This renovation project avoided a £50,000 mistake and I need to explain how we just caught it in time. 

But first, let me show you the results. Because, wow. I can't believe this is the same house, can you?! 

I'm having genuine difficulty remembering what it used to look like before work began. Good job we took these "Before" photos...

As you can see, it was a classic Victorian house in London. Dark to live in, poorly laid out and in desperate need of some love.

Although it looks like a different property now, it nearly went catastrophically wrong before it all started. 

Brace yourself 😬

The mistake you need to dodge during your renovation

Michelle (homeowner + legend to work with) joined as a student of ours while her purchase of the house was still going through. 

She was nervous about renovating it with such tight funds. And because she was about to invest an eye-watering amount of money into this place, she couldn't afford to run into costly mistakes... 

So she joined our renovation courses & community to give her project the best chance of success.

Michelle got to work rapidly with the courses & planning! Within a week or so, all those nerves, fear and uncertainty about renovating left her. She had her exact project plan, costs and layouts clearly mapped.

I taught her all the red flags and mistakes to avoid, where to portion and phase her budget... the layout that would be worth her investment, and how to complete it all affordably, on time and to a high standard. 

But then disaster struck (well, almost)... 

At this exact stage, most people rush their design plans or underestimate build costs. It can draw renovations to a standstill (or close) when work starts. 

But that wasn't Michelle. Our students are prepared for all of this. They know that the plans and decisions you prepare before the build starts, will prevent costs spiralling and dodgy shortcuts. 

Michelle's plans were done and ready to go...

But it was this unexpected curveball that caught her so off guard...

She started gathering quotes for the work and met with a plumber she developed a good rapport with. He verbally quoted her £25K for the whole property after taking a look through the plans. 

That sounds like a lot of money, but honestly it was about right for her property and the other quotes were in the same ballpark.

However... every time she asked him for a quote in writing (we teach our students to insist on this), he dodged her.

What?!?

The day before she completed on the property sale, he was supposed to begin work. She called him five times and insisted on a formal quote in writing before he started. 

Finally, he came back... not with a quote, but with a bombshell…

“Sorry, Michelle, it’s going to be £75K instead.” Yep, £50K higher.

How did he get it so wrong?! He assumed he could lowball the quote verbally to secure the job, crack on with the work, and then hit her with a nasty surprise invoice at the end.

But our students are taught about many red flags before it costs them money. And because Michelle knew exactly what to look out for, she didn’t fall for this. She sacked him before he ever started

The key lesson for your renovation

These sorts of decisions are happening on an hourly and daily basis and this is only one issue renovators are up against. There are a mountain more waiting to catch us out... it only takes one misjudgement to cause projects to spiral. 

I don't say that to make you afraid, I say it because it's the nature of renovations (they're high risk projects when managed poorly or left in the wrong hands) – and costly mistakes are preventable. 

We've been stung too many times ourselves in the past and it's why we support and connect students through our online courses & community. 

We show renovators the way to prevent common costly mistakes and prepare accurately - so you end up with results like Michelle's... a home you're unbelievably proud of, managed well and finished for a great price.

You might spot that enrolments aren't open right now. That's because we're preparing for one of our biggest enrolments of the year - my birthday intake!

If you're keen to join us, add your name to the waitlist for announcements. You don't need to have a huge renovation (in fact a lot of students don't) and you don't need to be living in your house to start the lessons and get instant value. There's so much important prep you need to be getting on with right away to ensure you aren't running into costly mistakes without knowing. 

I hope this curveball has helped you watch out for those contractors who try it on and at the very least, it’s a reminder to get all quotes in writing. Those chancers are out there, be cautious. 

I'm here for you and your renovation as always! 

We'll speak soon, 

Fiona

In 2026, the average cost to renovate a house in the UK typically ranges between:

£1,200–£2,800 per square metre (or roughly £110–£260 per square foot).

So for a typical 100m² three bedroom house, that equates to around £120,000–£280,000.

The final figure will depend heavily on:

• Location (London and the South East can be 20–40% higher)

• Specification level (budget vs mid-range vs premium finishes)

• The extent of structural work required

• Whether layout changes, loft conversions or extensions are involved

But headline averages only tell part of the story.

Based on 50 real UK renovation budgets submitted by our community in 2025/26, most full house renovations clustered between £60,000 and £200,000, with extension-led projects frequently exceeding £250,000–£300,000.

What 50 Real UK Renovations Cost (2025/26 Survey)

Source: Fifi McGee Community Renovation Cost Survey (2025/26)

If you’re planning a renovation in 2026, download the complete UK renovation cost breakdown to see what real UK homeowners are actually spending - plus practical cost-saving tips that could save you thousands.

How we calculate our figures

Our renovation cost estimates combine three sources:

• Our own 1930s semi renovation costs (adjusted to 2026 pricing)

• A 2025/26 survey of 50 real UK renovation projects submitted by our community

• Current UK building cost benchmarks

Now let’s break it down properly so you can work out what your renovation will cost - in a realistic way.

