Renovations

Renovating is an excellent option if you love your home and want to remain in your suburb, but wish to upgrade spaces to suit the changing needs of your family or just want to ‘zhuzh’ things up.

Summit Renovations Senior Designer and Building Consultant, Deb Pearcey, shares some tips and suggestions for people considering home renovation.

Create a wish list

Creating a wish list helps define the overall scope of the renovation and allows both you and the renovation expert to clearly identify just how much you want to spend.

At the early stages of the renovation process, Deb recommended people collaborate and consider what was required for the work to go ahead and collate their needs and wants.

“Your wish list is a starting point to help figure out what you want to spend and which company might be best suited to help you and allow you to drill down and agree on your priorities in the alterations,” she said.

“It reduces the chance of important information being missed or misunderstood.”

Deb encouraged people to consider what they could afford to spend, how they were going to pay for it, how long they intended to stay in the property for and a desired start time.

“Make your renovations as unique as you are,” she said. “Build it with a renovation expert who helps you design your home to suit the dream and vision you have for your family, now and in the future.”

If you’re seeking several proposals from companies, a wish list enables you to clearly compare options and prices and make the best choice.

 

Do preliminary research

Being prepared before you embark on your renovation is crucial, as it leaves less room for delays and frustration down the track.

“Preparation allows you to narrow down which expert to turn to for help, so you can then focus on the less tangible, fun stuff like planning and designing,” Deb said.

“Research helps de-mystify what may initially seem to be an overwhelming process.”

Deb suggested renovators in the early stages speak to their bank or broker and arrange for a set of house plans from the local council to be sent through.

“Study the suburb profile where you live to get a sense of whether the renovation will suit,” she said.

“Knowing how your newly renovated home will suit the area you live will help safeguard your most valuable investment.”

Be realistic with budget and timeframes

With all the excitement of the renovation process, people can often forget that builders won’t immediately know the exact timeframe or costs of a project.

These are fully revealed once working through the design phase has commenced, however, experts should be able to provide some reasonable ballpark estimate from the outset, giving you a clearer indication.

“Having realistic expectations about the cost and associated timeframes will go a long way towards ensuring the entire experience is one you can be excited about,” Deb said.

If your plans require development approval from a council, this process alone could take in excess of six months before onsite works can begin.

Furthermore, Deb encouraged homeowners to check to see if it was realistic to live in your home whilst the works were underway and, if not, to factor in additional costs and time to find short-term accommodation.

“If you decide to temporarily move out during the construction phase, you’ll have plenty of time to plan ahead,” she said. “Every renovation is bespoke, with there not being a one-size-fits-all plan. Every home is as unique as the family that lives in it.”

INTERESTED IN RENOVATING?

If you would like to breathe new life into your home, book a design consultation with Deb here or complete the form below.

This article was originally published in New Homes in The West Australian on Saturday 17th July 2021.