Last April I started working on one of the most thrilling projects of my career to date: the renovation and extension of my own home. Putting myself in my own clients’ shoes was an eye-opening experience. Although I’ve been designing and renovating homes for over 15 years, acting as the ‘client’ gave me an entirely fresh perspective. I learnt some valuable insights that have transformed what I tell anyone looking for expert architectural advice
Get|Make Sure You Get} Impartial Advice
The whole project started with me wanting to extend my tiny utility room so I could easily fit into a larger fridge. The boys were eating me out of home and house, and it was impossible to fit everything in our mixed fridge freezer.
After a quick look through the space, the shook his head and said: ‘why don’t you extend the house?’ He was right. We'd reached a stage where we were able to do with the extra space and a bigger fridge wasn’t very likely going to improve things in the long term.
Small projects are okay but not if they are only a stop-gap solution. I often meet people who want to add a additional room or convert part of their house, but the underlying issue with the house is much more significant.
Investing in an attic conversion when the design of the rest of the house is no longer working for you is not the most convenient way to spend your money. We’ll all favour going for the quick win over so getting some impartial advice is essential to make sure you make the right decision. I’m the one dishing out the advice usually, however when it came to my own home, even I needed another opinion.
Wait|Hold it} Until You Have the Money to Do Everything You Want.|Hold it Until You Have Enough Money to Do Everything You Want.}
When we first bought our house we could have done work straight away,but our circumstances were completely different (a three-year-old son and another on the way and our budget was far too small to achieve everything that we wished to do, so we waited. It certainly was the best decision we could have made.
In the past, I used to try to help clients phase the whole renovation job so their budget can be spread out but now, where possible, I advise my clients to hold back a little. This can indicate I talk myself out of a job but if they can move in and make the house liveable until they have the money to do everything at once, then this is with no doubt the best decision. Not only will they get greater value for money and only build process once but they will also have the added benefit of time, which might mean that their plans change leading to a much better job in the future.
Build Up Contingency Into Your Timescale
Build some breathing space into your timescale. The build process can be an unpredictable one and even the most organised amongst us can come up against issues that push deadline out.
Our build process took 7.5 months, which is pretty good. We had hoped to done in 7, but some changes took longer than planned and so we pushed our move day out to accommodate this.
Waiting the extra couple of weeks while for the builder to be completed entirely was so important. Had we moved in two weeks earlier, everyone could have been trying to finish around us and what required two weeks would have dragged out to four, or six weeks even.
It’s never a good idea to move in before the work is completely finished Giving the contractor a deadline to work to is vital but make sure it is realistic and, if things cause the project to overrun you should make allowances and modify your plans accordingly.
Over-Prepare
The build can be an unstoppable process and the feeling that once you begin there is no turning back can be just unsettling. So I recommend you be as organised as you can, while the builder will need to have a plan which can guide you when critical decisions need to be made.
My advice, however, is to have all your decisions made before the work starts on site. This is something I always recommend to my clients. However, my experience of going through the process myself has confirmed it’s most likely the best single piece of advice I could give anyone taking on a home renovation project.
Once the build begins you’ll feel under pressure, there will be distractions and emotions to cope with, so you won’t be at your very best when it comes to making decisions. architects dublin 2 Having the decisions made before anyone asked you to make them will significantly lessen the strain and make the process a lot more bearable. You might even lovemit.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
A home restoration is quite a complex process. There are so many moving parts and persons involved that there are bound to be hiccups during the whole project. Try to predict where issues might arise and be flexible. Things will go wrong, but try to keep an open mind and concentrate on the solution. Be as organised as you can be and respect your decisions.
Home renovations and extensions are exhausting emotionally, so my final little bit of advice is to stay focused on the outcome because I can promise you it'll be worth it.