A Reversible Renovation

How to carry out a reversible renovation

There are times when you cannot carry out renovations or remodeling that can leave a permanent mark on the property - for example, if you are living in a rental property where the landlord has strict rules against ‘permanent’ renovations. But what do you do if the rental property in its current state leaves a lot to be desired? In such a situation, reversible renovations are your answer. Let us look at a few reversible renovations that you can carry out to improve the rental home that you are living in.

One reversible renovation that you could carry out is replacing the existing door and cabinet hardware like knobs and handles. You can keep the old hardware and reattach them prior to vacating the property. 

It is common to hear tenants lament about the ghastly toilet seats in their rental homes – of course, if there is some issue with functionality you could get the landlord to fix it; but what do you do if the issue is just that of appearance? The good news is that replacing the toilet seat is a very economical, easy and reversible change.

One of the most powerful and cost-effective reversible renovations that you can carry out is to replace the existing dull curtains and blinds in your rental home with new ones with fancier and more colourful designs. Just changing the curtains and blinds can bring life to your rental home, and make it appear much more warm and vibrant. Another reversible addition that can bring life and vibrancy to your rental home is plants – plants not only add an extra dimension to your home’s aesthetics, they also come with many health benefits.

Many landlords do not have an eye (or patience) for aesthetics – therefore, it is quite common to enter a rental home and be welcomed by cold and gloomy lighting. If this is the case, you can easily go for brighter and/or warmer lighting. Just a change in lighting can alter the entire mood and atmosphere. What looked cold and gloomy earlier can easily be made to look warm and inviting with new lighting. Lighting accessories like lampshades can alter the way light emanates from the fixture as well as drastically enhance a room’s aesthetics. While purchasing new light bulbs make sure that you go for energy-efficient models like LEDs and CFLs – they will save you a ton in energy bills, and you can carry them with you whenever you shift to another house.

While renovations can definitely improve the rental property that you are living in, there is a limit. After all, it is not your property that you can carry out a large-scale remodel to address issues like flawed design. Therefore, it is recommended that you only rent well-designed and high-quality homes