Many years ago, I bought my second home after I managed to completely clear my debts. My house was empty for a while as it was purely for investment purpose until I housed a friend there for 4 months during the first MCO when he lost his job. After he started his new job & moved out, the house was empty again.
To date, I have gotten some basic items to ensure the house is liveable such as lighting, fans, aircons & a fridge. This year, my plan is to fully complete the house renovation to make it more comfortable to live in. Along the way, I have managed to learn some hacks & tricks that have helped me to save thousands of ringgit.
What Are The Hacks?
1. Aim For Sales Season
Sales happen all the time depending on the stores & brands. One of the best deals that I was able to get during this time is a 65-inch TV at RM2,888. The original price was RM3,500 prior to the discount.
2. When You Do Your Renovation, Try To Get It All Separately
This is the best hack that I’ve learned from a close friend of mine. Most of us aim to do a nice renovation to make our house a perfect home for us to live in without having to burn a hole in our wallet. Simple hack like buying all things separately will help you save hundreds of thousands from it. For example, if you are planning to do toilet renovation, always consider buying certain things separately such as shower parts or tap. The reason why you should get it separately is because your contractor will definitely mark up from that item if they purchase on behalf of you.
3. Minimise Customisation
Customisation will cost you a lot of money compared to items or furniture you purchase. My house wardrobe was supposed to be customised but after receiving advice from my friend who suggested that I should buy a standard wardrobe & customised on the balance space instead. For example, the existing closet height is 2 meters & my ceiling height is 2.5 meters, I can get my renovation contractor to quote me based on the difference of 0.5 meters instead of building a customised closet. Customised closet cost more as it is custom made comparing to the standard wardrobe where they are producing in bulk.
4. Pick Lasting Items
It can be for your furniture & electronic items. A brand can be really important to decide how good that product is. One of my mistakes was when I bought a mini fan for the bedroom & another standard sized fan for the living room. My mini fan is making noise whenever I switch it on & it is making it impossible to sleep at night. Furniture from IKEA is slightly expensive than others but the furniture is proven to be more lasting. Most of the furniture is from IKEA except the kitchen area & electrical items. You can definitely get cheaper items out there but will they last longer than the better-quality ones? If you pay slightly more, you will end up with more lasting items.
5. Survey Survey Survey
It doesn’t matter whether it is furniture, electrical appliances or even a contractor for the renovation. Always do your comparison to make sure that you are getting the best deal. It’s always best where you can take your own time to survey as there will be always sales happening. It is the same for your contractor too, always source the ones that can propose to you with the best price & quality.
6. Seek Advice
If you can’t find a friend that is in the Interior Design industry, the next best advice is from a friend that has done renovation for their house.
Conclusion:
I am pretty excited that I will be starting the full renovation soon to turn the current living space into a home that I can live comfortably. Due to the full MCO situation, the renovation may be delayed but once it is fully done, I will be sharing more on the total cost that I am spending to get the house fully completed.
OSS!
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