RENOVATING A HOUSE – THE PLANNING

While I’m still waiting for a moving date/ exchanging/ completing, my mind (and House) is full of paint swatches, room planning apps, flooring samples and Pinterest – everything you need to begin a house renovation. This will be my third house renovation (my parents, my current house and my new house) so I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of the planning (and doing) aspect of turning a house into a home.

Here are a few tips for if you’re in the same situation:

One of the first things I will say is, don’t get too ahead of yourself. If you’re planning to buy a new house and renovate it straight away, don’t get too hung up on the specifics until you’re in the house. You can remember rooms differently – windows are bigger than you thought, doors are in slightly different positions, basically, thinking about a space you’ve only seen a few times can play tricks on your mind. If you do have exact measurements, there’s an app called Room Planner and it’s amazing for helping to visualise a space. You can add in furniture, change the wall colour, flooring and add in windows and doors. I’m finding it really useful and it’s getting me more and more excited about getting going!

Pinterest is an amazing place for interior inspiration, as is Instagram. Photos you see might not be exactly what you’re looking for, but you can mix and match different elements to create the perfect solution. Try making moodboards (virtual or physical) to give yourself a better idea of how different elements can work together. Again, the Room Planner app is a great way of mixing different ideas together in a really quick, easy way.

Depending on how big your renovation is, you might also need to start thinking about light switches and plug sockets, there are some amazing alternatives nowadays (think Matt black, toggle switches etc). There’s also skirting boards, architraves (door frame trim), doors, handles and all of the other little details that need to be added to the equation.

You need to start planning a schedule and budget when you get closer to the start date/ moving date so you can hit the ground running. It’s worth getting as many samples for everything as possible before you start, so you’ve already made most of the big decisions (flooring, tiles, paint colour) before you crack out out the sledgehammer. A lot of places offer free samples for flooring and tiles, it’ll help you get a better idea of what you don’t want if anything!

Ask friends and family for tradesman recommendations – luckily my Dad is my builder so I know he won’t rip me off! You need to make sure you’re getting a good service for your money, you don’t necessarily have to go for the cheapest option, but make sure you’re comfortable with the budget and timescales before you give it the green light.

If you’re bringing furniture with you, you need to get plenty of protective sheets and coverings so that you don’t ruin anything. If you can, start with one room and then move everything into that room so the damage and chaos is minimal.

So they’re my planning tips for a house renovation – if you have any more, leave them in the comments below!

Good luck!