How To Effectively Brief Your Building Designer
So the time has finally come for you to renovate your Northern Beaches house into the home of your dreams? Congratulations!
Dreaming of your perfect home is easy, but turning it into a reality can be more complicated than you think. When you renovate your home, you’ll need to start with a design, so that your contractor has an idea of what you’re expecting. However, this first and vital stage of the process is often where things can start to come undone very quickly.
To ensure your home renovation project goes smoothly from start to finish, you will want to ensure that you are as clear and communicative as possible with your building designer. Without proper communication, there’s always the possibility that you won’t get exactly what you envisioned because your designer didn’t fully understand what you had in mind.
Here are just a few of the most important things to be very clear on before your design and construction process begins, so that when your renovations are complete – you’ll be 100% satisfied with the result!
Have A Clear Design In Mind
As we mentioned, when it comes to turning your dreams into a reality, it’s easy to get it wrong. When you’re briefing your building designer, they need more information than how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want, and if you also want a pool in the yard. A building designer will need to understand your lifestyle and needs as well.
Put together a folder of designs that you can use as a reference when briefing your designer. Include examples of even the finest details – fixtures, fittings and so. This way, your designer will get a clear look at what you want so that they can do their best to provide designs that align with that vision.
And, of course, remember to communicate your negotiables and non-negotiables with them.
Create A Budget – Then Divide It Up
Making a budget before starting the renovation process is more than just deciding how much money you’re happy to spend as a lump sum. You should include an amount for the construction, an amount for the fittings, fixtures and finishes, as well as an amount to cover decorating and furnishing the new area.
One other part of the budget that is also commonly overlooked is the contingency budget. As we all know from experience – budgets are often made to be broken. Whether due to an unforeseen extra cost or a little bit of extra decadence that you just couldn’t go without – having an extra 5-10% of your budget put aside for unexpected costs is a great idea.
If you don’t budget effectively, your designer won’t know how much you’ve allocated to what and might go over budget for certain elements. If your new home only reminds you of the stress and exorbitant costs it took to create, you won’t get as much enjoyment out of it.
Remember To Be Flexible
Although you’re planning the designs for your renovations, you must be prepared to be flexible with what you want. Your building designer and contractors should be able to tell you what is possible, and what isn’t. An indoor fountain might not be a realistic or achievable addition in a three-bedroom house without the space required for it.
Make a clear distinction between what you’d like and what you need. The money you’ve set aside for the job will only go so far. If you expect your building designer to make your budget work according to your every wish, you might end up with a poorly and cheaply built house that doesn’t meet what you need. Be clear on what you need for your home, and what you wish for. The two might not be able to be reconciled with your available budget, space or designer’s capabilities.
It’s easy to get off track or become confused and overwhelmed when planning the creation of your dream home on the Northern Beaches. Before you begin anything, put a realistic budget together. Be clear on what you want, but be flexible enough to take advice and make sacrifices or up the budget to meet you needs and wants. If you keep these three factors in mind, you’ll be far more likely to realise the home you’ve been dreaming of.
Call Action Plans today on 1800 350 903 to get started or get in touch with us below.
