Do you know how to make good repairs in these conditions?crisis without being left without pants? Today, the talented Russian designer Alena Timofeeva will give you ten pieces of advice that will help you save not only money, but also nerves. After the release of the first article about, Alena Timofeeva was bombarded with letters, emails and phone calls - many are interested in the same question: how to do repairs in our difficult times, and is it worth starting at all? Alena always answers confidently: “it is worth it, but you need to approach it wisely.” And now the designer is ready to give step-by-step tips and advice. Watch and listen. Alena Timofeeva A graduate of the design department of the Moscow State Stroganov University of Art and Industry, Alena Timofeeva has been decorating private and public spaces since 2006. The designer and architect has dozens of interiors under her belt: private apartments, cottages and townhouses, offices, offices, exhibition spaces. Alena has her own studio — Studio FD. studiofd.ru Tip #1: A clear plan When you start renovation work, you should have a well-developed plan of the apartment or house on hand. This plan should suit all family members and not change during construction. This eliminates the risk of paying twice: for the construction of partitions, the displacement of openings, and similar “corrections.”
Tip #2:Electrical layout In addition to breadcrumb solutions, you need to have a clear plan for the layout of electrical equipment (sockets, switches, lamps, TV and telephone sockets). If you change or determine the location of devices during construction, you will have to re-stretch the cable, lay new grooves, seal the old ones, which means additional costs will arise. For example, the cost of cable for an area of 150 sq. m is about 50,000 rubles. Editorial opinion: - For competent planning of the location of electrical equipment in your home, it is better to contact an architectural bureau. Professionals will do it better, faster and safer.
Tip #3:arrangement of plumbing and selection of equipment It is necessary to take into account in advance the dimensions of the room, the methods of laying pipes and the type of proposed plumbing. There are also hidden installation systems - they are, however, more expensive. And when choosing plumbing, you should focus on quality, not designer "lines". It is better not to buy plumbing at the market or in chain stores. All self-respecting salons have budget options, and most importantly - quality. An example of such a salon is "Hogarth", where you can find quite budget models of famous designer brands.
Tip #4:walls and partitions The best material to use for building interior partitions is tongue and groove blocks — they are cheaper than bricks and their sizes vary. However, these blocks do have one small drawback: they need to be plastered. However, if you build a partition from brick, the material and work will cost more than using tongue and groove blocks (they are shown in the photo below). However, bricks have an advantage over blocks — they can be beautifully integrated into the interior in their natural or painted form. Another option for building partitions is plasterboard. Its undoubted advantages include quick installation along guides, and it does not need to be plastered, only putty. However, there are also disadvantages: you need to clearly know where the furniture and interior items will be attached, especially heavy ones, such as a TV, and provide plywood embedded parts there.
Tip #5: Finishing There are several basic types of finishing:
- decorative plaster is the most expensive material;
- Wallpaper is the “golden mean”, and now there are many different options, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them from textiles;
- textile wallpapers are quite expensive and require significant experience in pasting;
- painting the walls will cost less and will look betteracceptable if you choose a good brand, for example, in English decor stores (Manders). By the way, it often happens that in the stores of this chain there is tinted paint left (which either did not suit the customer, or was simply left over after the project was completed) - it is sold much cheaper.
There is another way to save on finishingwalls: buy a couple of rolls of wallpaper (this will be enough for an accent panel), and leave the rest of the walls for painting. By the way: the company "Ampir Decor" has been selling an anti-crisis collection of wallpaper for over a year now - believe me, there is plenty to choose from.
Tip #6:flooring Natural materials are always nicer — they are environmentally friendly and look nicer than their artificial counterparts. Many factories periodically hold promotions and seriously reduce prices for their products. (For example, for parquet from the SWP factory). Also, the direct manufacturer has scraps of good boards, which are subsequently calibrated and brought to a single size. The cost of such material is lower than full-size boards, and by taking short boards, you can assemble an interesting author's pattern — such a floor will look no worse than modular parquet. There are a couple of tricks to save on tiles:
- in the center of the room, for example the kitchen, a “carpet” of accent tiles (more expensive) is laid out, and for the background, Russian tiles such as KERAMA MARAZZI or Atlas Concorde (in the photo below) are used.
Tip #7:bathroom walls Often, budget or simply "background" tiles with a calm texture look no worse than expensive analogues with a tasteless layout and an abundance of decor. Several techniques that allow you to reduce costs on tiles in the bathroom:
- we select the "background" tile of Russian orforeign companies (we add a vertical stripe to it in the most visible place); it is not at all necessary to lay tiles on the walls up to the ceiling - it will be enough to lay tiles to a height of 2,200-2,300 mm, and leave the rest for painting;
- in the toilet and at all you can paint the walls with a washable paint, and for the mood to hang a few posters in the passepartout.
In the bathroom, tiles are only necessary in wet areas (sink, bathtub or shower stall).
Tip #8:furniture Don't rush to throw away old furniture, especially that inherited from your grandparents: restoration will cost much less than new analogues. Modern wooden furniture that has served for a couple of decades can also be "refreshed" with paint.
Tip #9:kitchen The kitchen is a capital investment, you shouldn't save on it. But you should remember that you are buying it for a long time, so we recommend considering the products of German manufacturers. For example, Leicht kitchens are currently offering big discounts and all kinds of promotions on components. The choice of facades also affects the cost of the kitchen: wood will be expensive, and similar options for laminated facades will cost much less. Modern production is now at a high level, and sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish natural facades from artificial ones. The same applies to materials for countertops: lamination will save you from 100,000 rubles. There are many other ways to wisely manage your budget. The company "Kitchen Interiors", for example, offers a unique know-how: professionals assemble kitchens from elements of various European factories. You get a whole unique set of high-quality components, and at an affordable price.
in the photo there is a kitchen – leicht Tip No. 10:textiles By the time you choose fabrics, as a rule, your strength, imagination, and budget are running low. Inexpensive polyester will help you get out of this situation. It is no secret that this material costs half as much as its natural counterparts, and it is easier to care for. And if you want to add solidity to the interior, you can make an edging from an expensive material with an inexpensive background and sew several pillows for color harmony.
And most importantly:Hire a professional to do the job — this will significantly save your money, energy and the most precious thing we have — time. Everyone should do their own thing. Architects and designers have extensive experience working with salons and suppliers and can help you get big discounts, thereby recouping their work and saving your budget. Alena Timofeeva, designer
