Guide: Living the renovation dream

Renovating is the dream for so many Australians. After all, it’s the best way to build the perfect home for you and your family. But finding the time, the funds and the design inspiration can prove quite challenging if you’re not fully prepared.

To help with your home’s transformation journey, we’ve put together a quick guide to renovating – so you can get the look you’ve always wanted and the lifestyle you deserve.

WHY DO WE RENOVATE?

Everyone has a different reason for why they want to renovate. Maybe you deliberately bought the cheapest home in the best suburb, and now it’s time to give it a complete makeover. Maybe you need more space for a growing family. Maybe you want more light and flow for totally open-plan living.

The trick to making your renovation a success – and to stay under budget! – is to make a solid plan. We suggest breaking your entire transformation project into three key sections:

• Get started: This is the time to dream big. Throw around all your renovation ideas, match it with your budget and solidify the lifestyle you’re looking for. In most cases, once you settle on what the end goal will be, it’s much easier to find the right look.
• Get planning: It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a team with lots of diverse skills to make a renovation happen. This is the time to find the right people and the right products for your build.
• Get building: Delays, budget blowouts and expensive fixes – avoid all these by managing the job well. In order words: do it right the first time so you won’t have to do it ever again!

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN RENOVATING

For homeowners, the most important consideration for their renovation is the overall look. But just as important is finding high-quality, durable products that can stand up to the renovation task. For example, if you’re interested in the latest Scandi Barn trend then you’ll want something like Stria™ cladding for that premium, contemporary look. Alternatively, Linea™ weatherboard truly elevates a Hamptons-style renovation.

Then there’s finding the right team. If you’re a first-time renovator, you’ll need to do plenty of research to find a designer or architect, and especially the right builder for the job.

Finally – but just as important, if not more! – is figuring out what to spend your money on. When it comes to increasing the value of your home, helpful grants like the recent $25,000 HomeBuilder program can really supercharge your project. Just look at what $10,000 worth of James Hardie™ fibre cement can get you.

THE PERFECT RENO MARRIAGE: WHEN INSPIRATION MEETS PRACTICALITY

Stuck for ideas but desperate to renovate your property? Sometimes it can feel like there are just too many design trends out there to pick one – or several for a Mixed Cladding look. The good news is that James Hardie is part of countless renovation projects throughout Australia every year, and we’ve seen all sorts of design trends come and go.

Our Pinterest page is packed full of design ideas, which is why it’s the best place to get started. From timeless and traditional styles to more contemporary looks, we’ve got the products to bring your dreams to life.

3 THINGS TO REMEMBER BEFORE YOU START

Ready to dive into your exciting new renovation project? Before you begin, stay on top of these three things:

• Scope: Scope creep is very real and it can blow out your project’s timeline and budget fast. Make sure you are 100% settled on your renovation plans before construction begins.
• Cost: Before the first nail is hammered, you should have an iron-clad contract with your building team that covers all the financials plus any circumstances in which additional costs may be incurred.
• Team: For most of us, we simply don’t have enough time to take on a renovation project full-time. So when you decide to find a builder, take the time to get to know them – and their past projects – so you can be sure they are the right people to work on your most valuable asset: your home.

Download our Home Renovation Guide to get all the tips and tricks you need to start transforming your home. Or if you want a bit of design inspo first, get some ideas from our Inspiration Gallery.