15 Tips To Help You Complete A Renovation Project

15 tips to help you complete your renovation project

Some renovators revel in the details that take up time at the end of a project. By the time you are reaching completion, you can feel quite tired and overwhelmed or even frustrated to get it done. Like many other people, I find completing a renovation project quite challenging.

Here are fifteen tips to share with you that can help you work through the end of your renovation with a positive mindset.

Tip #1: Make The Painter The Last Trade On Your Schedule

When your painter comes to you halfway through your renovation because they have a gap in their schedule, don’t be tempted to let them jump in and get started. The only thing that is worth doing after the painting is installing carpets. If your painter starts and finishes before the rest of the project is complete, you will either end up touching up the paint job yourself or calling your painter back to cover up damage caused by the other trades. 

Tip #2: Start Your Landscaping Early In The Renovation Project

When you leave the landscaping, thinking that you will get to it once everything else is moving, you will feel exhausted and out of time when you eventually get to it. When you start early, you will get a better job done, and you will avoid feeling too burnt out to tackle it. You will also see the advantages of being able to use smaller plants and allowing time for them to grow for a more established look.

Tip #3: You Will Need To Clean The Property Several Times

The first time you clean the property hire a professional who understands what is involved in cleaning after a build. Someone who does not have any experience cleaning renovations could end up doing more damage than it is worth. They will need to do a thorough clean to clean the bulk of the property. It includes vacuuming, wiping out the cupboards, and cleaning all of the surfaces including the floors, windows, window frames, and door runners.

Before going to market you are likely to have to give the house at least one more, if not two more cleans. When the dust settles, everything needs to be cleaned again. Don’t forget that you will also need to have a plan to clean the property between Open Houses.

Tip #4: Give Yourself Enough Time And Get Help

There are two reasons to make sure you give yourself enough time:

  • So you can enjoy the process of renovating.
  • To ensure everything is completed to a high standard.

There always seems to be a lot of work to do at the end. Call on family and friends to be your worker-bee team. It will hold you in good stead.

Tip #5: Create Lists… And More Lists

Don’t be tempted to keep all of the completion details in your head. Good lists will help you delegate tasks and ensure everything gets done. Keep a list for yourself and another for your team. Technology makes it easy to keep joint lists. We use Google Sheets or Google Docs to keep everyone on the same page.

Tip #6: Styling Doesn’t Make Up For Poor Renovation Decisions

Styling is not negotiable, but it does not make up for poor renovation decisions. It is essential that you get the design right. Amazing styling might be able to fix some of the problems with your design. Don’t rely on your styling to do the heavy lifting.

Tip #7: Decide If you Are Going To Do The Styling Yourself

There are two types of styling:

  1. Use a styling company
  2. Do it yourself

Either way, you must ensure that your styling reflects your vision and suits your target market. If you are doing the styling yourself, start early. Decide on your colour palette and start looking for your styling elements. It makes it easier to stick to your budget and get a good outcome.

Tip #8: Set Yourself Up For Fast Styling

Build up a collection of design elements such as artwork that you can easily incorporate into your styling. They don’t need to be expensive. Facebook Marketplace is a fantastic resource for inexpensive design items. I used to buy everything I needed to style a renovation and then sell it once the property was sold. But I am moving away from the model, at least for many of the items.

Tip #9: Brief Your Photographer To Highlight The Most Important Features Of The Property

Make sure your photographer highlights your most important ‘wow’ features. Get the photography done before the signboard goes up. Review the image that goes onto the signboard to make sure that it shows the property’s strongest feature in the best light. 

Tip #10: Maximise The Property’s Street Appeal

First impressions are important. If the lawn needs fertiliser or the flowerbeds need weeding, do it early. Make the most of your landscaping to make sure the property looks good.

Tip #11: Educate Your Real Estate Agent

Your real estate agent may be skilled at selling or negotiating, but they don’t know your property as you do. Having the information at their fingertips makes it possible for them to deal with negative feedback from buyers. Tell the agent what you want them to point out to the buyers. If you have any expectations for how they conduct the sale, let them know upfront. 

Tip #12: Build Rapport With Your Real Estate Agent

Negative feedback is part of the process. It is an opportunity for you to address any problems with the property. It is easier for your real estate agent to give you a report of the buyers’ negative feedback if you have an open relationship with them. 

Tip #13: Get Your Building And Pest Reports Done Before You Go To Market

Make sure your building and pest reports are done as soon as possible. Don’t forget to review them to make sure they reflect the work you have done and the money you have spent to increase the value of the property. At times you may find they need to be corrected or updated.

Tip #14: Prepare A Handover Manual

This is something we highly recommend. A handover manual becomes a valuable marketing document, and it educates your real estate agent as well as your prospective buyers. It also gives them something to think about and sets your property apart from other properties. Describe the renovation. Go through each item so that buyers get an idea of the quality of the project you are selling.

Tip #15: Get Support To Manage Your Emotions

It doesn’t matter how many projects you have done; the emotions set in when it comes time to sell your renovation project. It is a very emotional time. I always feel anxious about the quality of the project; I feel tired and overwhelmed, and frustrated to get it done. It helps to work at maintaining a positive mindset and staying calm. 

Share Your Tips On How To Complete A Renovation Project

The work that needs to be done to get your renovation on the market and sold for a good price must be part of the planning process in the beginning. Decisions about landscaping, painting and styling in the first planning stages will free up valuable time and help ensure that you stick to your budget.

We hope you found these tips useful. We would love to hear what your tips are for the final stages of a renovation project. Visit the She Renovates Facebook group and start up a chat there. We all have valuable experience that can help others to avoid making costly mistakes in their renovations.

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Bernadette Janson

"My own passion for renovating has helped me build a marriage, a family, friendships and a successful business. I created The School of Renovating to share the power of this career."

Bernadette has over 30 years of experience in the renovating for profit business. She’s a registered nurse, a renovator, a mum, and a teacher.

Learn how to harness your obsession for renovating to transform your life

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I just wanted to touch base and say how incredibly thankful I am that I signed up for your course! I have learned so much since beginning the course! … Your course has well and truly paid for itself and that’s only one year of premiums, not to mention how much we will save knowing what we didn’t know previously when we take on our next project. (We are) feeling empowered by the knowledge we have now! So thank you a million times over!

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Lyndall Hinton

Hi Bernadette Just wanted to say a big thank you for today. I learned so much and really appreciated all of your advice and insights. You are certainly very inspiring! You’ve given me the confidence to start thinking of my project!

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