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I see this mistake happening more and more 😬
In fact, almost 75% of new renovators who enquire about my 1-on-1 interior design service find themselves facing missed opportunities with their interior design because of it…
But honestly, you can easily prevent this from happening to you with the correct preparation.
The costly design mistake I see renovators make and how to AVOID it
Renovating a property is complicated 🤯
If it’s your first time, one of the hardest things to get your head around is knowing which order to do the work in.
Make one wrong move and you could be having a chat with your builder about un-doing work! (💰)
This isn’t a blog post telling you the order of events to follow (our online course is a comprehensive support for new renovators).
I’m here to highlight a common mistake you might not have given much thought to yet.
Not detailed thought, anyway.
The mistake that can cost renovators ££s in rework
The Mistake: When you don’t confirm your interior design at the same time as you firm up your architectural plans.
I understand why this happens…
Your thoughts are already consumed by decisions on structural layout with your architect.
Agreeing things like:
It almost becomes a race to get these decisions final in order to get your planning application submitted asap… to speed up when work can start.
But I’ve been called into projects after planning gets approved, to begin interior design and missed opportunities start to unravel.
When it’s time to turn your attention to the interior layout and begin ordering kitchen units + bathroom suites, a whole host of regrets and missed opportunities can be revealed…
If clients miss opportunities prior to hiring me and I know it’s too late, I try not to point them out because where would it get us? My job is to find design solutions. But I can never help thinking…
“All it would have taken is a couple of extra hours planning time and we’d have been able to fit a kitchen island...” for example.
The success of your renovation is directly attributed to how detailed you are in your planning
Problems you can run into when you don’t plan your interior design alongside your structural plans:
Don’t make your interior design an afterthought
When you follow our tried & tested approach and don’t make your interior design an afterthought to your planning application, there are a host of benefits you can expect:
✓ Door positioning + how the house flows
✓ Window positioning + maximising natural light
✓ Extension dimensions
✓ Stairwell positioning
Our students Sara and James are creating a dreamy family space
There are many more. A lot of these compromises can be prevented by doing the correct preparation before any work begins.
Our online courses will prevent issues like these from arising in your project, so sign up to our free guide and we'll keep you updated on our enrolments.
Our students Sara & James are sailing through their kitchen extension work with our support:
The m2 you’ve allocated for your kitchen, dining or living area can end up too small and you can’t fit the number of kitchen units you want (or that island, that sofa, that table + chairs…)
There’s not enough space surrounding dining tables so your life becomes squeezing in and out, or you abandon a big table completely and you’re left clueless about how you’ll do Christmas.
You’re up against redundant space left in the kitchen design – if thought hasn’t gone into the width of units and positioning of appliances, you can miss a host of opportunities like space to include wider pan drawers or built in recycling bins.
An inability to install lighting – either they become unreachable to change the bulbs, they can’t be wired in or they’re obstructed by beams. Nightmare 😩
Having to squeeze heaters/radiators into designs which takes up valuable wall space for furniture so your layout becomes compromised
Windows being too small, too big or too low/high for the room
Piers or columns obstructing furniture, views or light
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✓ No design hiccups or compromises
✓ No missed opportunities
✓ No errors that can lead to costly rework
✓ Enhanced views and flow – e.g your kitchen sink will sit central under a window or that pier won’t obstruct your dining table
✓ Optimised furniture plans – having to choose a 2 seater sofa instead of a 3 seater because of stud wall positioning will leave you resenting your initial planning choices!
✓ Enhanced lighting
✓ Enhanced electrics
Even if you’re not extending, this applies to you
You might be wondering whether a simple remodel of your existing walls warrants the same up front design planning. Believe me, it does.
The last thing you want is to make a start on building work without your ducks in a row.
There’s nothing worse than regret
It takes leg work and a lot of forward planning to prevent regrets but the solution can be simple.
Neil and I despise that feeling of regret which is why we painstakingly plan interior design well in advance and advise you to do the same.
Sign up now & start learning the basics before jumping head first into your project
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