The Cost of House Renovation

In a country where inflation keeps getting higher, as high as the floods in the streets of Metro Manila, when is the right time to spend on house renovation, and what are the sacrifices that you must make and face along the process? How do you keep your budget on track, and when is the right time to splurge on something?

Recently, due to unwanted flooding in our area, my sister and I decided to push through with our renovation plan. With a rough idea of how much it will cost us, we contacted our reliable contractors to rebuild our house – future-proofed and ready to stand the test of the next few decades.

While the cost of the whole house improvement will be basically divided into two between my sister and me, we know that we will somehow go beyond our budget since there are a lot of new and wonderful ideas that we want to incorporate in our new spaces – these include lighting and electrical fixtures, ceiling treatments, tile selection, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and others.

With visits to some home and hardware stores in and outside the metro, and after contacting some suppliers, in less than a month, we finally laid out our plan with some of the following things to consider:

1. For most items where both of our spaces will be using, such as paints, ceiling treatment, tiles, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, we should buy together to haggle the price. We can also avail online discounts, especially during sale season. Some online
2. For construction materials that need to be delivered as soon as possible, we should have good communication with the nearest hardware store in the area. Most of these small hardware stores give discounts when you buy from them.
3. Having a reliable and trusted leg man plays an important role for us since both of us are office employees, so make sure we have one that we can easily contact. We also make sure that we coordinate with our contractors as much as possible to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
4. For some other items that we differ on, such as lighting, windows, and appliances that need to be built, we should spend time scouting together, which usually happens during weekends of the construction timeline.
5. While we are somewhat prepared for this renovation, making sure that our resources, aka cash flow, will be monitored properly. There might be times that we will use our credit cards or cash out some loans, but rest assured that those numbers will be incorporated in our worksheets for proper monitoring and division of costs.
6. Talking and considering each other’s opinions, most especially about the quality, cost, and size, should be a top priority. Since we both have different tastes, we keep in mind our main goal always and make sure that every peso and effort is accounted for.

It’s funny to think that a house renovation or construction can teach you a lot, from measurement down to the tiniest items that need quality checks and assurance; this is one experience that we will treasure together.

As we enter the final stretch of our house renovation, we can’t wait to dress it up for the upcoming Holiday season, where we will have our families join us for a meal for two or probably some movie and Bingo nights where we could laugh out loud and enjoy the new spirit, ambiance, and positive vibes a new house can give.