This summary is actually a great place to start. It’ll give you typical cost ranges to benchmark against.

UK Renovation Cost Summary (2026)

How to budget for your house renovation costs in 2026

We’ve worked with over 1,500 UK renovators who all started exactly where you are right now. Trying to answer the same question: “How much does it cost to renovate a house in the UK?”

And not to spook you, but according to the Hiscox Report:

2 in 5 renovators overshoot their budget by an average of 20%

The difference usually comes down to how detailed you are with your budgeting.

Renovators who underestimate house renovation costs in the beginning can start running out of cash rapidly when the project is underway. But those who properly itemise their budget before starting have a far higher success rate.

Neil and I learned this ourselves, the hard, expensive way 🙄

Back in 2016, Neil and I spent £95,000 renovating our 1930s semi. Adjusted for 2026 pricing, that same project would likely cost £130,000–£150,000 today. And because we were so new to renovating, we made some costly errors throughout.

If you’re interested in learning from our failures I recommend downloading the full breakdown from our 2025/26 UK renovation cost survey which includes cost-saving tips we recommend, plus those real projects you can bench-mark yours against. This insight will reduce the chances of your costs spiralling.

Below, I’ll break down:

• How much a renovation costs

• How to sensibly budget for your renovation

• Our renovation costs – for our typical 1930s semi detached property

• The average renovation costs for extensions, kitchens, bathrooms & loft conversions

House Renovation Costs for a 3 Bedroom House in the UK (2026)

For most UK homeowners renovating a typical three-bedroom house (around 90m²–120m²), total renovation costs in 2026 usually range between £120,000 and £280,000 depending on location, specification and structural work.

We know this first hand. Back in 2016, we renovated our own 1930s house renovation which was a 3 bed… a project that ultimately shaped our entire career.

The property hadn’t been updated since the 1960s and needed everything doing. We were new to renovating, had no industry contacts, and no real idea what labour costs would look like. Like most homeowners, we turned to Google and built our own itemised house renovation costs spreadsheet to estimate each stage of work, including contingency.

Those early “safe bet” calculations gave us confidence we could afford the project and taught us how critical detailed budgeting is - before you even pick up the keys.

Six years later, I trained as an interior designer and now support renovators through everything from knock-throughs to double-storey extensions. The lesson remains the same:

Gather informed, realistic estimates before you commit.

It’s the single best way to protect your budget and avoid expensive mistakes.

And by the way, if you love before and after renovation shots, you might like a nosey of ours.

We know how you feel right now, because we’ve been in your shoes.

The worry about overspending can be exhausting. But it’s become my aim to reveal the industry secrets we wish we had access to back then, to help you save money.

Cost to renovate a 3 bed semi-detached house in the UK

Based on both our own 1930s semi renovation and budgets submitted by our 2025/26 community survey, a standard 3-bedroom semi-detached house in the UK typically costs:

£75,000–£150,000 for a full internal renovation (excluding extensions or loft conversions).

This range assumes:

• Rewiring

• New central heating and plumbing

• New kitchen and bathroom

• Plastering and decorating

• Flooring throughout

Costs increase significantly where:

• Structural layout changes are involved

• Extensions or loft conversions are added

• High-end finishes are specified

• The property is located in London or the South East

Every property differs, but this gives you a realistic benchmark before you start gathering contractor quotes or if you’re looking for a house to renovate.

Free Renovation costs breakdown & “What we wish we knew” advice

Avoid the mistakes we made and renovate your home without breaking the bank.

What's inside?

• Get a clear picture of your renovation expenses with our itemised cost breakdown download.

• BONUS DOWNLOAD – Access the details of 50 renovations from our community, their costs, UK location & renovation objectives.

• Learn 3 bite-size chunks of renovation know-how that’ll help you save money, avoid costly mistakes, and renovate your home with confidence (the part we wish we knew!)

• Discover how to cut costs without sacrificing quality – find reliable tradespeople you can trust!

• Calm your money worries – Information is power. You’ll get an instant temperature-check on whether this renovation is for you. Sign here up now >

Average House Renovation Costs From Our 2025/26 Survey

In November 2025 we asked 50 of our home renovation course students via a questionnaire what their budget was, and crunching the numbers, out of the responses received, the average budget was £159,000. Many of these students were very certain about their figures as they’d either received estimates or partially completed their projects.

Here is a round-up of the data. As you can see, there is quite a wide range, but it should help you get an idea of the average cost to renovate a house – or at least a ballpark amount to start with. Our free costs download will show you details about their project scope (plus tips on how to save money).

Data © Fifi McGee 2026

Important things to know when working out your budget:

• There is a huge North-South divide when it comes to renovation costs
  You might as well ignore labour cost estimates from outside your part of the country. (We wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing people hiring from cheaper areas!)

• Websites can show out-of-date cost information
  Throughout the pandemic the costs of supplies rose enormously and continue to be volatile - especially with inflation in place. It’s why we take our info from real-life client & student projects.

