The Three Golden Rules of Home Renovation

If you find the idea of undertaking a major home renovation or extension project somewhat overwhelming, you’re not the only one.

Considering everything from the design and aesthetic of the home to sourcing the right materials, obtaining the required permits and coordinating trades and construction–all while ensuring you stick to the budget–is enough to make even seasoned renovators a little anxious.

While home renovations do come with their complexities, we’ve found that if you do these three things right, you can almost guarantee the project will be a success.

1.   SET A REALISTIC BUDGET

Finances are the bottom-line for almost every home renovation project, so your first step should always be to set a realistic budget. Developing a clear picture of what you can comfortably afford early in the piece will make it easier to identify what is and isn’t feasible when formulating your renovation plans.

Unless you’re an experienced renovator, accurately costing renovation works can be a hard task. That’s why it’s a good idea to engage your preferred builder during the early stages of the project. They’ll give you a realistic understanding of the cost of construction and provide an idea of what you might be able to achieve for the money you can spend.

If you’ll be borrowing money to fund your renovations, you should also approach your bank well before you commence any work. This will ensure you’re fully informed about the financial implications of renovating so you don’t find yourself high-and-dry with a half-finished project.

2.   CHOOSE AN ARCHITECT THAT ‘GETS’ YOUR VISION

Once you’ve established a budget, it’s time to start translating your ideas into workable plans—so you’ll need an architect. When choosing an architect, it’s important to look for experience along with a good comprehension of what you want to achieve for your budget.

A good architect will assign equal consideration to both the design and functionality of the home, while always keeping your budget at the forefront. While you should maintain an open mind to ideas which challenge mainstream concepts and never be afraid to push the envelope in terms of design, it is easy to get carried away devising grandiose plans when you disregard the budget.

If you can find an architect that’s on the same page as you in terms of both form and function who will also pay close consideration to your budgetary constraints, you’ll vastly improve the likelihood of being handed designs that hit the mark the first time. This will help you avoid overcommitting yourself financially while also minimising the risk of overcapitalising on the value of your property.

3.   FIND AN EXPERIENCED BUILDER

Even the most well-devised renovation plans are useless if your builder doesn’t have the required skills, knowledge and experience to bring them to life.

Ideally, you should look for a builder with extensive experience in renovation and additional works on projects that are similar to yours. Review their portfolio of previous work to determine if they’re a good fit for your build—for example, a builder who only has experience working on new home spec builds may not have the capability to complete a period home renovation or restoration project to the required standard.

Most quality builders can also manage the entire project for you. They’ll be able to accurately cost the renovation works, source your building materials, seek the required building permits and oversee the project from beginning to end while ensuring everything runs to schedule. This will remove a large sum of the stress and hassle typically associated with extensive renovations and make the experience a much more pleasurable one.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

At APC Build, we’ll make your home renovation or extension project easy.

We’re experts at accurately costing projects from an early stage and we’ll take care of all the finer details so you can focus on other things. We have a wealth of experience working on an extensive range of home renovations and additions across Melbourne, and we know what it takes to ensure a project runs to schedule and to budget.

If you want to know more, view our portfolio to see what we’ve been able to do for other happy clients or simply contact us to discuss your home renovation project.