5 things to never do when planning your renovation

A renovation can and should be an enjoyable experience. To ensure your renovation is as smooth and rewarding as possible here are 5 things you should avoid doing.

1. Never start a renovation without a clear understanding of what is you want to achieve as an end result. You may not have firm ideas on what the project will involve, but you do need a clear end goal.

2. Never focus on just price. You do need to have a budget and work with a company that can provide accurate plans and costings. However, selecting the right company to deal with, one with experience, that will be easy to work with and you trust, will be the most important decision you will make on the renovation experience.

3. Don’t get complacent. Although dealing with a good building / design company will help to take the stress out of a renovation project, it is a good idea to still stay engaged and know what is happening. This relates to understanding the plans and how things are going to look when finished. If you can’t read plans, get your builder to walk you through this so you get a good understanding of what the end result will look like.

4. Don’t be tempted to penny pinch. The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. Do things right, don’t take short cuts or down scale – you will regret it.

5. Don’t try and run the renovation project yourself. You might think it doesn’t look too hard to run your own project, but the reality is it is a very challenging and time consuming exercise, even for those that know what they are doing. Use a professional and let them do their job.

Working with the right people and using quality materials and sub-trades will cement that into reality.