The 6 biggest threats to your renovation planning
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Taking on your first renovation can feel like a wall of unknowns.
You’re battling money worries, unsure about where to start and who to hire, and the pressure’s on. You don’t want to make any mistakes or have regrets.
Take it from me, it's natural to be consumed by doubt.
Especially when you’re investing significant sums into a fixer-upper and your brain’s been telling you: ‘Why am I doing this, it’s a money pit’.
But let me pause right here.
Take a deep breath.
Because yes, renovations can be nerve-wracking and there are pitfalls to navigate (we’ll get onto those in a second).
But they're also a canvas for transforming your life.
Imagine the thrill ✨
You’re about to unlock the potential hiding behind years of peeling paint, asbestos ceilings and tired, dated rooms.
And you have complete authority in enhancing every corner, tailoring your future home precisely to your needs.
I've stood where you stand now. And similarly to you, I chose the difficult path vs the easy.
We could have waited. Bought properties that were already finished and saved ourselves the weight of uncertainty and first-time wobbles, right? But we didn’t.
Years later, not only do I have a home I lovingly created, but I've also supported over 2,000 client & student renovators who have shaped their dreams into well-planned & vibrant homes too.
Every single one of these renovators (and I) had to overcome & tackle a host of threats to their projects.
Let’s take a look at these threats more closely. I want to help you prevent them head-on.
Threat 1: Running out of cash to finish the work 😬
Back in 2016, Neil and I were about to take on our first renovation.
We made many mistakes we wish someone warned us about. It would have saved us a lot of unnecessary stress and money.
The most expensive mistake we made? Hiring an architect too early.
We thought this was the first step to renovating a house. WRONG ❌
We paid the architect thousands to produce plans. But when we started to get quotes from contractors, we quickly discovered the plans were too ambitious and we couldn’t afford to build any of it.
*Rips up the drawings we paid £3.5K for* Literally!
Although we tell renovators this story, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who still fall into this problem.
You won’t, I hope. You’ll take action to prevent it.
Many renovators rely on architects to know construction costs but it’s not the most accurate way to gauge your affordability.
Instead, we recommend relying on renovators who are doing similar work to you in your location. Or experienced contractors who have a clear understanding of renovation costs. Or quantity surveyors who are qualified to produce estimates.
What should you do to avoid running out of cash halfway through your project?👇🏻
You’ve got to draw up sensible pre-estimates of your renovation costs, accessing accurate, up-to-date information before you do any work (or even buy the property so that you know you can afford the work required).
Plan your project and work out your affordability, don’t underestimate costs. Set yourself a healthy contingency too.
Threat 2: You make the wrong call with your layout & regret it 😩
The layout you choose can make or break your renovation.
It can either add value to your property and enhance your life, or it can devalue your property and be a pain to live in.
But can I tell you something that every other interior designer would probably keep locked away as their deep dark secret? 😬
The 2016 version of me, before I became an interior designer, doubted my layout decisions…
…my lack of training and experience led me to make expensive mistakes to my own property.
Not to mention I felt overwhelmed by decision fatigue.
Neil and I would bicker about the dumbest things, too.
But deep down, it’s because we were both terrified about the cost of our renovation and the potential damage or mistakes that could unravel.
I belly-ached over layouts and material options, which slowed down our projects.
If you don’t believe me, the evidence is in the 2016-2018 blog posts still live on our website.
But here’s the thing…
8 years later, 4 years of interior design work and supporting over 2,000 renovators via our online courses…
…I now have specific tools and templates that speed up and bring confidence to renovation planning.
It’s honestly been a game-changer for me getting tools that work in place.
The 2024 version of me has 100% confidence in layout planning.
I'm ready for any surprises and I don’t question my decisions.
I'm working with tools and applying techniques that ensure I don't miss any layout or design opportunities. And they’re the reason why students & clients are in control of their projects.
We have full peace of mind that the materials we’re selecting won’t be a massive waste of money.
