You’ve bought your dream new home and you want to get started personalising it. But before you invest in paint, wallpaper or even decorating services, it pays to find out more about decorating a new build. We share some tips and advice here…
The drying out process
Before you bring your saved pins and ideas gathered on Instagram to life, there are a few important must-knows before you start decorating a new build. The first is the drying out process. The drying out process, while it takes time, is crucial. With the property being brand new, it needs time to settle. And the amount of time you’ll need to wait for it to dry out, depends on what stage you moved into your new home. If you moved in as soon as the property was finished, then you can be waiting anything from nine months up to a year for the drying out process.
During the drying out process, small shrinkage cracks or nail pops may well appear on the walls or ceilings. These are perfectly normal and are to be expected with any newly constructed property. It’s fine to decorate during the drying out process, you just need to be mindful that your freshly painted wall might develop these small cracks. To save time and expense, it might be best to wait for the walls to dry out and know your decorating efforts won’t be in vain. You can also address and fill the small cracks at the same time as you finally come to decorate your new build.
Heating and ventilation
You can help your home with the drying out process once you start living it. The better you ventilate your property after moving in, the more you will help the drying out process. This can be done by opening doors and windows, even cupboard doors. The increased airflow will make a difference, letting the property breathe. A dehumidifier can also help to reduce the moisture content within the property.
And when it comes to heating, it’s advised that you don’t put it on at too high a level. Too much heat will dry out the property considerably quicker, but at a rate than can cause shrinkage and further damage. We recommend you use the extraction systems you have within your home, from the fans in the bathrooms or en suites to the extractor in the kitchen when cooking. And it pays to keep furniture away from the walls to allow the air to circulate better around them. It’s advised to practise these measures from a year to eighteen months after moving into your new build.
Hanging pictures
We all love to add personal touches to our homes, especially with artwork or photographs on the walls. However, the walls in newly built homes need time to settle and it pays to be patient while they do. If you are keen to hang pictures or shelves in your new build home after moving in, you ought to speak with your housebuilder or developer first. They can advise the best amount of time to wait. If you don’t heed their advice and go ahead with drilling or nailing into the walls, you could be putting your guarantee at risk.
Walls that do not have mirrors, artwork, and shelves, even furniture up against them will dry out and settle much quicker. Besides, while waiting for the drying out process, you can get a better idea for what would look best where, based on the light in the room and other factors. You might change your initial ideas and find colours and decorating solutions that are better suited to you.
What you can do while your home settles
It’s not all doom and gloom once you move into a new build, having to wait for the walls to dry out. It’s a good time to focus on the fabrics within the rooms. If you know your colour schemes or wallpaper pattern, get sourcing any rugs, cushions or blankets to go with them.
You can also make a start with your windows and how you will dress them. Will you have blinds or curtains, or maybe both? Again, if you know how you plan on decorating a room, at least you can start looking at the curtain fabrics or blinds to suit.
And while hanging them might need to wait a few months, mirrors are a good accessory to introduce into a new build. With new build homes having smaller rooms compared to older properties, mirrors can be used to make rooms look bigger. While your waiting for the drying out process, consider where the best place might be to have a large mirror or two.
The loft space
You might be keen to take advantage of the extra space your loft offers when you move into your new build home. If this is the case and you are keen to get loft boarding work done, we recommend using a professional loft boarding company. They will be aware of the necessary regulations around loft board installation, making sure to use a raised system, leaving the insulation undisturbed. The raised flooring avoids the risk of compressing the insulation and ensures good airflow is maintained.
And most importantly, by using a professional loft boarding business who knows the regulations, you won’t be putting your NHBC warranty in jeopardy.
Have you got your sights on a new build home as your first or next family home? Don’t struggle looking across several websites. Simply type the name of the place you hope to live in or near and let us bring you all the new build homes available. Start your search here.
