I Want to Renovate My House. Where Do I Start?

If you want to renovate your home, start by working out what isn’t working, what you’d like to change and roughly what you’re comfortable spending. You don’t need plans before talking to a builder. For a significant renovation or extension, getting an experienced renovation builder involved early can help make sure your ideas, design and budget are heading in the same direction.

OK, so you’ve decided your house needs a renovation.

You know what isn’t working, you probably have a fairly decent Pinterest board going, and you’ve got an idea of what you’d like the finished house to look or function like.

But what are you actually supposed to do next?

Do you call a builder? Find a designer? Get plans drawn? Talk to the bank? Work out a budget?

For most people, this is the confusing part.

The good news is you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start talking to people. In fact, we’d rather have a conversation with you early, before you spend thousands on plans for something that may not suit your budget.

Before worrying about plans, start with why you want to renovate.

Maybe your living space is too small. You need another bedroom. You have no indoor/outdoor flow. Or you’ve got rooms you barely use while other parts of the house feel cramped.

You don’t necessarily need to know the solution yet.

Something as simple as – “We love our house and location, but we need another bedroom and a much better kitchen and living area” is actually a pretty good starting point.

As long as you know why you want to renovate, a good builder and designer can help you achieve a house that functions how you want it to.

Yes, at least roughly.

This can feel a bit chicken and egg. How are you supposed to know your budget when you don’t know what the renovation will cost? But having some idea of what you’re comfortable spending is really helpful.

If your maximum budget is $200,000, there’s no benefit in designing a $400,000 renovation and finding that out after you’ve paid for the plans.

Your budget helps shape the project.

It doesn’t mean every dollar needs to be allocated from day one. It simply gives your builder and designer some boundaries to work within.

If you genuinely have no idea what your ideas might cost, that’s another good reason to speak to an experienced renovation builder early.

Ideally, get both involved early.

You absolutely don’t need completed plans before talking to a builder.

Actually, we often prefer to be involved earlier.

Your designer is looking at how the home can function and come together from a design perspective. We’re looking at the construction side and keeping an eye on how different decisions may affect the build and budget.

Having both involved early means we can start asking questions such as:

• Is there a simpler way of achieving the same result?
• Is this part of the design likely to be particularly expensive to build?
• Could the existing house be used differently rather than making the extension bigger?
• Is there something in the existing house that could make this difficult?
• Does the overall scope roughly line up with the budget?

Those conversations are much easier to have before the design is finished.

For a significant renovation or extension that requires building consent, you’ll generally need a set of plans or working drawings before a builder can give you an accurate quote.

The first step is usually getting the layout, size, scope and overall direction of the renovation right. From there, the details start coming together.

If you already have a designer or architect you’d like to use, that’s absolutely fine. If you don’t, we can connect you with one our trusted design partners for your project.

Not too early.

We can give general cost guidance during the early stages, but there’s a big difference between a rough indication and an actual full fixed price quote.

To properly price a substantial renovation, we need enough information to understand what we’re actually being asked to build. That means quantifying and pricing materials, labour, getting quotes from subcontractors and making sure everyone is pricing the same scope.

The more information we have, the more accurate the quote can be.

It happens.

Sometimes the plan and the budget simply don’t line up the first time around. Sometimes more engineering is required than anticipated, ground conditions create more work or simply some wishlist items may have pushed the cost over budget. That doesn’t necessarily mean the project is dead.

It might mean looking at the design again and deciding what really matters and re-prioritising.

Could the extension be slightly smaller?

Could the existing layout be used more cleverly?

Are there expensive elements that aren’t adding enough value to justify their cost?

Are there things that could be done later?

This is where having your builder involved in the process early can be particularly useful. We can help look for practical savings without simply stripping everything good out of the project.

Having a contingency budget is also advisable when renovating, as unforeseen costs can arise after construction begins. Read our post on contingency budgets to find out more about this.

Earlier than you probably think.

A decent renovation doesn’t go from an idea to builders arriving next Monday.

There can be design work, engineering, geo-tech reports, product selections, pricing, building consent and plenty of decisions to make before construction begins.

Then you need a builder who actually has room in their schedule.

If you’re hoping to renovate in the next 6 to 12 months, we suggest starting the conversation now.

Keep it simple – work out what isn’t working in your current home, think about what you’d like to achieve and get a realistic idea of the amount you’re comfortable investing.

Then start talking to the right people – Us!

You don’t need perfect plans, a massive brief or every decision made. That’s what our planning process is for.

Gareth Davis Builders specialises in home renovations and extensions across Christchurch, Waimakariri and Hurunui districts.

If you’ve got a renovation in mind but aren’t sure where to start, get in touch. We’re happy to have an early conversation, look at what you’re trying to achieve and help you work out the next steps.

Get in touch with our team to discuss your home renovation or extension.