Practical skills you need to not only survive, But enjoy your renovation!

Setting the right mindset before undertaking your renovation will ensure that you are ready for the challenges ahead. By understanding the build process and having a positive mindset the process will be far less stressful.

Here are some skills to help you set the right foundation for a successful journey.

Engage the right team!

Who you work with on your renovation is probably the most important decision you are going to make. If you get this crucial decision wrong things can go south very quickly.

From the architect to the builder or home renovation specialist ensure that you have done your due diligence. Assess your team on their quality, their communication, professionalism and credentials.

You have probably heard of the saying ‘you get what you pay for? Well we think that is definitely the case in the construction industry. When it comes to finding the right tradespeople for your project beware of the lowest price. More often than not if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. 

Be organised!

Before the bulldozers roll up, you should spend significant quality time carefully creating a master plan, either yourself or ideally with your architect or designer. By having a detailed master plan, it will help to avoid costly errors or delays, your renovation will run so much smoother, and quicker.

By failing to have your design choices chosen early on in the piece you can get caught out. The items you want may not be available when you need them, which can result in not getting exactly what you want, or it can create delays on the completion date. Even worse than that, it can cost you more money.

The more organised you are the better your build is going to go and the more accurate your costings will be. Just to name a few, you should have items such as paint, tiles, tap wear, colours, fixture’s/fittings, appliances, flooring, joinery, lighting and hardware decided before you start.

Be Decisive!

The more organised you are and the better plans you have drawn up the less decisions you will need to make on the fly. But even the best laid plans can go astray, even if you thought you were firm in your design choices there will most certainly be changes along the way. Whether they are by choice or through circumstances out of your control, in our experience there is always alterations to the original plan.

You will be asked questions almost daily and you will need to have decisive answers if you do not want to stall your project. Unsure of the answer? Then seek advice from your architect, designer or builder, or if the question allows go online and consult Instagram, Google or even Pinterest.

Accept that things are going to go wrong!

There are so many elements to a build that cannot be foreseen, you need to be able to make quick decisions and be adaptable to ensure your project keeps moving forward.

You must have a contingency in your budget for when things go wrong, because they almost certainly will. Being compassionate and reasonable with those involved in your project, it will always pay off. Remember that everyone wants things to go to plan, but sometimes some things are out of anyone’s control.

Be Realistic!

There will be times when you are feeling overwhelmed, try to remain calm and keep perspective on the situation.

Manage your time. All to often we see clients get frustrated with the demand a build has on their time, be realistic with how much time you will need to invest throughout the construction process.

There will likely be costs you have not planned for; this is where the contingency comes in.

The project may take longer than you thought. Weather, product delays, the unforeseen and lagging on decisions can all delay a project.

Do not overthink!

Trust your instincts or seek advice from those who are in the know such as your architect, designer or builder. 

You will see big and exciting transformations, but you may also feel overwhelmed by the number of decisions that need to be made. 

Do not procrastinate and overthink your decisions, do the best you can with the information that you have, and once again keep perspective, it’s not life or death!

The big Picture!

Try to relax and enjoy the process, remembering you are fortunate to be able to undertake a renovation or build at all!

While having a house that is perfect in every way would be amazing, the feeling of your home and the positive vibes you create in that space are what makes it a beautiful place to live.