Unless renovating is your day job, you are bound to make mistakes (based on inexperience) and take on more than you can chew. You might have a great eye for design but there will always be things you’ll miss or completely overlook, unless you’ve done this day in and day out.

1. Hire the right mix of professionals. In some cases, purely consulting and paying for a few hours of input and/or feedback will pay dividends. Architects, designers, lightning experts will be instrumental in helping you choose the proper materials, draw the plans and advise you on ways to make the most of your space. Listen to the experts. Designers, architects, and contractors all know things you need to learn—the sooner, the better. Go through house magazines and design websites and save everything that inspires you. Point out the elements you’d love to incorporate in the new designs of your home.
2. Invest in the best quality materials and workmanship you can afford. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on a renovation project will end up in regret, unless you are happy with the end result. You get what you pay for, has never been more accurate, as in this case.
3. Know your needs and plan ahead. Start by making a list of all the things you’d like to change about your current space, taking it room by room, if you are renovating your whole house. Get clear on the changes you’d like to make, you’ll have to make lots of decisions going forward and changing your mind will be costly. Take into account your family needs and dynamic, the kids, your habits, the rooms that get used the most, safety as well as your own taste and preferences.
4. Go with your gut. If you’re second-guessing yourself now, chances are you’ll be smacking yourself six months down the road. Re-designing a space 5 times is worth it if the final plans are going to be exactly what you’ve envisioned from the start. All final decisions are yours to make and you should be, at peace when making them. Listen to your gut, make him one of your consultants, the final decision maker ☺
5. Don’t pay for the entire project until the entire project is completed. Most projects will require you to make a significant down payment. Nevertheless, you deserve a security blanket as well, to ensure the contract you signed gets completed in its entirety before making the final payment.
6. Don’t expect your project to run perfectly. Projects never do run smoothly, regardless of their type. Expecting for yours to have no delays or unexpected issues requiring resolutions is just wishful thinking. Request to be notified immediately upon any issues getting discovered or as soon as a few options were identified. The incremental cost might get you to reassess other decisions so adding 10% to the cost of your project for unforeseen situations will help overcome these scenarios with the least amount of stress.
7. Enjoy the process. Decide to embark on this project, when you are ready financially, emotionally and do your homework before. Renovations are often labors of love and the new space needs to be representative of its owners, to make a house into a home.

“Breaking walls to embrace innovation”