5 ways to banish stress on your home renovation projects and save your relationship!

Renovation projects can be very stressful but a keeping in mind a few key points can stop those molehills feeling like mountains. Here are our top tips.

1. Create a plan
This is the single most important thing you can do to make your renovation run smoothly. Work out who you will need to do the physical work, what they will be doing and ask them long they think it will take them.  Think about who will supply all the interior finishes, furnishings and equipment – and remember they will have lead times. It might be a bit dull but have a go at doing a plan – you might be surprised at how many people are going to be involved and how long the project might take.                                                                      

2. Book quality tradespeople and communicate clearly
Even a small, single room project will require 5+ tradespeople (flooring, decorator, carpenter, electrician, curtain maker, furniture supplier…).  Make sure you use experienced tradespeople who will work collaboratively with you (and the other tradespeople) and are adept at solving problems as they crop up. Be precise about what you want and what you expect – if you are vague on the instructions you may find you don’t get the finish you had hoped for.                                                                      

3. Know the order of events
There is nothing more frustrating for everyone involved than when a tradesperson arrives on site but can’t start work because something else has not been done – say where a plumber can’t fit the bathroom suite because old bathroom tiles have been removed but the walls need to be plastered or the tiler arrives but the tiles have not been delivered.  Good tradespeople are extremely busy and want to turn up, do the work, and go away again.  They will expect to manage themselves, but not your project or other trades people.  Make sure you understand what they need from you, and expect to do on your project.                                                                      

4. Draw up a budget
Even if you are only buying a few pieces of furniture, a couple of pots of paint and paying for a decorator – work out a budget.  So many projects grind to a halt or fail to realise a dream because people ‘didn’t realise how much it would cost’ and ran out of money half way through.  From your plan – think about all the essential activities and related costs. Obtain quotes from all your tradespeople & suppliers before starting work, add on a bit of contingency and make sure you are comfortable with spending that total. And stick to your design – making significant changes once workmen are on site is one sure fire way for a budget to balloon!                                                                      

5. Accept hiccups will happen
Things go wrong during renovations unexpectedly – it’s a certainty – no matter how much planning has gone on up front.Items arrive damaged from the manufacturer, bad weather delays deliveries, a floor is taken up to find that the joists are rotten, an appliance develops an unexplained fault within days of being fitted – the potential list is endless. Stay calm but remain persistent and you should get the best possible result.

While following these tips can help guide you to a stress free renovation, project management isn’t for everyone.

We do this kind of work day in and day out, taking care of all the minute details – leaving you to day dream about hosting that summer party in your sensational new living area, while we calmly handle the multitude of spinning plates to make it a reality.

We have developed a project planner to help guide you through the steps involved.  It’s a giveaway in our interior design quiz, take it now.

Want to know how we can fast track your project to completion success so you can truely banish renovation stress?

Contact Julia on 01242 806 131 or email us to find out more about our Interior Design Services.