In April of this past year, I started working on one of the most thrilling projects of my career to date: the renovation and extension of my very own home. Putting myself in my clients’ shoes was an eye-opening experience. Although I’ve been designing and renovating homes for over 15 years, acting as the ‘client’ offered me a completely fresh perspective. I learnt some really precious insights that have changed 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 bigger fridge. The boys were eating me out of home and house, and it was impossible to fit everything inside 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 more spacious 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 add a room or convert part of their home, but the underlying issue with the house is a lot more significant.
Investing in an attic conversion when the layout of the rest of the house is no longer working for you is not the best way to spend your money. We’ll all favour going for the quick fix so getting some impartial advice is vital to ensure you make the right decision. I’m usually the one who dishes out the advice, however when it I had to make the right decision about to my own home, even I needed another opinion.
Wait|Hold it} Until You Have the all the Money to Do ALL YOU Want.|Wait Until You Have Enough Money ALL YOU Want.}
When we first bought our house we could have done work immediately,but our circumstances were completely different (a three-year-old son and another on the way and our budget was far too small to accomplish everything that we wished to do, so we waited. It was the best decision we could have made.
Earlier in my career, I used to try to help clients phase the work so their budget can be spread out however now, where possible, I advise my clients to wait. This can indicate I talk myself out of a job but if they can move in and make the house liveable architects dublin until they have enough money to do everything at once, then this is by far 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 resulting in a much better job in the future.
Build Up Contingency Into Your Timescale
Build some breathing space into the 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 quite good. We had hoped to be ready in 7, however, some of the changes took a bit longer than planned and so we had to push our move day out to accommodate this.
Waiting the extra time 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 would have had taken 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 all done. Giving the builder a deadline to work to is essential but make sure it is reasonable and, if things cause the project to overrun you should make allowances and adjust your plans accordingly.
Over-Prepare
The build can be an unstoppable process and the feeling that once you begin there is absolutely no turning back can be quite unsettling. So I recommend you be as organised as you can, while the contractor will need provide a plan which can serve you as guide when critical decisions need to be made.
My advice, however, is to have all of your decisions made before the work starts on site. This is something I’ve always told my clients. However, my experience of going through the process myself has confirmed it’s probably the best single piece of advice I possibly could give anyone who is planning a home renovation project.
Once the build starts you’ll feel under pressure, you will see distractions and emotions to cope with, which 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 stress and make the whole process a lot more bearable. You might enjoy it even.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
A home restoration is quite a complex process. there are so many moving people and parts involved that there are bound to be hiccups along the way. Try to anticipate 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 possible and respect your decisions.
Home renovations and extensions are emotionally exhausting, so my final piece of advice is to stay focused on the end result because I can promise you it will be worth it.