While most of the time the two terms might seem synonymous, there’s a considerable difference between a house and a home. The former is a category of building; the former is an emotional term used to describe the location at which we live our lives. We stay in a house, we live in a home.

This presents something of a challenge to the imaginations of house-renovators, who begin with a house, which they hope to transform into a home via a series of alterations. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and techniques on hand which will make this job that little bit easier. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Measuring

Your trusty tape measure remains indispensable, even in the modern age. You’ll need to mark a space for all of the larger appliances and items of furniture in a given space, and be sure that there’s adequate room for them. It’s worth marking the locations of these larger items using masking tape on the floor; that way you’ll have a good idea of exactly how much floorspace is going to be available at any one time.

Get Samples

Before you go ordering carpets and pots of paint, you’ll want to carefully consider the colour scheme in every room. Here’s where you can personalise things, and make sure that the money you spend goes toward tailoring your home to your personal taste. After all, that’s part of the joy of being a homeowner!

Pick out some samples and check that the real-world product looks right in the setting you have in mind: don’t trust the image you see on the internet. If you want to be sure that you’re getting a professional, cohesive look for a given room in your home, then you can always bring in a reputable fitted furniture company like Hammonds, who’ll come around, measure up, and talk you through their designs.

Room Visualiser Apps

Thanks to modern technology, it’s possible to visualise how a room might look in full colour 3d. Smartphone apps and fully-fledged design software makes the job simple – though some of the solutions might requires a little more expertise than others.

Utilities

Before a house can become a home, it will need all of the required utilities. This means plumbing and electrics. If you’re starting from a complete blank slate, then you’ll need to think about exactly where your piping and wiring runs are going to go. If there are already utilities in place, you’ll want to consider how they can be modernised without spending too much. Many electricians will recommend a complete rewire if the existing stuff is sufficiently old – even if it’s the modern pvc-coated wire under the floorboards. Get several quotes, and choose your tradespeople wisely.

Some considerations, like where to place a new combi boiler, will require a little bit more thought. It’ll need an outside wall if you’re to avoid having a chimney rising all the way up through the roof of the property, and it’ll need the pipework to reach all of the radiators in the home.