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For Those Looking To Renovate or Remodel
Without question, we all want new things. The idea that something we own has never been used by anyone else but ourselves tend to add value to the thing itself. Simply speaking, you would rather own a pair of new shoes than hand-me-downs; you would rather buy freshly printed books than settle for pre-loved copies. I know I would.
But when it comes to your shop, will it really be beneficial to start building it from the ground up with new materials? Or will it be more practical to find a space that has what you need and customize it from there?
Ideally, it would be more efficient setting up shop by building it from scratch. That way, you may exercise more control over the layout and structure of the room. You may also ensure that the building abides by the proper building code. Not to mention you are in-charge of the design and style of your space. It would be like creating a masterpiece out of a blank canvas. Although admittedly, this process will incur you great expense as you need to provide not only the interior decorations but also foundation and raw materials for the room itself.
Should you choose the path of being practical and sticking to your budget, you may have less control when it comes to the layout and structure of the room. Hence, you may have to sacrifice some liberties in order to work with what you have. However, you may still be able to customize the aesthetic aspect of your site such as its interior décor, access to resources and its over-all style. Not only would this save you a ton of money but since there won’t be heavy alterations, it would also be more time efficient.
Thus, before you dial us here at Quickfit and before we begin your journey towards shop-improvement, you must first decide how you want to handle your space. Think of it as setting ground rules before playing a game. You never really tend to know how the game will turn out, but you can be sure that everyone plays by the rules. The same applies for shopfitting, you can never really be sure how your space will turn out (until it does!) but you can guarantee that it functions the way it is supposed to.
Hence, it is very important that you know what the purpose of the space will be before deciding if you want to just renovate it or to completely remodel the place. For example, if you were given a retail space (lot’s of room for foot traffic and an area for storage) but you’re going to have a food-related business, then you are going to need more than just repairing and redecorating the place to make it functional. You would need to completely overhaul the area to possibly build a kitchen or create more room for a dining experience.
What is Remodeling?
When we say Remodeling, it means changing the appearance, form or function of a room. It involves altering the initial design of the space structurally to better accommodate your needs. An example of this would be turning a storage space into a kitchen if you want to transform the site from a retail shop to a restaurant. Not only did you replace the decorations and appearance of the space, but you’ve also changed the form and function of it by turning the once empty storage area to a busy kitchen.
A few of common remodeling ideas are:
- Adding space to your shop by expanding the square foot area;
- Adding or removing rooms by building up or tearing down walls, dividers or room partitions;
- Adding or taking out lines for water pipes, electric wirings or air shafts;
- Raising the ceilings; or
- Adding another floor.
What About Renovating?
On the other hand, renovating means to restore or repair what we have. The process entails preparing a space for occupancy by fixing what is present and perhaps adding a few more subtle components. For example, transforming a dilapidated space by repairing floorboards, filling up holes in the walls then repainting them, or replacing dysfunctional fixtures with fully operating ones. Here, you can restore the usefulness of the room without changing much of its structure.
Some common renovating options are:
- Refinishing wooden floors;
- Repainting walls;
- Replacing old carpets;
- Restoring broken fixtures; or
- Adding a few decorative pieces.
Thus, if you want to determine which method of redesigning your space (renovation or remodeling) is more practical and beneficial for you, it is best to identify key differences between them.
Renovation is less costly than remodeling. Remodeling tend to involve construction that would require you to purchase raw materials and acquire building permits. On the other hand, remodeling offers you more liberty on how you want to design your space. It grants you the freedom to plan access to resources such as electricity, water and ventilation. When it comes to interior design, however, both renovating and remodeling offer you the choice to decorate your space as you see fit.
Hence, the key to identifying whether renovation or remodeling would be ideal for your space lies on how deep the changes you want to make are. Think of doing renovations like putting make-up. You may pile and pile as much layer you want, even to the point that it would transform your features but the end of the day, its all temporary. But should you wish for a more lasting change, you would need a cosmetic surgery. A transformation that is costly, time-consuming and permanent. Temporary or permanent, costly or not, one thing is for sure, should you finally decide on a redesigning option to enhance the aesthetic of your place, Guardian Built would be your best choice for all your shopfitting needs.