You’ve made the decision to renovate, but where to from here? The never-ending choices of finishes, mounting tasks, and escalating budget can feel extremely overwhelming especially for first time renovators. There’s so much to account for during a renovation, so knowing how to prepare yourself before you start can take a huge amount of stress out of the process.
1. Create a brief
Although it can be altered, changed and updated at any point of the renovation, a brief will ultimately outline your wishes and goals and include things like the timeline, budget, mood, style, inclusions, exclusions etc. It’s super handy to give to any contractors and will help keep you on track during the renovation.
2. Plan your budget
Once you’ve created a brief and know roughly what the renovations entail, finishes and trades needed, you will be able to map out a budget. The tricky part is sticking to it! A good idea is to factor in a 10% buffer amount on top of the budget. This will allow for any unforeseen expenses that may pop up along the way and any increases in materials over the duration.
Keep it neat and tidy by adding all items into a spreadsheet that can be updated at anytime. This way you’ll always know what’s been spent and what you still need to account for.
3. Create your mood board
Unless all the furniture, fittings and materials you want are next to one another in a showroom or picture, it’s extremely hard to envisage how everything is going to look once it’s finished. Creating a mood board will help bring your vision to life and is a great spot to keep all your inspiration. Pinterest mood boards are a great idea and can be easily shared with others.
4. View products in person
Although the internet is a great place to source and compare products and find inspiration, it’s so important you still visit the showrooms and stores to see items in the flesh. Materials and finishes can look completely different in real life and it might end up not being something you actual want. Sales people are a wealth of knowledge and will be able to offer alternatives and sometimes even discounts on products if purchased instore. You will be able to collect physical samples as well to take home.
Once you have completed all the ground work, you can now start sourcing trades, getting council approval and ordering products. You are now well on your way to your dream home!
