What do you want to achieve?

The one thing that you must be clear about is your objective. You may dream of a stylish space where everything has its place and beautiful designer furniture is on display, but this may not work for you and your family.

A functional family home, one that is comfortable for your family and easy to maintain may be better suited to your needs or maybe entertaining space may be important.

Make a list of what you want from your home before you start planning.   This will give you the foundations for what you want to work towards.

Cost

When it comes to renovating, most people will tell you ‘renovations are expensive’ and ‘you always end up spending more than your original budget’, and this can be true.

If it’s your first renovation, it can be difficult to determine what an appropriate budget should be for your project. This is where engaging an experienced Builder helps. You can discuss the costs and leverage off their experience and expertise to set an estimate based on your requirements or to scale your expectations based on what your budget will allow.

Your budget should align with what you are trying to achieve. If you are renovating for profit, 10% of the value of your property would be a good investment. However, if your priority is to create a home that you can enjoy and suits your requirements, a larger investment may be needed.

Decisions

No one prepares you for the endless decisions you will need to make.

You expect to make the usual choices such as, blinds or curtains, tiles or carpet, wallpaper or paint. however, sometimes the decision making goes further than these decisions such as, decking type and size, textured or smooth weather boards, size of cornice and skirting.

This is where a good relationship with your builder will really help. If you are able to establish a good, trusting relationship with your builder, you will be able to utilise their expertise to help with some of these decisions based on your desired look / style.

Enjoy the process

Renovating can be a huge financial investment and can be an inconvenience, but it can also be an exciting change.

Whilst the process can appear to be stressful and messy it can also be rewarding.