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Home Reno Advice

Expert advice to help you plan your home reno

 

We know that deciding to renovate your house is an exciting step toward creating the home of your dreams.

The key to achieving the perfect result is to take your time getting the plan and details right, and to remember the following golden rules of renovation:

  1. Be realistic about what you can afford (materials and work-wise), what you can do yourself and what you need to pay a professional to do.
  2. Get it finished by making a timeline and sticking to it. No one wants to spend months and months in a half-finished home.
  3. Don’t let your reno turn into a money pit – don’t go too big and end up wasting money on inconsequential features that you don’t use or have no value or return.
family on ipad
bathroom
woman on ipad
kitchen
couple writing papers
family on ipad
bathroom
woman on ipad
kitchen
couple writing papers

Step 1: Plan Your Budget

Your budget should be relative to the purpose of your home renovation – are you renovating to sell or to create your dream home?

If it’s to sell, get your home valued as soon as possible to determine what’s going to see a return and what’s not worth the investment. However, if you’re creating your dream home, then the sky – or rather your bank balance – is the limit.

Creating your own budget

Costs vary greatly depending on the specifics of a project, but to give you an idea of average 2021 home renovation project costs according to research by hipages:

  • Kitchen: between $10,000 to $45,000+ depending on how much you’re renovating and appliance upgrades
  • Bathroom: between $10,000 to $35,000
  • Garden & outdoor: between $2,000 and $10,000
  • Living space: between $10,000 to $15,000
  • Master bedroom: between $2,000 to $35,000
Read Hipages renovation guide âžš

To start your own budget

  • Brainstorm: Write down – or draw! – all your ideas, tasks and goals.
  • Prioritise: Decide what you want to do first and what you’re willing to spend the most money on. Remember that your electrical plan is vitally important as it'll have a huge impact on how you use the space.
  • Calculate square metres: Calculate the size of the spaces you’re looking to renovate as that will have a direct impact on cost and resources.
  • Research: Get a rough idea of how much your materials, features or projects cost.
  • Cost-savers: Work out what you can do/want to do yourself – e.g. demolition, tip runs, painting, landscaping, or even installing insulation.
  • Estimate: Use an online calculator to help estimate costs.

Consider flexible solutions

Once you’ve completed all those steps, you might find you won’t be able to afford to do everything you want to do at once.

Look for flexible solutions:

  • Upcycling – do you really need new cupboards or would a fresh lick of paint make them look brand new? (Open shelving is also on-trend right now.)
  • Soft furnishings – can you keep your renovation simple with a focus on big ticket items and add personality with soft furnishings?
  • Wiser Smart Home – Wiser offers bespoke solutions that allow you to start as small as one smart switch, then add more features over time to suit your lifestyle.
  • Outdoor – consider starting with a basic layout that you can build on and add to over the years.
Discover Wiser

Allow for contingencies

Financially allowing for unforeseen circumstances or complications in a renovation is a must – delivery fees, unseen mould, leaks, damage, and repairs appear more often than not. Put a buffer aside so that you’re not left in the lurch.

wiser consultation
tradie working
tradie and van
design service consultation
wiser consultation
tradie working
tradie and van
design service consultation

Step 2: Consult with Professionals

According to a Houzz survey, 9 in 10 homeowners hire professional contractors to help with their renovations – the key is finding the right one for you.

Depending on the nature of your project, you may be looking to hire:

  • electricians,
  • plumbers,
  • carpenters,
  • tilers,
  • interior designers,
  • and painters.
View Houzz survey âžš

How do you find a professional contractor or tradesperson?

  • Referrals – Got a friend or family member who’s recently renovated? Ask them! That way you know you’re hiring someone who has a good track record.
  • Google – Do a google search and pay attention to the online reviews
  • Social media – Instagram in particular is a great way to see a business' past projects and get a feel for them.
  • Certified electrical partners – Clipsal partners with trusted local electricians so you know you're getting both quality products and quality service

Get multiple quotes so that you can ensure you’re finding a cost effective solution but also hiring someone you have rapport with. Be weary of quotes that are a lot cheaper than the competition – there’s often an unsavoury reason.

Trusted local electricians

What should you ask?

Due to multiple economic factors, there are currently a lot of project, schedule and material delays.

When getting a quote, ensure you ask for:

  • Cost and timeframe
  • When can they realistically fit your project in their schedule
  • How many people are required for the project (as that always gives an indication of cost and if there could be delays due to staffing or people being sick/away)
  • Are there material delays?
  • Have they done similar projects before?
  • Cost-saving recommendations (most tradies will know where you can save on materials or fittings)

Invest in Electric Home Design

Factor in how you want to use the space, how you want it to look and feel, and future considerations (for instance, if a room is an office now but it could become a bedroom). You can get support, advice and inspiration about what’s possible with home renovation by involving your electrician in your renovation planning.

Clipsal offers a design service to help you work through these considerations – lighting, switches and sockets, smart home etc – to help you create the right space.

Discover Design Service
iconic flat lay

Step 3: Conceptualise Your Design

The final part of planning is creating your design concepts – you don’t need to be an artist or architect to start mapping your designs and ideas, but it will help with quotes and formalising what you need.

Map your space and layout. Start drawing a rough floor plan or layout, including all key elements and features such as new appliances and tapware for the kitchen. Now’s the time to remove pain points – so consider things like your current electrical layout and whether it provides the ultimate convenience. There’s no better time to add electrical and smart home solutions than while renovating.

Try samples. Get as many colour, paint, and material samples as possible. If you want to pinpoint where to put new power points and switches, electrostatic reusable colour sample decals allow you to play with style and placement before committing.

Request sample decals

No matter how big or small your project, always consider safety requirements. Factor in safety considerations both time and budget-wise. Ensure that your switchboard can handle upgrades, check if power points are working, consider whether your fire alarms are going to be impacted, etc.

Safety Checklist

Download Checklist (PDF 1.9MB)