The living room is arguably the most fun zone of the house to remodel. This is the part that everyone sees; the part that everyone visits, even if only briefly. If you want to make the living room of your dreams, here are a few things to figure out before you start knocking things down.
What Style You Want
Put in the absolute simplest way possible: what do you want your living room to look like? How do you want your living room to make people feel? Your final answer to these two questions is going to depend a lot on the scope of your project. Are you also remodeling the rest of the house? If so, you can choose an entirely new aesthetic, completely different from before, and it will all match. But if you’re remodeling the living room only, be careful as to how extreme you choose to go. If the rest of your house is a comfortable suburbanite aesthetic, but your living room is postmodern minimalism, it might be a bit jarring. Regardless – your choice belongs to you and you alone.
Decide How Much to Spend
Budgeting is an absolute must. Decide how much money you will allocate to renovations. Because it’s where your family will spend the most time, you should invest more in the living room. Once you have a solid number down, make a list of every specific change you’re going to want. Make a priority list of each change ranking from most needed to least needed. Research how much each change would cost (or estimate if you’re in a rush) and compare the prices to the priorities. Do you have the budget to fit in the changes that you want the most?
How It Will Get Done
Again, this is going to depend a lot on the scale of it all. If you’re ultimately just repainting, you could probably knock it out in an afternoon. If you are not quite so able-bodied, or your project includes expansion or demolition, or you need to rewire some electrical components – you might want to leave it to the professionals. Research to know if you have competent in-home laborers in your area with an artistic eye. That will also need to be factored into your budget.
Once you have it all planned out, go do it! It can be scary to condemn such a public part of your home to a state of disrepair for at least a few hours, if not days or weeks. But with the right planning, the right budget, and a breathtaking new feel, your living will come out the other side better than ever.
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