and unsure whether to renovate an old building or buy a new property? Both options offer advantages but also disadvantages. Discover them in our article entitled renovate or buy new.

If you opt to purchase a house or apartment that requires transformation, you may need to renovate several rooms, including your bedroom, the kitchen or even the attic. We advise you to establish the most precise budget before starting your project in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. Remember that renovation does not only concern the interior of the building but also its exterior spaces, such as the terrace or the facade of your home.

Do you want to undertake a lot of work in your home but don’t know how to go about it? In order to guide you as best as possible, we invite you to consult our article, where you will find the major renovation steps necessary to succeed in this type of project. Also, know that there are several ways to renovate. If preserving our environment is important to you, find out more about eco -eco-eco-renovation. 

After learning about the many formalities involved in renovations, do you want to find out more about the subject? By clicking on our link, you will discover everything you need to know about the completion and finishing work so that you know in detail what will be carried out by a company specializing in renovation.

Have you understood the importance of renovation work in a home, and that is why you want to get started?

Our 5 Tips for Remodeling Your Home. Define Your Project Correctly

When we decide to carry out renovation work, the issues and projects are always tailor-made. Enlarging a room, adding a bedroom, redoing a dilapidated kitchen or even insulating an entire home are all specific renovation projects requiring their budget and organization. This is why it is strongly recommended to clearly define the objectives of the renovation work to be planned. Is this a home staging mission to improve the property before selling it? A refresh of the living rooms to give a facelift to your home? Or a complete renovation of a thermal strainer for which all the insulation and decoration have to be redone? The nature of the renovation work on your house will be decisive on the budget, the time allocated, and the assistance to be provided. Categorize each of the work items to be carried out to organize financing and site monitoring.

Carry Out Work According To Your Budget

The budget is the crux of the matter when renovating real estate, especially a house. Depending on your budget, distribute the costs according to the items to be planned and their costs. Some may be revised downwards, while others will necessarily require significant expenditure, such as the price of an energy renovation, for example. Painting or flooring installation work can benefit from a wide choice of materials available on the market, allowing you to reduce expenses on this item. Among other things, the installation of double glazing will take priority over the installation of new paint in a room.

Don’t Forget Loans And Renovation Aid

To finance expensive renovation work, numerous financing aids are available, depending on the nature of the work, the type of housing and the standard of living of the owner. One thing is certain: reducing the number of thermal strainers in France is one of the priorities of the Minister of Housing, who does not skimp on renovation aid to encourage owners to take the plunge. Thus, overall renovation work can be partly financed using MaPrimeRenov ‘ (subject to income conditions), particularly if the objective is to improve the energy consumption of a home. The zero-rate Eco-loan or the CEE bonus can also help finance renovation work depending on the eligibility of the applicant.

Be Supported and Choose The Right Craftsmen

To successfully renovate a house and avoid stress and difficulties, surrounding yourself with trusted professionals in the building sector is essential. Architects, decorators and artisans must be chosen carefully. Time will need to be spent searching for qualified artisans and studying different quotes. For certain works, the presence of an architect is mandatory, such as for the construction of an extension or transformation of a building. Check the companies’ guarantees and ten-year insurance before making your choice. Depending on the nature of the work requested from the company, you must carefully check that the ten-year guarantee is up to date for the activity for which you are going to request it. The ten-year guarantee is not the same for a plumber, an electrician or a tiler; be careful on this point. Finally, checking the reputation of a company on the Internet or through those around you is a plus to ensure the reliability of the artisans.

