You’re hearing a lot from me about home renovation and interiors because it’s a big thing for us right now. The house we live in at the moment is great, it has what we need but it isn’t The One. We’ve been somewhat torn between doing this house up (it’s conveniently placed and we really don’t want to move right now) or biting the bullet and moving. It could take forever to find what we’re looking for though so we’re going to take what doesn’t excite us about this house, both aesthetically and from a practical point of view, and we’re going to change it.

If like us you want to start doing more for yourself and embark on a home renovation project, these points to consider are a good place to start.

Know What You Want

First of all, you need to know what it is that you really want. Sometimes, it’s really easy to visualise yourself in your ‘dream home’ but can you see the specifics of what it looks like? Do you know what kind of decor you want and want sort of home it is? If so you have a better imagination than me. I have a wealth of ideas about what I like and what I don’t but really need to put it together to form some sort of consistent look and feel.

Create Home Renovation Pinterest Boards

Pinterest is a great platform for discovering interior design ideas. I have one or two Pinterest boards set to secret as well as a few open ones, all dedicated to homes and houses, kitchens, offices and so on. I think I need to start pulling my favourites into one master board to see what we’re really looking at, to check Roy and I are on the same page and to start proactively planning.

Get Planning Permission

Planning permission is an essential consideration for anyone who’s planning on carrying out renovations on their home. Research whether planning permission is required for the work you want to be carried out and, if you do need permission, find the right services from Arbtech to survey the work and secure permission.

Focus On Action

It’s not enough to just think and dream. This is where I fall short. Once we’ve nailed the planning stage we need to set SMART goals, to put dates and deadlines on the calendar and we need to focus on action. Basically, if we don’t get started, we’ll never finish and be happy with our living space.

Allocate Your Budget Well

This part we are good at. Having a realistic budget is what ensures that the project will get done. How you allocate your budget is up to you. If you want to put money into features like stunning splashbacks or even an entirely new kitchen, that’s fine, as long as you have the money for it. Watching home renovation and decoration shows have also taught me to always have a little extra in the budget that isn’t allocated to a specific spend. This is the money you’ll use when you go over budget (it happens).

Staying Positive

This is something I need to remind myself of. I hate clutter, mess and mayhem and you know that once we get started there will be plenty of all three! I will have to compromise on something I want thanks to the budget and I might have a wobble here and there over colours, textures and style too. If I (and you if you’re embarking on a similar project) can stay positive and upbeat it will make the whole process much easier and I’m pretty sure we’ll enjoy being in our dream home all the more for it.

Do you have any top tips for taking on a home renovation?