Renovating guide
Learn the tips and tricks for renovating rental properties with this handy information series from NZ Property Investor magazine. Learn about colour choice, planning your project, furniture selections and more. Add value to your rental property or your own home with Sharon Newey’s guide to renovation.
Also check out the Renovation Workbook series from Homestyle magazine. The series has just started so further articles will be added later this year.
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Paint by numbers
Painting your property yourself can save you thousands of dollars, but you need to ensure you do a good job. Hands up if you're hands on. Once upon a time, many landlords were decidedly hands on, in that they did much of their own maintenance and repairs. Nowadays, many rental property owners would rather get others to do the maintenance. But the one area that is still within reach of those who want to do their own maintenance is painting... more |
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Small but perfectly formed
Apartments can be renovated on a tight budget to great effect. Renovating an apartment is relatively easy ad is often merely cosmetic. Often there is little to be done structurally as most purpose-built apartments were well laid out when first conceived and built. More often than not, it will be a case of providing an attractive interor and using fairly bullet-proof materials in the kitchen and bathrooms so they don't mark too quickly... more |
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Outdoor appeal
A house sitting in the middle of a barren piece of land may be easy to maintain but it's unlikely to be that appealing to prospective tenants. Likewise, one with scruffy, broken fences won't have them flocking to your door. And with our love affair with outdoor living, a deck is definitely going to improve your chances of tenancy and increased income stream. Whether you are adding either of these external items or renovating existing ones, here are some of the aspects to consider... more |
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Transform your garage
One of the easiest and most affordable ways to add value to your property investment may be staring you in the face. That shabby old garage that's full of old paint cans, rusty bike frames, broken tools and a whole array of unwanted clutter can be resurrected as a living/sleeping space to generate extra income. The foundation, walls and roof are already in place. The wiring is probably sufficient and the entry already exists. In many houses, a well designed garage conversion can create... more |
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Bathroom bliss
For today's homebuyers, bathrooms are important - so a well-judged renovation will pay for itself. Getting the advice right from the outset can be the most vital part of the process. On the face of it, upgrading the bathroom in a rental property might seem like an easy project. After all, it's one of the smallest rooms in the house. All you need to do is replace a few of the fittings, right? Well, actually no. Because it's a wet area, the bathroom has a hard life... more |
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The heart of the home
Make or break: That’s how important your kitchen can be when it comes to being able to rent your property. If it’s battered and shabby, prospective tenants will just think “grimy and old”. They’ll have visions of the families of cockroaches and rodents that will set up home in the back of the cupboards. It’s also notoriously one of the most expensive rooms of the house to renovate. It may be that a coat of paint will do the trick for now and certainly a good-quality enamel will withstand quite a bit of wear and tear, not to mention liberal doses of spaghetti sauce on the splashback… more |
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The great outdoors
With summer on the horizon, now’s the time to look at tidying up the garden and outdoor living areas of your home or rental property, says Sharon Newey. Your work will pay dividends in value and rental appeal... more |
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Exteriors and floors
Replacing your flooring, cladding or roofing can cost a heap. You don’t want to get it wrong... more |
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Furniture for flats
More tenants than ever before are seeking furnished accommodation. Sharon Newey looks at the options – and the returns. Fully furnished rental properties are a relatively new feature in New Zealand, where the tradition has been that the tenant supplies everything... more |
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A splash of colour
Colour affects how we feel - calm, happy, relaxed or stimulated. A fresh and appealing house translates into better rents and better resale value. Never underestimate the power of colour. With a splash of the right hue, a house can be transformed from flat to fabulous, dull to exciting, small to spacious... more |
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Clever rooms
Everyone wants to take something and make it better so you can rent it for more. Renovating is a great way to boost the value of your property, but when that property is a rental, you have to go in with your eyes wide open. The first thing to do is think about why you’re renovating and the scale of renovations... more |
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