Post-Renovation Checklist: Things You Don’t Think About but Should

Your renovation isn’t done and dusted until you’ve checked these off.

Just do a simple search online for renovation checklists and you’ll uncover tons of comprehensive ones to guide you through the process – but what about the things you need to do after?

As much as we’d all love to see our home renovations completed in perfect condition, with nary a defect or speck of dust in sight, the reality is that there are a couple of tedious yet crucial tasks to check off post-renovation.

Keep reading to find out what these ‘crucial tasks’ are and start setting up your own post-renovation checklist!

1. Post-renovation defect checks

Check your carpentry

Considering that they’re fabricated from scratch and customised for your home, carpentry – like kitchen/bathroom cabinets, TV feature walls and wardrobes – usually contributes to the highest costs in a renovation contract.

Naturally, you’d want to check that they’re in good working condition.

Here are some of the key things to look out for:

• Scratches, bumps and stains that cannot be removed with regular household agents
• Misaligned/slanted frames, doors and drawers
• Obstructions when opening and closing cupboard/cabinet doors
• Issues with soft closing mechanisms for cabinets and drawers
• Rust on ironmongery (e.g. handles, hinges)

It’s understandable that you’d only uncover some of these issues a while after you’ve moved in. To identify misaligned carpentry earlier, you can try loading fixtures like drawers in the kitchen with some cookware/dinnerware to see if they require any adjustment to the inner mechanism.

Carefully survey surfaces

Considering how the walls, floor and ceiling make up the largest surface area in your home, you don’t want to miss out on any possible defects.

Walls

For wall paint, look out for things like chipped paint and uneven streaks; if you do notice such irregularities, get your ID/contractor to repaint these areas.

Floor

What to check for different flooring types

It’s always best to check flooring right after it’s done to identify major issues, instead of waiting until the entire renovation is completed. This is in case you end up having to redo your flooring after other fixtures like cabinets are already built on top.

Ceiling

Much like the rest of the surfaces, check for unevenness, stains/peeling and cracks. Another important thing is looking out for gaps in ceiling joints, as well as ensuring that joinery is concealed for works like false ceilings.

Check on plumbing works

For plumbing in wet areas like the bathrooms and kitchen, test that taps and faucets are all working and that there are no leaks or issues with flushing; leftover construction debris and cement can cause pipe blockages. Do also ensure that sealant is evenly applied where used.

Waterproofing and drainage are two other key points: you can engage a professional defect checking service to help with this (and more) as they can conduct water ponding tests.

Inspect windows

If you got your windows replaced during the renovation, check for damages to the glass and the gasket (the rubber piece that holds it securely in place) and any misaligned panels/frames.

On rainy days, keep an eye out for wet patches near the window frame – this could be a sign of damaged/missing sealant, which you’d need reapplied to seal up the gap between the window and the wall surrounding it.

Switch on and test your appliances

Imagine realising that some of your power sockets aren’t working after you’ve moved in! That’s why it’s important to take the time to check every single one of them; you can use a mobile charger for this. Be sure to test all your switches as well.

Afterwards, from hobs to ovens and other appliances like washers/dryers that you might have installed during your renovation, carefully check for any scratches/dents and rusting hardware. Another thing to note is whether they cause electrical trips when you turn them on.

For washers and dishwashers, look out for water leaks and whether the drainage pipe gets choked.

On the topic of leaks, monitor your air conditioning in the first week after moving in – if you spot any leaks, you’ll have to get your installer to check its condition.

Don’t forget to register your major appliance warranties and keep the relevant documents somewhere easily accessible for a smoother process in resolving any potential issues.

2. Post-renovation deep cleaning

After a renovation, you’re no doubt looking forward to your home’s fresh look – but first, you’ll have to wrangle with all the renovation debris and dust first.

First off, open up the windows to air out your home: you don’t want to be inhaling all that dust and toxic chemicals! After that, do a dry clean to remove visible dirt before using a mop and/or wet cloth for the finer dirt and dust particles.

For the full breakdown, check out this guide on how to deep clean your home post-renovation, or engage professional cleaning services to ease your burden.

3. Post-renovation tasks to consider

Depending on your lifestyle and family’s needs, here are some post-renovation items other homeowners add to their checklists that might be helpful to you:

Sealing vinyl floors for easier maintenance

Some homeowners engage professionals like Vinyl Guards not only for niche deep cleaning post-renovation, but also for the application of a protective layer; this helps to prevent dirt and bacteria from accumulating for easier maintenance/cleaning.

Getting solar films for windows to lower heat

On a typically hot day, you’ll likely experience your home warming up even if it doesn’t directly face the sun. Blackout curtains don’t completely help with blocking out heat and running the air-conditioner all the time will make for a painful electricity bill.

A reasonable solution? Solar/UV films.

These films are proven to cool your interior by minimising the amount of solar radiation entering through the windows; this is great for your furniture and flooring too, since constant exposure to UV rays may discolour them.

Buying a portable fire extinguisher

The spate of house fires in the news is a grim reminder to take more precautions to protect ourselves (and hard-earned property). Likely one of the most overlooked items, having a fire extinguisher at home can help you put out small fires and prevent them from spreading, as well as prevent extensive damage to your interior.

According to the National Fire and Emergency Preparedness Council (NFEC), here’s a breakdown of the most common types of extinguishers available:

In case you have no clue where to start looking for fire extinguishers, they’re sold at NTUC Fairprice and major online retailers like Shopee and Lazada, as well as hardware stores.

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