Last April I started working on one of the 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 say to anyone looking for advice from an architect.
Get|Make Sure You Get} Impartial Advice
The whole project started with me attempting to extend my tiny utility room so that I could fit in a bigger fridge. My children were eating me out of house and home, and it was impossible to put everything in 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 really 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 okay but not if they are only a stop-gap solution. I often meet people who want to put in a additional room or convert part of their house, but 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 not working is not the best way to spend your money. We’ll all favour choosing 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 very own home, even I needed another opinion.
Wait|Hold it} Until You Have the Money to Do ALL YOU Want.|Hold it Until You Have Enough Money to Do Want.}
When we first bought our house we could have done work right away,but our circumstances were very different (a three-year-old son and another on the way and our budget was far too small to attain everything that we wanted to do, so we waited. It was the best decision we could have made.
In the past, I used to try to help clients phase the work so their budget can be spread out but now, where possible, I suggest 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 programs change leading to a better job in the future.
Build Up Contingency Into the Timescale
Build some breathing space into your timescale. The build process is 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 quite good. We had hoped to be ready in 7, however, some of the changes took longer than planned and so we pushed our move day out to accommodate this.
Waiting the extra couple of weeks while for the builder to be completed entirely was worth it. Had we moved in two weeks earlier, everyone could have been trying to finish around us and what required 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 contractor a deadline to work to is vital but make sure it is realistic and, if things cause the project to overrun you should make allowances and adapt your plans accordingly.
Over-Prepare
The build is an unstoppable process and the feeling that once you begin 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 plan which can guide you when critical decisions need to be made.
My advice, however, is to have all your decisions made before the work starts on site. This is something I’ve always recommended to my clients. However, my experience of going through the process myself has confirmed it’s most likely the best single piece of advice I could give anyone taking on a home renovation project.
Once the build begins you’ll feel under pressure, there will be distractions and emotions to cope with, so you won’t be at your very best when it comes to making decisions. Getting the decisions made before anyone asked you to make them will significantly lessen the strain and make the process a lot recommended architects dublin more bearable. You might enjoy it even.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
A home renovation is quite a complex process. There are so many moving parts and people involved that there are destined to be hiccups during the whole project. Try to predict where issues might arise and be flexible. Things can surely go wrong, but try to keep an open focus and mind on the solution rather than the problem. Be as organised as possible and respect your decisions.
Home renovations and extensions are emotionally exhausting, so my last piece of advice is to stay focused on the outcome because I can promise you it'll be worth it.