In April of this past year, I started working on one of the very most exciting projects of my career to date: the renovation and extension of my own home. Placing myself in my own clients’ shoes was an eye-opening experience. Although I’ve been designing homes for over 15 years, being the ‘client’ gave me a completely new perspective. I learnt some really precious insights that have changed what I tell anyone looking for advice from an architect.
Get|Make Sure You Get} Impartial Advice
The whole project started with me wanting to extend my tiny utility room so I could fit in a bigger fridge. The boys were eating me out of home and house, and it was impossible to put everything inside our mixed fridge-freezer.
After a brief look through the space, the shook his head and said: ‘why don’t you extend house then?’ The man was right. We'd reached a point where we could really do with the extra space and a bigger fridge wasn’t very likely going to improve things in the long term.
Small projects are alright but not if they're only a stop-gap solution. I often meet people who wish to put in a additional room or convert part of their house, however the underlying issue with the house is a lot 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 best way to spend your budget. We’ll all favour going for the quick win over so getting some impartial advice is vital to make sure you make the right decision. I’m the one dishing out the advice usually, but when it came to my own home, I needed a second opinion.
Wait|Hold it} Until You Have the Money to Do Everything You Want.|Wait Until You Have Enough Money to Do Everything You Want.}
When we first bought the house we could have done work right away,but our circumstances were completely different (a three-year-old son and another on the way and our budget was much too small to attain everything that we had in mind do, so we waited. It was the best decision we could have made.
In the past, I have tried to help clients phase the work so their budget can be spread out but now, where possible, I recommend my clients to hold back a little. This often means I talk myself out of a job but if they can move in and make the house liveable until they have enough money to do everything at once, then this is with no doubt the best decision. Not only will they get better 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 better job in the future.
Build Up Contingency Into the Timescale
Build some breathing space into the timescale. The build process can be an unpredictable one and even the most organised among us can come up against issues that push the finish date out.
Our build process took 7.5 months, which is pretty good. We had hoped to done in 7, however, domestic architects dublin some of the changes took a bit longer than planned and so we pushed our move time out to accommodate this.
Waiting the extra time while for the builder to be completed entirely was worth it. Had we moved in a couple of weeks earlier, everyone could have been trying to finish around us and what would have had taken two weeks could have dragged out to four, or six weeks even.
It’s never a good idea to move in before the work is all done. Giving the builder a deadline to work to is vital but make sure it’s realistic and, if things cause the project to overrun you should make allowances and modify your plans accordingly.
Really do your homework
The build is an unstoppable process and the feeling that once you start 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 program which can serve you as guide when critical decisions have to be made.
My advice, however, is to have all of your decisions made before the work is to have all of 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 probably the best single piece of advice I could give anyone who is planning a home renovation project.
After the build begins you’ll feel under great pressure, you will see distractions and emotions to cope with, and that means you won’t be at your best when it comes to making decisions. Having the decisions made before anyone asked you to make them will significantly lessen the strain and make the whole process a lot more bearable. You may even lovemit.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
A home renovation is quite a complex process. There are so many moving parts and persons involved that there are bound to be hiccups along the way. Try to predict where issues might come up and be flexible. Things can surely go wrong, but try to keep an open mind and concentrate on the solution. Be as organised as you can be and stick to your decisions.
Home renovations and extensions are emotionally exhausting, so my final little bit of advice is to remain focused on the end result because I can promise you it'll be worth it.