If you’re thinking of renovating your home, there are a few fundamental elements to take into account in order to make sure your renovations are successful. Here are our top five things to consider when you’re still at the planning stage:

1. Plumbing and wiring

If your property is old, or you think there will soon be problems with the wiring or pipes, a 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.

2. Insulation and heating

Making sure your property is well insulated is not only the eco-friendly thing to do, 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 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 room in your house that’s used less than it could be. That might be because it’s too dark, too small or too cold or just generally uninviting. Before you start on a major renovation project, think about ways of dealing with this room, whether it’s possible to knock through to an adjoining one, add more light with a new window or making the existing one larger, install a nicer radiator or even just paint it a more welcoming colour.

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, radiators, cabinets, etc.

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 a surveyor and builder if you’re having structural work done.

You can also get lots of free advice from professionals about the practicalities of your renovation plans by visiting showrooms and talking to the trained experts who work there, whether it’s for kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, decorating, etc. We are happy to help you with advice about the best size and type of radiator for each room – not every model will be right for every room. Just call in at your nearest Radiator Centre showroom and introduce yourself!