When the partial finishing of the house is already done, it seems that there will be an opportunity to move into your own home right away. But that’s just the way it seems. During the crucial stage of finishing the house, a lot of patience, time, important decisions, and detailed investment calculations are required..
Very often, new homeowners face the first challenge – how to calculate the estimate for home decoration? Where to start? Where can you save money and where not? Should you hire a designer, or maybe do everything yourself? Maija Nikitina, Finishing Project Manager at “Apdailos formato”, answers the most common questions about setting a home decoration budget.
Where to start when creating a budget for the entire home decoration?
First of all, I would recommend that the homeowner clarify their needs and answer the following questions: what are their plans and expectations, whether it will be a luxury, economy, or middle-class apartment, assess whether it will be a rental apartment, or whether they plan to live in it for a long time. These answers will determine which lines can be saved and which should be allocated more funds.
The next step is to decide whether to hire a designer who will advise you on what materials or interior solutions to choose and provide a project estimate, and then you can contact the finishing masters. Or maybe you will decide to install everything yourself?
After these important decisions, before calculating the estimate, I would recommend going to the house and getting acquainted with it, carefully inspecting it, and planning what work will need to be done. If a project manager or designer is hired, you should inspect it together with them. The description of the partial finishing does not always accurately define all the details of the house, so it is important to go to the place, walk around, and measure the premises so that you can assess the exact dimensions, possible errors, and quantities – for example, tiles, flooring, or other materials.
I suggest starting the estimate from the selection of materials, as if going in reverse order – from materials to work. Knowing the materials, we will know what work will need to be done and what additional materials may be needed.
Would you recommend hiring an interior designer?
When ordering any service, it is important to get advice from a professional consultant. Especially when furnishing a first home, when buyers do not understand many things. A designer can advise on both the aesthetics of the home and the practicality of designing an apartment.
For example, should the kitchen countertops be planned at 3 or 3.5 m? Countertops have certain specific dimensions and in the first case 3 meters would be enough, in the second case you need to buy two countertops, although only 0.5 meters of the second one is needed, and everything else is unnecessary. This is, of course, uneconomical, but the buyer may not know such details.
An interior designer can sometimes save as much as 10 or 20 percent of the finishing estimate, which can be used for materials or other work.
What essential parts should a budget include? What parts are essential to a budget?
Materials and labor costs are two essential parts that make up the entire estimate. However, a third part is also needed – expenses for minor work, such as transporting materials, removing garbage, organizing work – bringing in and out craftsmen, etc. It would seem that these amounts are not large, but there can be quite a few of them, so the total amount can increase. In addition, these are time-consuming works.
Walls, ceilings, floors, plumbing, electrical installations – these parts of the house make up the bulk of the materials. Then you should not forget about appliances, electrical points, installation of lighting fixtures, various tools, devices that will be needed to carry out the work – they will need to be borrowed, rented or bought, or brought. This also needs to be calculated.
Taking care of home finishing work is like working full-time for 3-5 months with all possible overtime. So it’s really worth calculating carefully whether to do it yourself or hire professionals.
What percentage of the housing price can the estimate for home decoration constitute? How is it best calculated?
If you have allocated 100,000 EUR for a new home, it is likely that the finishing estimate with materials and work will be about 20–25 percent, i.e. 20 or 25 thousand EUR. This is the practice in the market, but it is not a constant. Depending on the client’s wishes, this percentage can be slightly higher or lower.
How much does a quality interior design cost, and what should it include?
According to the market situation, realistic price ranges would be 25–40 EUR/sq m, depending on the complexity of the project.
One time it might be a one-room apartment, the next time it might be a huge house that requires not only selecting tiles, but also designing stairs, installing ventilation, and other engineering. I think the most important parts of an interior design are three: drawings, materials and estimates, and project supervision.
I emphasize the third part because it is not always a common clause in contracts, and without this agreement, unfortunately, misunderstandings, errors, and additional fees for corrections can occur.
If you do not include project supervision in the contract, there is a very high probability that the designer will have difficulty calling and solving problems on his own. Project supervision is part of self-protection, because the designer knows all the nuances, how and why specific solutions and devices were invented. In addition, a conversation between a designer and a finishing master is much more productive than a conversation between you and the designer, and later between you and the master.
What are the main mistakes in creating a decoration budget?
One of the fundamental mistakes is that the estimate is calculated without selecting materials and equipment. If it is not planned what the toilet will be like, then it can cost both 100 and 300 euros. Or, for example, the prices for gluing work depend on the size of the tiles, which again changes the estimate.
Another common problem is inaccurate measurements and very large errors. For example, instead of 5 sq. m. of tiles, 7 sq. m. is purchased. In other cases, it happens when a bed is built, and the socket is immediately behind it. It seems like a small thing, but it is very inconvenient and the socket will have to be installed in another place.
Such misunderstandings cost extra. The drawings in the cadastral file do not contain all the necessary dimensions, so before ordering materials and performing the work, it is necessary to measure everything precisely.