We all know someone who has had that “nightmare” renovation situation. This could be running out of money halfway through, builders walking off the job or uncovering unpleasant surprises along the way. It’s no wonder it can be one of the most stressful things homeowners put themselves through – and many of them will be doing it with little to no knowledge about construction or project management. On top of this, these building projects are often done when people are expecting a baby or working full-time so it’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed.
One person who has seen it all, both through painful personal experience and as part of her job, is renovation consultant Becks Perfect. “I’ve made every mistake, made and lost money and employed the good, the bad and the ugly of the building trade in all of my experience,” she says. The trick is to make sure “the renovation becomes something you’re steering rather than something that is happening to you”. This is an idea she dubs “renomaxxing”. Here are her tips for achieving it.
What is ‘renomaxxing’?
Perfect says: “I’d define it as squeezing every bit of value out of every pound you spend on your house. For example, instead of upsizing because you feel cramped in your house, think about ways you can rework layouts, reconfigure storage and upgrade finishes to make the space perform at its absolute best, which in theory should reward you not only in giving your home a new lease of life, but also in potentially adding more value to it as well.”
