For homeowners, remodeling a home is such an exciting experience. However, if you live in a tiny house, tackling any redesign or renovation work may be more challenging.
Despite the small space, you still must ensure a cohesive design theme for the whole structure while incorporating functionality and proper utilization of every inch of space you have in your house.
Whether you built your tiny home from scratch or acquired custom-made homes from reputable portable home manufacturers such as Unit2Go Tiny Homes, you need all the help when it comes to upgrading or renovating your small living space. Here’s a guide to assist you on how to remodel a tiny home:
1. Have a Plan
One of the first things you should do before remodeling a tiny home is to assess what you want to accomplish. You must set your priorities.
Writing down your preferences and thoughts is an excellent way to keep track of your objectives.
Do you want to remodel your kitchen? What new appliances or furniture do you need as part of your remodeling? Since you’ll be dealing with a small area, your plan must work through the typical issues about surviving in a tiny home.
2. Create a Budget
If you’re doing any remodeling, you must set your budget carefully. Estimating your costs early on and using recycled materials are things you should keep in mind if you want to build on a budget.
Be realistic about what you can afford. Additionally, don’t be too optimistic about hitting your budget. To avoid the shock of going beyond your allocated funds, it would help to add at least 20% to your planned budget to account for surprise expenses.
Also, don’t get carried away and spend more than you can afford on remodeling. You don’t want to find yourself deep in debt for remodeling a small space. Thus, it’s always better to put off an extensive home remodeling until such time you have all or most of the funds you need for it.
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3. Focus on Increasing the Value of Your Home
You’ll find several ways to modify your tiny home, but you don’t want to go over the top. It’s a bad idea to spend so much money on supplies or materials that are unnecessary.
Instead, focus your spending on the essential things and allow yourself to have a bit more fun and creativity with the stuff you already have in your home.
Some of the projects that will help boost your tiny home’s value if you want to sell it in the future include an outdoor kitchen upgrade, efficient storage solutions, a fresh coat of paint, and better insulation.
4. Secure Permits
Even if you are dealing with a tiny house, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to secure permits and other legal documents before remodeling work begins.
It’s especially true if you live in a gated village, or the remodeling will require you to create a septic system for a new toilet, or you need to perform some demolition work.
Before you take the plunge and rush into renovating your home, be sure you research everything about the tasks you need to accomplish.
Find out if you can legally remodel your home and ensure that you follow the latest regulations in your area. Laws and ordinances often change, so you should know what you’re doing before starting.
5. Know Your Limitations
One way to save money on remodeling is going the DIY route. After watching countless renovation shows on TV, many homeowners believe that remodeling is a piece of cake.
If you’re painting your home’s exterior or interior surfaces, you may be able to do it yourself without any problem.
However, if the remodeling entails creating new cabinets for your small kitchen or adding a new toilet, you may not have the expertise to do such tasks. Remember, it will be more costly to redo your cabinets or remedy a leaking toilet.
6. Consider Hiring a Contractor
Remodeling a tiny home is more challenging than the usual home because the smaller space requires you to be precise about all the tasks to be performed.
Since you’re dealing with little space, remodeling all the cabinets and adding rooms or storage must be done with functionality in mind. Therefore, if you intend to get a contractor, you must choose carefully.
Below are some tips on picking a contractor for your tiny home remodel:
- Take your time looking for reputable builders in your area.
- Talk to many contractors to see if they can work in small spaces.
- Ask previous clients if they were satisfied with the contractor you’re considering.
- Pick one that fits your budget, has extensive experience, and understands your plan.
The Bottom Line
If you are considering remodeling your tiny home, don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s going to be easier than a regular-sized house.
To make your project a success, you need to put a lot of time and effort into planning, doing research, budgeting, and deciding who is the best person or company to do the job.