Do Not Neglect Site Monitoring

Despite the trust placed in professionals for renovation work, it is preferable to keep an eye on the progress of the site. Do not hesitate to check in regularly with your artisans to check the conformity of the different stages in the work progress process. An error or an oversight can quickly happen and can cause the work to slow down.…

To Renovate A Kitchen

Whether you are planning to renovate your kitchen yourself or are planning to hire artisans, preparing an estimate is an essential step. Please make a list of proposed works and study prices for them from different sources. To renovate a kitchen in an old apartment, perform the following work:

  • dismantling of doors, flooring, plumbing, and tiles;
  • replacement of old windows and heating radiators;
  • levelling walls, floors, ceilings;
  • electrical work (replacement of wiring and fittings, installation of additional sockets for equipment);
  • plumbing work (replacement of pipes, valves, taps, heating radiator);
  • wall decoration;
  • tiling the kitchen apron with tiles or decorative panels, installing skins;
  • laying new flooring;
  • connection of cooking and washing equipment;
  • assembly and installation of kitchen furniture.

It is necessary to analyze the expected costs and correlate them with financial capabilities. This will help avoid negative consequences in the form of protracted or incomplete repairs. The estimate must include absolutely all expenses. This includes not only materials and installation but also delivery, removal of construction waste, furniture assembly, etc.

You need to know what you can save on and what you can’t. The main criterion is the service life of the structure. Anything that is designed to last a long time must be made with high quality. This applies to rough materials and work, windows, plumbing equipment, heating, and electrics.

Qualified specialists should carry out the arrangement of communications. It is worth doing such work with your own hands only when you have the necessary skills and tools. Specialists will do high-quality waterproofing and install plumbing correctly. Mistakes can lead to leaks and regular costs to eliminate the consequences. You should not be guided by immediate benefits when repairing “wet” areas.

As for finishing materials and equipment, if you have a limited budget, you should choose coatings in the mid-price segment from a range of reliable brands. If a product is very cheap, there is reason to think about its quality and safety. The whole family spends a lot of time in the kitchen every day; the temperature and humidity in this room regularly change. These factors contribute to additional wear and tear on materials, so you should not save too much on them.

What design style is suitable for a small budget?

There are many interior design styles. Each of them has its characteristics. With a limited budget, it is important to choose the right design. If you’re looking for affordable kitchen renovations, avoid styles that feature expensive finishes. For example, in a classic interior, surfaces are lined with natural wood, marble or stone, decorative plaster, and wooden furniture is installed. Their cheap analogues do not look as beautiful, and the result is unlikely to please you.

Expensive options also include oriental style, eclecticism, minimalism, and hi-tech. In the first two cases, you will have to spend money on purchasing suitable furniture and accessories. The last two styles require investment in the purchase of modern built-in appliances, custom-made furniture, and the installation of closed storage systems.

More practical solutions include the Scandinavian style, which comes in several varieties. A neutral background, light furniture and bright accessories are a good combination. It is also worth paying attention to the Provence style, which looks cute and cosy in the kitchen.…

Bathroom Renovation Tips? Finish Your Purchases Before Renovations Begin.

Quite often, bathroom renovations take longer because the delivery of tiles, plumbing fixtures or repair materials is delayed. Therefore, do not start renovating until you have all the necessary materials, sink, bathtub and tools in your home or garage. Take finishing materials, such as tiles, with a small margin. If workers split, cut incorrectly, or lay part of the tile in the wrong place, they will have to go to the store again. If the necessary collection and shade may run out, then you will have to waste time searching and ordering.

Conclude a detailed agreement.

It is important to find a repair team that has experience working under tight deadlines. Immediately discuss the scope of work and draw up a schedule. It should indicate the time frame for each stage of repair and the days and hours when workers come and leave. Don’t forget to include responsibility for missing deadlines. And study the reviews of previous customers to see if anyone has complained about poor quality and delayed work.

Separately, we need to discuss the work algorithm. Residents mustn’t be left without water and a toilet for more than a couple of days. The master must first replace the old plumbing, then the pipes, and connect the new plumbing.

Start by removing the trim.

Removing tile and old paint is a long and dusty process, but most of the trim can be removed without removing the toilet and bathtub from the bathroom. Even if they make it difficult to reach several pieces of tile, that’s okay. This can be done when you remove the old plumbing.

Remove old plumbing, change pipes, and immediately install new ones.

It is better to entrust this work to a master. Having experience in repairs, these tasks can be completed in one day. Prepare in advance to remove your old toilet and bathtub. The next day, the technician will be able to connect the new plumbing. Thus, residents will be left without a toilet for one or two days.

