Becoming an empty nester can be both an exciting stage of your life. You also have the chance to see your home in a different light and re-make it to suit your evolving lifestyle. With children all moved out and starting lives of their own, many people find that this is the perfect time to renovate their house and turn it into their dream home. An empty nest often means that your home can now be transformed into an adult's paradise – until the grandkids come to visit, that is!
7 Tips for Empty Nester Reno Success
When considering renovations for your home, there are a few essential things that you should consider beforehand. Prior to knocking down walls or ripping out cabinetry, consider the following:
- Plan Out Your Empty Nester Reno Now that children's bedrooms have been evacuated and your home has become less crowded, it's important to consider precisely what you want to do with the extra space. If your children will be coming home often to visit, creating a guest room may be a top priority. However, you may also want to consider converting that space into something that you can enjoy more often, like a home office, library or hobby nook. You may also want to look at other areas of your home to determine how your space may be altered to better fit your new “empty-nester” lifestyle. Whatever you decide, the key is the have a plan. As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail!
- Perform Repairs First Before spending money on renovations, however, address what needs to be repaired first. An old roof, windows, driveway repairs, and outdated appliances can all be costly fixes, especially if they aren’t looked after in a timely manner. Prior to starting your upgrades, take a moment to walk through your home and see if there is anything that could use fixing. This will allow you to take care of all essential concerns first, saving you time, hassle and money in the long run.
- Consider Your Future Needs As we age, our needs will begin to change, and it’s important to keep this in mind when planning your renovations. Take a moment to think about some of the things that your future self may require and adjust your renovation plan to accommodate them so that you can live comfortably in your own home, well into your elder years. Thinking about things like accessible showers, non-slip flooring, and broader doorways may come in handy years down the road and will save you expensive renovations later on.
- Invest In Your Home It’s vital that you view your home as an investment no matter what renovations you choose to undertake. Choosing quality products during your renovation will ensure that you don’t need to replace things a few years down the road and can help to save you money in the long run. Plus, with the children gone, you can finally treat yourself to the finer things in life that you have long deserved but deferred!
- Think Energy Efficiency Saving money is always important, especially as we get older and as life becomes more expensive. When planning your renovation, look for options that will help save you money in the future. Things like proper insulation and weatherproofing will help to save on heating and cooling costs. Energy-efficient appliances can bring down the energy bills as well. And options like solar panels can help to make your home more self-sufficient.
- Experiment With Style Now is the time to treat yourself! You have spent much of your life focused on raising your children and taking a backseat to their needs. Use this opportunity to renovate your home and make it a reflection of you! Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new and exciting. Play with colors and textures to create a look that suits your current sense of style, and look for ways to remodel that will create a home that is a direct expression of who you are now.
- Stick to Your Budget This tip is one of the most important - make a budget and stick to it. Before starting your renovations, create a detailed budget that’s within your means and ensure that you stay within this budget. If you’ve never undertaken renovations before, this may sound like a “no brainer”. The problem is that, as things get underway, add-ons and adjustments can quickly cause you to end up paying far more than you anticipated. Even minor tweaks to the original plan can quickly add up, and before you know it, you can end up thousands of dollars over what you initially hoped to spend. As mentioned above, it’s important to plan out your empty nester reno. Good planning and a well-thought-out budget can go a long way to preventing costs from spiraling out of control and turning what was meant to be and exciting process into one of increased stress and frustration.
While becoming an empty-nester may come with its own set of challenges, it can also be an exhilarating time of life. You have newfound independence and have an opportunity to turn your home into a place that reflects you new reality and evolving needs. Just be sure to do some thinking up front and you’ll be able to benefit from this exciting process for years to come!
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