Is your renovation slow to get started? Do this 👇🏻

It’s a common problem most renovators will face.

When your renovation plans can’t happen as soon as you thought, it’s infuriating 😩

It’s usually for reasons outside of your immediate control:

  • You’re waiting to have the funds available to do the work

  • You’re waiting to get planning permission

  • Or your contractors aren’t available to start any time soon

Which cues frustration and impatience before your project has even started… 🤬!

👆🏼Neil and I lived with scenes like this for ages while waiting on contractor’s availability 😭

Fixing up a property is supposed to be an exciting time where your dream home becomes a reality…

…not a painfully slow waiting game 😩

But in my experience working in the interior design & renovation sector since 2016, these lulls in a project’s lifecycle can actually be a blessing in disguise… You can make them work in your favour.

If you’re self-managing your project, you need this time.

An experienced renovator understands the level of detail that’s essential for a self-managed project to succeed, oftentimes through making early mistakes, underestimating what is required and rushing to the finish line.

As a newbie, there’s often a lack of planning that will cause many to experience overwhelm in the build phase. And as I mentioned, rushed decisions breed mediocre results.

If you’re managing this project yourself, you need to quickly become an amazing designer, an organised project manager, and a savvy budgeter all in the space of a few months. So that wait time could be everything you need to tool up, train up, and allow yourself a head start.

Are you really ready for your renovation?

Something we learned very early on when we started out in the industry is that under-planning your project will have downstream impacts.

It could cause you to:

  • Renovate in the wrong order

  • Run out of money

  • Miss opportunities (for example making sure the RSJ for your extension will later support your loft conversion)

I found myself on a forum recently, reading about a renovator’s extension nightmare…

“My husband and I have been broken by the disruption it’s brought to our lives.

Both have busy, demanding jobs, WFH . 3 kids 10-14. Demanding Puppy. Car has recently been stolen too. Completely overwhelmed with all the decisions and constant banging and the dust, oh the dust.…

My god, I am a broken woman.”

The number 1 thing new renovators completely underestimate is how many decisions need to be figured out before work starts…

…and the sheer amount of time it takes to make just 1 of those decisions.

Will you have the answers when your builder asks you what height your skirting board will be? Where your upstand will finish? Where do you want your cooker isolation switch?

  • OK, so you haven’t got planning permission through yet

  • OK, your contractor isn’t available to start

  • And so what if you are no way near financially ready to start!

Trying to make decisions on the fly, and not briefing your contractors effectively will cause huge disruption and mistakes. When your project is having a slow period, don’t beat yourself with a stick, you have time to prevent these issues happening for you.

If you’ve followed us for a while you would have read about Mark & Ange’s situation… Thankfully their planning paid off just in the nick of time and saved them ££s

A rushed renovation causes a host of regrets.

Unless you have prior experience or you’re being guided by a professional, common mistakes can be hard to avoid when you’re speeding through decisions because the builders are demanding answers from you.

Having some extra time on your side is giving you the ability to sit on your decisions which will achieve a better finish.

Don’t want a painfully slow renovation?
Here’s your action plan 👇🏻

My current client, Caroline, is held up by cashflow. She can’t afford a new kitchen yet. We’re designing her living room currently but she wants her house to flow and she knows she will be buying a new kitchen in the next 3 years.

Not having the funds available hasn’t stopped us marching ahead deciding layout and design details for her kitchen though.

In fact, it’s helped Caroline understand how much she’s going to need to save or borrow… and it’s inspiring for her to see progress happening now, not later. She’ll also have a long time to contemplate whether the Navy kitchen island is right for her – without spending a penny.

Here’s what I recommend you do if your projects are slower getting started for similar reasons:

1. Spend time investigating costs

Weigh up your feasibility and costs so that you can make informed decisions about your property.

All projects need to do this no matter what the timeline, but the more time you have to understand costs and talk with contractors, the better prepared you’ll be for unknown costs you may run into later.

If budgeting is overwhelming you, consider joining the renovation online course for a comprehensive guide on how to do it sensibly.

2. Meticulously design each area

Give yourself a wakeup call... Do you realise the sheer amount of decisions you have ahead? It’s time to get to work!

Take a look at our student Kathryn’s project. 👇🏻

Despite the fact the room was a dumping ground before, she planned all of her lighting, electrics, joinery details and even the styling in advance, with our easy framework.

👆🏼Literally 😅

You have so much to plan. This ‘lull’ in the project life cycle is going to give you time to get ready.

3. Give yourself time to change your mind!

You don’t get this luxury when work is in full swing (without it costing you ££s, at least) so use any delays to really understand your property, your wants and needs for every room and challenge your decisions to make sure they’re right for your future. This extra time to carefully plan is a blessing.

I love seeing student’s plans. Take a look at Meryl’s kitchen – she’s put the visualising tools and techniques to the test to plan her dream space…

Students join our home renovation course specifically to prevent common setbacks but in the event your funds aren’t in place yet, the course keeps renovation plans progressing.

What’s promising for your specific situation is the immeasurable benefits the course will bring to you as you plan a renovation for the first time. You see, students typically join the course for the practical guidance we give them on budgeting, preventing costs spiralling and when they’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work ahead, but they leave with realisations they never expected, like...

  • “I achieved far more enhanced layout plans that better suit our practical needs as a family”

  • “I discovered unique ways to finance our renovation and phase our project, it’s got us thinking outside the box”

  • “It helped me spot opportunities to spread our money more sensibly without compromising results”

It can feel like a huge problem when you can’t progress your renovation, but take it from Neil and I, there’s so much you can be doing now to keep your project progressing which will get you ahead and directly impact the finish of your home.

I hope this has given you some considerations for how to spend your time before work begins, and if you like the idea of getting some support with your plans as you wait I urge you to take a look at the home renovation course and the home design course which will help you progress your projects in the interim.

Thanks for reading and being here, we’re so grateful to you for reading the support we share on our blog, and we’re striving to make it more and more useful for you!

Fi