Buy a dry toilet and other small household items.

In those couple of days when there is no access to the bathroom, you need to take care of your comfort. You can purchase a dry toilet in large repair stores. It has reservoirs for clean and used water and more protective film.

She needs to close doorways, walls and floors in the hallway and clear the hallway of furniture and mirrors. The film will also be needed in the common corridor on the way to the elevator. Lay it at least on the floor so you can quickly roll it up and not waste time cleaning. The floors near the bathroom being renovated can be additionally lined with damp rags – dust settles well on them and does not scatter further around the apartment.

Odors. The more people in the house, the larger the volume of the water tank is needed. Optimally – from 20 litres.…

Use Water-Based Paints Or Washable Wallpaper For Walls.

Do you have small children or pets at home? Then, you know firsthand what stained walls are. To keep your walls always looking neat, use water-based coatings or washable wallpaper to paint them.

 A special melamine sponge will help remove stains or small dirt from walls coated with water-based paint. Wet it with water and lightly rub the dirty area – if you do not overdo it, the wall will become clean again.

Lay the tiles after installing the plumbing.

Tiles can be laid both before and after installing plumbing fixtures. However, speeding up the installation of plumbing and finishing work can be left for later. The craftsman will be able to cut tiles to fit the toilet foot, and the space under the closed bathtub does not necessarily need to be decorated with tiles.

Do wet cleaning every day.

After completing noisy and dusty work, you will have to carry out wet cleaning every time. This is important to ensure that apartment residents do not breathe fine construction dust. Cleaning also needs to be taken into account when scheduling workers. It is optimal if they complete the work an hour before children arrive from school and adults from work so that whoever is supervising the repairs has time to clean up the mess.

Tips to make your repair last a long time

Protect protruding corners from wear.

This problem is rarely paid attention to, and as a result, the protruding corner of the wall looks untidy after just a year. Therefore, we advise you to protect the outer corners of the walls with a decorative corner. Choose the material depending on the interior design: it can be metal, wood, or plastic.

Humidify the air in a home with hardwood floors.

If you are going to lay a parquet in your apartment, then think about buying an air humidifier. Manufacturers of wooden floor coverings guarantee their normal operation only at a relative air humidity of 40–60%.

Treat tile joints with a special product.

Over time, the grout in the tile joints wears out under the influence of water and dirt. Therefore, after the tiles are laid, and the seams are grouted (epoxy is more durable than cement), cover them with protective impregnation.

There are different products to choose from depending on the degree of protection: a water repellent creates a thin protective surface layer, and polymer varnish for seams or acrylic and silicone sealants, on the contrary, are designed to protect even the most vulnerable surfaces. Thanks to this protection, the seams will not darken or become cracked over the years.

Choose high-quality heat-saving and wear-resistant coatings.

If you do not have an apartment but your own house, you should pay special attention not only to the interior decoration but also to the exterior. There are special paints with a thermal effect – they are used for finishing external walls and roofs. Energy-efficient paint reflects solar radiation, reduces heating and air conditioning costs, and, most importantly, extends the life of your home.

Also, an indispensable tool for long-term repairs can be waterproofing mastic, which is used to protect terraces, balconies, swimming pools and other structures from excess moisture. It works in any conditions from -50 °C to +90 °C without losing its insulating properties and elasticity. This mastic is not afraid of rain or sun, is not exposed to biological organisms, and is resistant to oils and bitumen.

Don’t forget to ensure the finish against fire or flooding.

In an apartment, you can insure not only the structural elements but also the newly completed renovations: finishing and engineering equipment.

 Imagine that you went on vacation, and when you returned, you discovered that your neighbours had flooded your apartment – renovations with the replacement of floors, ceiling coverings, and furniture cannot be avoided.

If you are insured, the company will fully cover all costs of restoration repairs. You can also include liability to neighbours in your insurance – this is in case an accident in your apartment causes damage to their property.