A Practical Guide To Planning Your Home Renovation

Start with a realistic budget that includes a contingency of at least 10-15% for unexpected costs — older homes especially tend to reveal surprises once work begins.

Separate your 'must-haves' from your 'nice-to-haves' early. This makes it much easier to make trade-off decisions later without derailing the whole project.

Choose a design and execution partner who can manage the full process — design, procurement, and site work — rather than juggling multiple vendors yourself.

Get a clear, itemized quote before work begins, and confirm a realistic timeline with milestones you can track along the way.

Plan for where you'll live during the noisiest, messiest phases of the renovation, especially for kitchen and bathroom work.