This is especially true if you are planning on making a profit by selling your home. Find out what buyers want in your area by speaking to your local estate agents. They will gladly provide you with this information if they think you could become a potential customer.

Planning

It’s essential that you set yourself a realistic budget for your renovation costs and make a precise plan about how you are going to go about renovating your home. For example, is most of the money going to go towards fittings and fixtures or structural renovation work? A good budget will make sure that you don’t overspend.

Architects

If you are going to hire an architect, make sure you employ one who has been successful with similar renovation projects. This will save you some money because they will know how to achieve the look you desire in the most cost-effective way. You will also need to check what the architect’s price actually covers so that you are not left with any unexpected bills at the end of the project.

Quotes

Before you start getting building quotes you will need a set of drawings so that you can estimate your costs. You should get a minimum of three quotes so that you can make comparisons. Quotations will vary so you will need to make sure that you read them carefully. It’s always good to ask questions so you can clarify anything that you don’t understand. You should also keep in mind that some information won’t be explicitly stated in the text so make sure you read the small print.

Pay attention to detail

Once you have decided on a contractor, make sure that your design spec contains as much detail as possible to avoid any hidden costs. Once a contractor begins a job, problems with drainage, roofing and plumbing can be very expensive as well as cause delays on your renovation project. Spend some time walking through the new space to make sure that windows, cupboards, storage, plug sockets and light switches are exactly where you want them to be.