Finally, you have just made the decision to renovate your home! Be it for just a change of scenery or simply upscaling your home as your family expands, home renovations can certainly be a daunting task. Where do you start? Who do you engage? What should you consider? Questions after questions. We have all been there. We know the stress that one undergoes when attempting to start their renovation journey, and we have compiled some tips and tricks that will hopefully ease the process, and make it a somewhat enjoyable one! After all, it is not every day that one decides to renovate his or her home. Read on further to find out more.

Budget 2020

First things first, as Jessie J aptly puts it, ‘it’s all about the money, money, money’. Home renovations are bound to run into roadblocks and surprises every now and then. Plan out how much you are willing to set aside for renovation costs and then allocate a tad bit more, just in case something unforeseen happens. A good gauge of how much of emergency fund you should set aside is approximately 15% of the total project cost. After all, failure to plan is planning to fail!

Trust the professionals

Engaging a professional and reputable contractor will set your mind at ease throughout the most part of the process. More often than not, we know how tempting it is to go with the cheaper option, but when it comes to something as precious as your home, try not to cut corners! Splurge a little as your home deserves the best. However, that is not to say you should choose the most expensive options and break out your life savings. Do your homework and research, ask around for recommendations from friends and family. The right contractor is just around the corner!

Let there be light!

One mistake that homeowners have been known to make is to the importance of lighting in their homes. You might want to consider soft lights for your living room to give off a cosy ambience where one can just chill and relax after a long day of work, and brighter white light for your study room to enable you to stay razor-sharp and focus when doing work. Let’s not forget natural lighting! Windows in the right place will bring in natural lighting, which does wonders in accentuating and creating an optical illusion that your house looks bigger than it actually is.

Size really matters

It is crucial to measure how much space you really have. It would be a complete nightmare to buy the cabinets of your dreams only to realise you will not have enough space left for your wardrobe. Knowing the measurements will also enable you to shop efficiently, and to not fall in love with furniture that is too big for your room. Save yourself the heartbreak, we say!

Be decisive

Once you have made a decision on your home renovations and have briefed the contractor accordingly, try not to make any changes along the way. We often find ourselves second-guessing our decisions, which leads to a last-minute change of mind. This will not only set back your timeline, it may also incur additional cost as the original work may have already started. We would sit down and run through your plans thoroughly before giving the go-ahead.

Cover up or store your existing furniture

Be sure to cover up your furniture to avoid dust and to protect them from being damaged! Renovation works lead to dust flying all over what with all the drilling and hammering. However, if covering up does not set your mind at ease, know that there is always an alternative option of storing your belongings for the time being with us at Extra Space Asia! We have a wide range of sizes for you to choose from to fit your needs and also, we are flexible when it comes to commitment. You decide how long you want to store with us, with the option of extending as and when you need. We provide peace of mind so you can focus on all other aspects of your life.

All in all, renovation may seem to be an arduous task at first, but with the proper planning and research, it will be just about the best investment you have ever made! With that, we bid you good luck on your journey!

 

You’ve taken the first step, and have rented your first self-storage unit. If you’re like most people, you’re in it for the long run, perhaps on a 6-month basis or up to a year or more! For some, renting a storage unit and keeping their belongings would undoubtedly mean ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

 

We at Extra Space Asia are all about hygiene and cleanliness, especially in times like these. This is why our premises are regularly sanitised and kept clean by a team of professionals frequently.

 

However, the cleanliness of your own unit falls outside our purview as we have no access to your unit. It’s crucial to clean out your own unit every now and then as dust will build up and can lead to serious health complications. Studies have shown that the accumulation of indoor dust contains numerous chemicals that are harmful to one’s health. So, we’ve come up with 3 tips to help you keep your unit clean and safe!

 

Psyche yourself up for the task

 

Tidying up seems to be a daunting task, which may lead to further procrastination. But instead of being overwhelmed, you can stop and visualise just how satisfying it would be if you get it done! After all, storage units can be seen as an extension of your home, it could give you the same sense of satisfaction once it’s clean and neat! Set aside some time to complete the clean-up, but do remember to give yourself ample time. If the allocated clean-up time is limited, you might feel pressured to get it done and would probably not do a good job in the end. As the saying goes, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ Rome wasn’t built by one person alone too. So, bring along a friend or family member for that extra mental support!

 

Making a list of every item in your unit

 

It may have been a while since you last stepped into your unit, and it’s not uncommon to forget what you’ve stored there. While it’s a good practice to always keep an inventoried list of items, there may be times when we don’t update this list accordingly. So, note and take down every item in your unit before cleaning, as it’ll give you a better sense and idea of how much time you would need to clean.

 

“Does it spark joy?”

 

The next step here is where we take a page out of Marie Kondo’s playbook. Hold up each item individually and ask yourself, “Does it spark joy?” If yes, keep it! If no, extend your thanks and gratitude to the item and remove it from your unit. While it may not be practical to actually do this to every single belonging in your storage unit, it’s a good mentality to practise. Because if you’ve stuff in there that you’ve forgotten about, it shows that these items might not be as valuable and useful to you anymore. It could come in handy for others, especially the less fortunate should you decide to donate it to charity! For the items that you’ll be keeping, dust them down either with a wet wipe, towel, or a microfibre duster. To prevent too much dust from getting onto your larger items, you can also use a cover to drape over them. Cloth tarpaulins are a popular choice here, amongst other options such as plastic wrappers or even old blankets!

 

Cleanliness is an important element in our lives, be it our personal hygiene, our homes, cars, and so on. The same emphasis we put on cleanliness applies to your storage units as well. If you ever need any advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Many of our staff are fellow storers as well and can give you their own personal tips and tricks.

 

Till then, stay clean and safe!