We plan a lot of major home renovations here at MãK and we love it! It’s an exciting challenge to see the potential in an existing space and to strategize how to make the most of it. We see a lot of the same questions come up from Clients about the process of planning a renovation. That’s why we’ve decided to create a series of posts about How To Plan Your Renovation here on the MãK Blog.
In this series I’ll be talking about:
- Pre-Planning: How to set yourself up for renovation success!
- The Design Process: creating the recipe for your renovation
- Time Lines: How long does this stuff take, anyway?
- Budgets: Getting clear about what you want to spend
Pre-Planning: How to Set Yourself Up For Renovation Success!
Just like with anything, you’ll get the best results when you plan ahead. Renovations are testy beasts since you literally don’t know what you’ll come across along the way. Involving a Professional Designer can ensure that you’ve done your best to prepare for (almost) any situation. Remember: we’re good but we’re not psychic. Here’s what you can do to prepare even before you speak with a Designer.
Determine Your Goals
The single best thing that you can do to prepare for a renovation is to create a list of goals. Creating a Pinterest board or collecting images of spaces that you like is great (and will be useful later), but those are details. At this stage you want to think in a more ‘big picture’ way. Try asking yourself these questions:
- How do I see myself using this space/these spaces?
- What does my family like to do that our home currently doesn’t accommodate?
- What changes are coming to my life in the next 5 years that could affect how I use my home (baby on the way, pets, in-laws moving in)?
- What rooms always feel crowded or like your family is on top of each other in them?
You can’t plan something without an end goal in mind. Many people jump right in to creating their own hand-drawn floor plans. Although we love the enthusiasm, our first step is to understand why you want to make changes. Let the design professionals do the space planning. What we need from you is insight into the every day life of your family so that we can design a space that best meets your needs.
Be Realistic About Time Lines
When Clients come to us about a renovation, they typically have a time line in mind which sounds something like this: ‘my family is coming for a visit in June so everything has to be done by then’. This is a big mistake. You don’t want to go into a construction project with a high-pressure drop dead date. As I mentioned, renovations can come with surprises – including a contingency in your schedule is just as important as including one in your budget (more on that later).
Once the design is determined, then you can set the construction schedule. If I asked you to tell me how much you’re going to spend on groceries for dinner and how long it will take to cook, what would be your first question? What are we making?! Exactly. Also keep in mind that your renovations don’t have to take place as soon as the design is complete. By having the plan in place and a contractor chosen, you can schedule your project start date when it works best for you (and your Contractor, of course).
Think About Budget
I’ll talk more about budget later in this series but in the pre-planning phase, budget talk is more about your own personal resources than actual construction costs. Talk to your financial advisor about your options and your realtor to determine a sound investment in your home. There is nothing worse than doing a dance around the topic of budget. Having an open and honest discussion about your budget with your Designer is key to a successful renovation. Your budget determines the extent of the changes that you can undertake and what areas to prioritize.
On the flip side, you may have a clear idea of what you want to do but no idea what it will cost. That’s fair, but you need to know what you’re comfortable spending before you start. If you don’t want to spend over $40,000, say so. If the skies the limit … call me 🙂 A Designer can also plan for a renovation that will take place in stages so that you can tackle it as your budget allows.
These three factors will give you the basis for a great first chat with your Designer and will set you up for a more successful design process. The next post will focus on how we transform your goals into a project plan through the Design Phase. I’ll give you some insight into how the design process works and walk you through the steps of planning a renovation that meets your goals, on budget and on time.
In the mean time, you can take our Should I Hire An Interior Designer? quiz to determine if you should work with us on your next project.