The singer gives practical recommendations on how to make budget repairs with her own hands, and advises against repeating her mistakes.
October 15 2014
Sati Casanova
Be careful with advice from the internet… The first thing I did was to go to social networks. I have adopted simple and promising recommendations. Alas, many things turned out not to be adapted to our reality. Make a work plan. Otherwise it will be like in the aphorism “The repair cannot be finished, it can only be stopped.” Write down how much each step costs. I realized this, alas, not immediately, after I had filled a lot of cones. Do not hurry… The renovation ends quickly only in television projects. In fact, some materials take two weeks to fully dry. Be patient. Do not overestimate your strengths and capabilities… In addition to the beautiful picture that you keep in your head, it is also colossal stress. Don’t take on the whole apartment at once. Focus on renovating one room. And then how it goes!
Trust but verify. I hired a team of workers to do turnkey repairs. And she relaxed, letting things go by themselves. But I realized in time: even if you do not take direct part in the repair and trust the foreman, control everything as much as possible. Otherwise, it turns out that you saw the end result in a completely different way than the master.Don’t hire loved ones… Otherwise, you risk losing a friend and staying without repairs. So I had a conflict with a designer friend. But now I know: it’s easier to work with outsiders.Negotiate with your neighbors. It is best to discuss with them in advance when the work can be done. From 9 am to 18 pm, as required by law, or by shifting the time. Believe me, this is important, from the experience of friends I know how neighbors can harass them with complaints.
Don’t skimp on building materials… Especially when you change the floor in the apartment. After all, it will not be easy to fix the shortcomings later, especially if they surface when you have already delivered furniture and moved to a freshly renovated apartment. Do not buy big discounts: it may be a sale of a defective batch of building materials. Don’t skimp on plumbing either. Flood your neighbors – it will be even worse. Test samples of materials in the apartment… The store where you plan to buy them has different lighting. Namely, the color palette in the house depends on the light. So I advise you to “try on” samples of not only paint, but also furniture upholstery directly in your home.Don’t spare old stuff… The renovated apartment should breathe easily. Throw away old things without regret. And if your hand does not rise, invite your friends and relatives to an impromptu fair – maybe something will come in handy for them.