Anyone who’s done a few renovations and fallen into the usual traps will tell you that the most important part of any building or renovation project - by far - is good planning. There are a few levels of refinement between having a flash of blurry-eyed inspiration, and having a sober, well-formed plan about what needs to be done.
How exactly you need go about planning your renovations will differ depending on what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re renovating to help sell or rent a house, for example, the amount of money you put in is going to be your biggest consideration. If you’re renovating to make room for a baby, then how the space is used - for many years to come - is likely to be just as important.
A big part of planning is making sure you’ve got the technical details and processes right. While we’d all like to think we have the necessary technical skills to march cheerfully and fearlessly into our own renovations like they do on reality TV shows, this usually isn’t the case.
Determining what’s ‘load bearing’, for example – or knowing what’s involved with moving plumbing fittings, what’s required in terms of waterproofing for wet areas, or even designing ‘tastefully’ are all acquired knowledge (and in some cases, regulated work). Sometimes the best renovation planning comes down to knowing when you need to get the help of a professional, and knowing who you need to consult and how to get the best from them.
It’s still entirely your renovation, obviously – and the more you understand about what you want and how it’s going to happen, the more likely you are to be satisfied with the results and stay in control of how much is spent. Check out the articles below for more details on how to plan your renovations with a good measure of skill and confidence.
