How do you plan a home improvement project?
Blog 05 “Planning a home improvement project”,
May 2021
Where to start and how to get the best results
So you’ve made the decision to renovate your home, to extend or build the house of your dreams. Congratulations!! You’ve taken the first step and now it's time to ensure you get the most from your project.
How you want to measure success is your choice, but most people tend to use a combination of time, quality and cost - depending on what factor is most important to them.
Ultimately, you have to start with a plan. We know that details aren’t for everyone, but if you’re reading this, we guess that you are looking for some guidance and structure - at least to get you started. Here are some of the common questions we come across at BWMA, around planning a home improvement project and the steps you need to take to build your masterplan for success!
Where to start with a home improvement project?
Getting started is often the hardest thing to do, as you’re the one who will be making the first move. If you’re still struggling with this then we suggest you start with reading our advice on the fear of doing it wrong.
Let’s face it, we can’t all be experts in everything, so a good starting point is to get some advice - and that means finding an Architect. Ask around for personal recommendations, look for examples of their work and style. We know it takes time, but this will be repaid further down the line, when you need their skills to resolve a problem or find a solution.
To practice as an Architect, that person has to have the right qualifications and can only call themselves an Architect if they are qualified and registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB), they may in addition be a Chartered member of the RIBA and/or RIAS (The Royal Institute of British Architects and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland). Architectural Designers, Technicians and technologists, on the other hand, have different qualifications and may be registered with other bodies but are not Architects. Get to know the difference and what’s the best option for you and your project, with this useful article, and make sure your Architect is in fact, an Architect.
Writing your thoughts alongside a sketch on a large whiteboard can be a very useful tool to get a project moving.
How much does it cost to extend or renovate a house?
A number of factors will influence the final cost of your project; from the site location, the quality of fixtures and fittings you opt for and how quickly you want the work done and to what standard. The old saying, “Choose two out of three from either time, cost or quality” should always be remembered, when setting out what you want.
You can have something FAST & CHEAP but it won’t be good QUALITY,
You can have something CHEAP & GOOD QUALITY, but it won’t be FAST
You can have something FAST and GOOD QUALITY, but it won’t be CHEAP
It should never be used as an excuse by your contractors or sub-contractors for a failure to deliver, but you can use it early in the planning process to understand variations in quotes and material costs. For example, if your preferred contractor is busy for the next 6 months, the quote may not be as keenly priced as the people that can start in two weeks time.
Saying that, there are some guidelines that you can use to make a rough cost estimate and working backwards is a useful starting point. This is where you work out what you can afford to spend and then deduct fixed and known costs; VAT should always be considered as it’s an unavoidable cost in most situations, unless you have a business-led project or are subject to some of the reductions in VAT on insulation etc. (but that is for another blog and we recommend you consult with your accountant in this instance also), we always recommend a contingency of around 10% of the total amount you have in your budget, for unforeseen obstacles and problems once the project begins.
We’ve seen project costs increase due to issues around protected species on or in proximity to a project location, sites where problems are only discovered when the ground is cleared for foundations or a wall is removed and something is uncovered. If you get lucky and don’t have any unforeseen problems, then your contingency can be spent on better fittings or materials down the line, or returned to savings - but it does mean you’re prepared and ready for all eventualities!
So, that’s 30% of your planned budget already accounted for, before you even get to a build, fees for your Architect, Structural Engineer, Possibly Drainage Engineers, specialist consultants in addition to any Planning and/or Warrant application costs due to your local authority. As we’ve had lots of budget related questions, we’ll be covering this topic much more in the coming weeks.
If you need to get your budget sorted sooner, then why not get in touch with us and book a quick introductory call? We’d be happy to help and give you more specific advice.
As ever the best thing you can do for your project, is make a start by getting a plan and ideas in motion.
All the best,
BWMA