You’ve scoured the web for hours, looking inspiration for the perfect bathroom upgrade. You’ve re-watched every episode of Grand Designs and know your home would be better off if that wall between the kitchen and living room could just come down. These days, there are more ways than ever to get motivated for a home renovation—but how do you really know you’re really ready for the process?

 

1. Plan for lifestyle improvement, not resale value: It might seem obvious, but a good place to start is to ask yourself why you want to renovate. Are you planning on staying in the home for the long haul and need it to better suit your family’s lifestyle? Or are you thinking in terms of improving the home’s resale value? Sometimes a possible project will accomplish both of these ends, but don’t count on it.It may help to think of a renovation as an investment in your lifestyle, rather than future value of the property, this will help you evaluate whether you really want to spend the money.

 

 

2. Be on the lookout for misinformation Ask professionals in your area about the reality of the costs and value to certain renovation projects in your market, in order to tease out misinformation that could be influencing your decision. It’s a common misapprehension that the staircase balustrade is a structural part of the stairs themselves, when in most cases the balustrade can be updated with no structural work at all –making a staircase renovation much quicker, cheaper and easier than most people think.

 

3. Ask for referrals first and foremost, starting a project means assembling a team of tradesmen. In order to get reliable contractors for the project, ask friends, acquaintances, and even professionals that you don’t know for their recommendations. In the case of a staircase project our Design Team are able to pass on details of installers who regularly tackle staircase balustrade projects using our products. Al alternative route is to visit your local Premier Centre and get the name of a reliable joiner from them.

 

 

4. Partner with an architect and a builder early For a major project, the number one mistake homeowners make is not hiring both a designer and a builder early, so that the input of each can inform the project as it moves from the design phase to the construction phase. The engagement of a qualified architect and contractor early in the planning process is crucial to a project’s success. If that collaboration is established early on in the planning process, the project has a better likelihood of being completed on-time and on-budget.

 

 

5. Better planning saves money & very pound spent on design and planning is five pounds saved.

The model for any project should be to:
•Agree the design,
•Get the work tendered
•Begin building.

Trying to speed up the process by commencing work before all the plans are complete can lead to problems agreeing costs on what can be a moving feast.

 

6. Budget for the house's age and condition: It sounds obvious but understating that you have lathe and plaster walls to shift rather than brick or stud ones can make a big impact on how you go about the project and the levels of work and mess involved. Wiring can be a classic trap especially in houses that have been extended over time. Be prepared and budget for unforeseen issues when you start dismantling things.

 

7. How good are your DIY skills – Really? When considering whether to tackle your home renovations on your own, realistically taking stock of four things:

•The size and scale of the project: Can you tackle some or all of it alone or will you need to hire professionals
•The time you have available to complete it – How many evenings and how much of your holiday are you prepared to sacrifice to get it done?
•Your ability to undertake the tasks involved – For instance can you cut a Tenon Joint if fitting new balustrade, are there simpler DIY options like bracket fix that might make the job easier?
•Building Regulations – Do you know and understand them – the last thing you want to do is create a safety risk in your own home that not only endangers you but might undermine the saleability of the property in the eyes of future buyers.

 

8. Your attitude: Finally are you really motivated to do it? – It’s easy to start a project and then life happens and you get stuck halfway through. So ask yourself honestly, if it’s a big job – are you up for it?