Don't underestimate the power of a damn good framework. Build your tools to get you through the most complicated projects stress-free 📝
Threat 3: You spend thousands renovating your home, but end up with an interior design that looks meh 🤦🏻♀️
OK… Even though you probably have a fair idea about how you want your new home to feel…
Warm, bright, airy
Calm, great storage, somewhere to entertain/start a family
And even though you might be brimming with design ideas right now…
A side-extension here, loft conversion with en suite up there
Maybe we could knock down this wall or pop a WC under the stairs
I need to prepare you for the reality of interior design.
This might feel a bit unbelievable to you right now. Especially if you feel excited by the design part…
But I’m here to share with you what I see commonly happen for renovators.
In the early stages, renovators get excited by the design part. Hello, Pinterest!
When structural plans get finalised and the contractors are booked in to start, suddenly they’re like: “Eeek, which flooring? Which lights? Which heating? I can’t believe how many decisions I need to make”
Then work gets underway, you’re paying out for contractors and funds start depleting, fast.
Suddenly your initial design plans are at risk and it’s: “For god’s sake, I need to compromise on so much. Which suppliers will give me the cheapest deal?”
What started as high hopes for exciting design plans with a decent budget, becomes a tearful search for things like tiles and taps, doubting your ideas and whether it will look cohesive as you scroll the endless options.
You go back on Pinterest to try and get some ideas but all it gives you is magpie tendencies. Cue the lack of cohesion and a mish-mash of styles in the renovation you’re paying thousands for.
There is an easier way to achieve cohesion and take the stress off, though.
When you’re paying thousands to renovate a property, don’t wait and leave your interior design decisions until the work gets underway. Decide your interior design details as early as possible, and budget accordingly.
Our philosophy is that nobody should have to heavily compromise on their interior design vision because of costs, complexities & stress mid-renovation. We give our students the right tools at the right time to protect their vision during their renovation.
4. Missing out on the best deals that could have saved you thousands 🫣
Sometimes it’s not where you shop, it’s how you shop that has the potential to save you thousands of pounds in contractors fees, professional fees and supply costs.
Like many things in life, there’s an expensive route and there’s a route that gets the same or similar result for much less money. Clever planning and becoming more savvy could save you many thousands in the long run.
5. Losing control of your project & finances (and it all goes to 💩😭)
Renovations are like high-risk investments.
There are some soaring highs and crashing lows, financially.
You won’t be able to predict parts of it. Like the costly, unforeseen work that even your experienced builder looks shocked by as he peels back layers of the house & foundations.
But you can control how well you prepare for this and how you spread your money to make absolutely sure you get the return you started this renovation for.
There’s work you need to do to understand your priorities, where is best to invest your money, and what order to complete your project in so that you’re avoiding any rework later.
6. Hiring a team you thought you could trust, but you missed some major red flags. Their work is slapdash and you’re paying for it! 😩
You’re about to pay people you’ve likely never met before £50,000-£500,000 to rip apart your property and follow your instructions to create your vision.
Who are you going to trust? How will you find them?
While we’ve met and worked with highly experienced, detail-driven contractors who we’ve hired again in a heartbeat…
…we’ve also had our fair share of charlatans trying to charge us through the nose for a simple job. Or trying to pull the wool over our eyes with ‘creative’ invoicing… Or simply completing a job to a poor standard.
Your A-team is out there, I assure you ⭐️ There are dozens of ways to easily find trades you can trust.
But too often renovators can miss the red flags to watch out for when engaging a contractor – inflated costs, bad communication, poor workmanship.
Renovations are risky but you can take the reins
It’s in your power to deliver your project successfully, swerving all of these potential threats.
And we’re right here to help you make that happen.
We open the doors to our renovation online course this Thursday.
And we are stunned by the size of our waitlist for this cohort.
More renovators than ever are waiting to prevent their costs spiralling in this higher-cost climate, and joining to ensure they are investing their money in the right ways.
If you’ve been waiting to join, you’ll never get better value than if you join us now. We’re adding more and more value to the course and prices will increase after this enrolment.
Join the waitlist and let’s make your renovation an enormous success ✨
