Renovation vision, dream budget?
15Feb '17
What comes first, the budget or the dream? A question many of us ask when toying with the idea of a home renovation.
While most of us have aspirations of a bigger, brighter or more organised home, we all have differing budgets. So, how do we approach the perfect, hassle-free revamp?
As is the case with most things, there are no right or wrong answers, but there are ways in which you can end up with your dream home, without spending more than you envisioned.
We at Kbsa firmly believe in fulfilling dreams. There is a reason why you want a new kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or home office, so why not start with that?
Make the dream fit the reality; don’t quash your vision before you’ve even realised it.
What needs changing?
While it is helpful to have a rough idea of budget, you should initiate your renovation by thinking about what needs changing.
Are you frustrated at the lack of storage space in your bedroom? Fed up of looking at the weathered units in your bathroom? Maybe you simply seek a more welcoming or modern kitchen?
These, alongside the general ways in which you use the room(s) in question, are the first things you need to prioritise when building your vision.
Find inspiration
There are additional ways in which you can help our retailers to create your dream home. Often, you’ll find yourself looking at things - whether it be in a magazine, on the Kbsa website, or even at a friend’s house - that you like and start thinking to yourself: I’d love something like that in my house.
Most of the time, you’ll have forgotten about this by the time you leave your computer or return home. But what if you could combine and replicate these things in order to help inspire your renovation?
Always make notes and take pictures of things that stimulate your vision. This will give retailers an impression of the type of renovation you seek.
Remember, even one tiny cog of an idea can kick-start the whole project. The more retailers have to work from, the better.
What next?
Having sat down with your retailer, you can start crafting your dream home on paper. Be as nit-picky as possible and always raise any doubts you may have as it’s crucial that you feel as confident in your retailer as humanly possible.
From this, your retailer will be able to provide you with a rough idea of cost but be warned, this rarely falls in your budget. This is when economical thinking should first enter the front of your mind.
Now that you have the estimated costs of fulfilling your dream, it is time to start value engineering: a term used to describe the process of looking for ways in which you can cut costs to fit your budget.
How to Value Engineer
One of the key pillars of value engineering is remembering why you wanted the renovation in the first place.
Be sure to prioritise the most important requirements of your new kitchen, home office, bathroom or bedroom, as this will help you when cutting down costs elsewhere.
Having received a price check on any new furniture and/or units, you can see if the costs match your prioritisation. Your dream may feature custom cabinets but, as some of you may know, these can be costly, particularly if you want them raising to meet a high ceiling, for example.
In situations like this, you need to ask yourself whether these were a high priority or simply an added luxury quite low down on your wish-list. If it’s the latter, you, along with your retailer, will start looking for alternative solutions, having found your first opportunity to cut costs and refine your vision.
Ironing out these details can be quite exhausting, but our resourceful retailers will be able to help you every step of the way, ensuring you compromise on budget, and budget alone.
