Planning a Renovation

How to settle budget, schedule, and material decisions before the first wall comes down. A short checklist to start from.

The critical decisions in a renovation are made before the first wall comes down. Every change after the site opens is both more expensive and slower.

Write the scope

"Let's redo the kitchen" is not a scope. What is included and what is not has to be written down: are the services being replaced, is the electrical circuit renewed, is the floor coming up? Quotes obtained before the scope is settled cannot be compared.

Split the budget three ways

Visible work, invisible work, and contingency. The invisible items — plumbing, insulation, floor preparation — usually take at least a third of the budget and never appear in a photograph. Without a contingency, schedules in older buildings do not hold.

Build the schedule backwards

If the move-in date is fixed, count back from it. Lead times on materials, especially imported ones, can exceed the build itself. Closing selections before the site opens is the single biggest accelerator.

Living through it

If you are staying in the property, dust barriers, a temporary kitchen and working hours need to be agreed up front. Raising these later creates more friction than the work itself.

Checklist

• Is the scope list written and signed?
• Are permits or building management approvals needed?
• Are material selections closed?
• Is the payment plan tied to work stages?
• Is there a contingency for the unexpected?

A renovation that closes these five points removes most of the surprises before they happen.