Creating Value in your Renovation

Renovating your home is an exciting venture but it is important to be strategic when deciding where to spend your money. You need to consider what will give you most value and enjoyment out of your new home which can sometimes be challenging when evaluating the overall build cost.
A question you need to ask yourself is ‘what are you trying to accomplish with your renovation’? Many people fondly reflect on luxuriant, warm and cosy spaces where they feel comfortable and can relax. These rooms are usually achieved through the combination of furniture, lighting and quality interior finishes. The ability to achieve such spaces can become difficult as many homeowners become worried when they see a large portion of their money going into foundation and structural work. This usually influences the homeowner to cut back the budget within interiors. 
However, interior finishes such as flooring, can usually either make or break the success of a project. Consider this – you are spending $200,000 on a renovation to your home and you’re considering cutting costs to try and save money, therefore missing out on that lush carpet you always wanted. The thought of spending $8,000 on a quality carpet can be frightening but when you look at the numbers it is only 4% of your total project cost. This 4% can make a huge difference to the feel and comfort of your home whereas the 15% spent on foundations can’t be appreciated in the same way. This theory can be applied to many elements in interiors such as lighting and wall detailing. 
What do you want to feel when you walk into your new home? You want to make sure that the $200,000 you are spending expresses some value throughout all aspects of your home.
While the structural elements of a building are essential for every project you can never undervalue the impact that interiors have on your home. By improving the quality, design, and details of the spaces in our homes, the living experience becomes more expressive of who you are and the way you really live.
Danielle Hrstich is a designer at Leko Architects. The practice has a focus on residential design and build. If you have any questions on house renovations you would like to address in Vibrant Hutt, get in touch.