If you need to do a lot of work on your home, whether it’s a large-scale renovation or just a couple of rooms, there are a few fundamental elements to take into account to make sure your home renovation is successful. Here are the top five things to consider when you’re in the planning stage:
1. Plumbing
If your property is old, or you think there will soon be problems with the wiring or pipes, a home renovation is a good time to repair or renew anything that will involve work on the structure of the building. Doing the work now will avoid disruption and extra expense later on.
When renovating, the plumbing, together with the central heating should be taken into account, especially if it means you can think about changing the placement of radiators in individual rooms and getting more heat or freeing up wall space. Traditionally, radiators were placed underneath the window because they protected the room’s occupants from drafts. However, with the advent of double and triple-glazing and improvements in home insulation, putting a horizontal radiator underneath the window is no longer a necessity. This means you can take style and the ideal placement of furniture in each room into consideration. For example, by using wall mounted radiators, such as vertical designer radiators, you will have more floor space to play with.
2. Insulation and heating
Making sure your property is well insulated is not only the more energy conscious thing to do, but it will also save you money. You can improve things further by replacing your boiler with a more efficient one, making sure your radiators are the right size for each room (use our heat calculator to help) and installing smart technology that allows you to control your heating from your phone, which means you’ll never have to spend money heating your home if there’s no-one there.
3. Problem rooms
There may be a cold space in your house that is less inviting than others; spare rooms, conservatories in winter, underutilised loft rooms. It could be an ideal time during the early stages of a renovation project to re-evaluate these rooms in order to get the most out of them. What ways are available to make the room more inviting – warmer and lighter and better laid out. Think draught excluders, double glazing, feature lighting and the use of RSJs to remove walls and open up space. Assess the opportunities and make provision for the likely costs in your budget.
When it comes to heating problem rooms, you need to be aware that modern radiators come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and fittings. So if your room is an awkward shape that means a standard radiator isn’t suitable, don’t worry. You can still benefit from something that’s not a ‘regular’ designer radiator, such as a corner radiator, a bay window radiator, a floor standing radiator, or a trench heating radiator (check out trench heating grilles for your trench heating system)that will keep your room warm and inviting.
4. Quality
When it comes to ensuring things last, it’s not a good idea to go for the cheapest option. Spending more on quality fittings now will pay off in the long run because they will look better for longer, need fewer repairs and be robust enough to work for many years before they need replacing. This especially applies to things you’re going to use all the time such as taps, doors, door handles, cabinets, etc.
When it comes to installing contemporary radiators, make sure you go for the best quality radiator your budget allows. Contemporary designer radiators not only have impressive heat outputs, they can also help you create your dream home based on your own individual style. With a wide range of styles and colours to choose from – you can even get radiators that are works of art in their own right, or radiators that also double up as mirrors which make the most efficient use of your space.
5. Professional help
It doesn’t matter how large or small your renovation project will be, it’s always a good idea to ask the professionals for help, especially if you’re planning to do the work yourself.
Consider investing in the services of a professional interior designer to help you with the concept, or a kitchen designer, and it’s essential to seek advice from surveyors, contractors and builders before you begin construction.
You can also get lots of free advice from professionals about the practicalities of your home renovation plans by visiting showrooms and talking to the trained experts who work there, whether it’s for kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, decorating, or any other aspect of the renovation work, including radiators.
Designer radiators
If you’re planning to renovate your home or are in the middle of your home renovation and it’s time to think about the heating, visit your nearest Radiator Centre showroom now. We’ll be happy to show you our wide range of modern and traditional radiators, along with the many and varied colours and finishes to choose from. We also have a range of energy efficient designer radiators as well as electric designer radiators, towel rails and trench heating.
