We all want our home to look like a showroom when the holiday guests turn up.
If you are really not happy with how your house looks like now, you might want to make some improvements before Christmas. With only a couple of weeks left, however, there is a chance that you will not be able to finish everything you planned to do. This is why you need to be realistic about what you can and cannot achieve. There is nothing worse than inviting people to a half finished living room to enjoy Christmas dinner.
Know Your Limitations
You might think that you are invincible and have all the time you need, but things tend to happen in December. Maybe you need to do some extra work at the office, or stay out late to do your shopping. You will also have to allow time for catching up with friends. Not to mention that your DIY skills might not be as good as they used to be, so you will need to get professional help in, which can be hard during this period.
Get Professionals In
If you want to avoid disappointment, you might need to start looking for contractors right now. Most of the builders take time off in December, not to mention that the good ones are fully booked. You should certainly complete a reality check to see whether or not you can get the contractors in to finish every stage of the home improvement on time for the holidays. If you are sure that you will be able to get professional help, still have a backup option just in case.
Small Changes Make a Huge Difference
You don’t have to make big changes to make a visible difference in your home. A lick of paint or rearranging your furniture will help, and cost you much less than a stressful home improvement project that will keep you up at night before Christmas. You can revamp the look of your home by installing a feature wall, changing the light fixtures, or adding new soft furnishing.
Know Your Time Limits
It is crucial that you consider how much time you have left for each project and create a logical sequence for the jobs you want to complete. For example, it simply doesn’t make sense to do your floor before the walls, and to decorate your window sills before you have cleaned then and painted the frames. Creating a mind map will help you avoid making these costly and time consuming mistakes, while you can manage each stage better.
Avoid Mess
It is best to avoid messy jobs before the Christmas period, as you will need to make sure that your home is not looking like a building site when your first guest arrive. If you are doing any jobs that will create dust, rubble, or mess, for example, changing your wallpapers, it might be a good idea to arrange a skip bin hire before you finish, so you can get rid of the rubble and rubbish, ready to install your Christmas lights and decorations and making all signs of your home improvement disappear on time.
Focus On the Visible Areas
If you are short of time and cash, you might also want to reduce the size of the project by only focusing on the high traffic areas and the visible features of your home. If you are not having overnight guests during the holiday season, you might not want to touch the bedrooms at all until you have more time and money to spend on the project. Pay attention to the styling and the condition of your living room, entrance hall, and dining room, however, as well as the kitchen and the bathroom, as your guests will be likely to use these rooms while they are staying in your home.
Create a Budget
Running out of home improvement budget is the main reason for not finishing projects. It is crucial that you create a realistic budget, with Christmas shopping and expenses in mind. If you stretch further than you should, you will end up in financial trouble in January, and have no chance of finishing off what you started. Prioritise the tasks and decide which ones you can afford when it comes to money and time.
Up Your Project Management Skills
If you want to finish a home remodelling project in record time, you might want to improve your management skills and create a detailed plan. There are plenty of tools available out there that will help you make the most out of your time and resources, like a pro.
Get Help
It is hard to get everything done on your own. It might be a good idea to ask your friends and family members for help. Chances are that they might be too busy, but some of them might be single and happy to join forces. If you can get the professional and nonprofessional help you need to complete your project, you will feel more motivated to carry on at night when you feel like all you want to do is hit the bed and sleep.
Leave Time for Christmas Decoration
Finishing your home improvement right on the day before Christmas is simply not good enough. You need to allow time for installing decoration, getting your tree up, and decorating your front garden. You don’t want to start getting in the holiday spirit on the 24th, and get stressed out over finishing everything on time for weeks before. If you would rather live in an imperfect but stylishly decorated home for the month and then tackle the home improvement later, it might be a good choice.
With only a few weeks left until Christmas, you will need to make an informed decisions which – if any – home improvements you can tackle before the holiday season. Take into consideration the time limits, material and contractor availability, and the time you need to get your home decorated for the festive season.