• Always set a contingency budget (more about this in our free guide below).

What were our house renovation costs?

Our renovation was slightly unusual because the property had no gas and no central heating when we moved in, which immediately increased the scope of work.

Initially, we planned a rear extension, but after reviewing the projected costs (an additional £100,000+), we decided to remodel the internal layout instead.

The first phase of our renovation, which included knocking down a wall between the existing kitchen and dining room to make it open-plan, and making the house comfortable to live in, cost approximately £65,000.

As the project progressed, we addressed structural and remedial issues flagged in our survey, including:

• Window replacement

• Asbestos removal

• Drainage repairs

• Wall tie replacement

• Roof updates

Once everything was complete, our total renovation costs reached £94,000.

Adjusted for 2026 pricing, that same project would likely cost £130,000–£150,000 today. Not every property will require this level of structural work, but these kinds of hidden issues are common in older UK homes and should always be factored into your contingency budget.

You can Download our itemised costs and renovation guide for more detail.

If you’re unsure where to start with all of this, don’t worry because the free renovation guide that comes with our renovation costs will get you on your way. Give us 15 minutes every day for 3 days to set your renovation up for success! And look out for our online renovation course openings too!

Renovations are a sea of uncertainty, but with some assistance on your renovation costs and all the other crucial stages, you will be just fine.

Real House Renovation Costs From Our Community (UK - 2026)

We’ve been running our renovation community for many years now, and it’s interesting to hear what kinds of budgets our renovating students are looking at. Here’s a closer look at some of the types of renovations we support people through:

Property type: 3 Bed Victorian house renovation

Location: South-East London

Approximate budget: £150,000

Project details: “We’re planning to completely redecorate, extend the kitchen into the side return, replace the bathroom, and potentially change the ground floor layout to use the space better. We may also consider extending into the loft.”

Property type: 2 bedroom bungalow

Location: Northumberland

Approximate budget: £130,000

Project details: “Our initial thought is to completely change the layout. Move the kitchen and lounge to the back of the house and extend to make a bigger kitchen/dining area and move the bedrooms to the front, whilst creating an additional room, which would be my craft room/additional sleeping space with sofa bed. In addition, the thought is knock down the detached single garage and build a bigger garage into the side of the house with more storage space.”

Property type: 2 Bedroom Victorian terraced house

Location: Brighton

Approximate budget: £100,000

Project details: “We are going to knock out a wall between the hall and dining room to create a more open plan space and install French doors from dining room out into the back yard. Putting a walk-on-able flat roof on the outhouse to utilise the raised garden space and make the outhouse into a habitable room. Either knocking through to make the kitchen into a kitchen breakfast room or keeping it separate for storage/a garden room. Creating a mansard loft extension to add (hopefully) 2 additional bedrooms and a shower room”

Property type: 3 Bed semi-detached

Location: Glasgow

Approximate budget: £85,000

Project details: “Rewire, full new central heating system and plumbing, old one removed including asbestos water tank, all walls skimmed and painted etc, replacement coving, doors, new flooring in parts, new bathroom, kitchen and plans for an extension after kitchen is knocked into dining room, roofing, rendering, soffits, new front door. Not to mention plans for front and back garden, replacement of garage, and a garden room for my work studio!”

House refurbishment costs and what to watch out for!

In our online course for first-time renovators, we give students an extensive list of curveball renovation costs to watch out for, plus industry-known practices to make savings on their projects.

Some of the areas we help with are:

• Quotes coming back higher than expected – This is so common. We help students pull back their spending in ways that are least compromising to their goals for their homes.

• Incorrect cost comparison – Quotes are never usually like for like, so this is a big one to be careful with. You’ve got to be asking contractors the right questions.

• Costs spiralling – This is an easy trap to fall into, which can lead to an incomplete or lacklustre project. Renovators can give themselves a head start by understanding the order of events (to prevent rework) and by avoiding common mistakes. We outline these in our online course and we provide a lot of free support to renovators joining our mailing list.

How much does an extension cost in the UK? (2026)

In 2026, the cost of building a house extension in the UK typically starts from £2,500 per square metre, with most projects ranging between £40,000 and £120,000+, depending on size, location and specification.

A single-storey rear extension of 20m²–30m² will often fall between £60,000–£90,000 in much of the UK, with higher figures common in London and the South East.

Costs increase significantly where projects include:

• Structural steel and knock-throughs

• Large areas of glazing or rooflights

• High-end kitchens within the extension

• Bespoke cladding or complex design features

For example, our students Jen & Stu (South East, 2023) spent £70,000 on their rear extension, completed to a high standard.

As always, use a per square metre estimate for early planning, but gather location-specific contractor quotes before committing.

Building a house extension to your existing home is a fantastic way to shape your house to your needs. In fact, rear extensions and side extensions have only increased in popularity in the last few years with many of our community completing extensions to a high standard. 

Actually, Neil and I wrote about our experience with kitchen extension costs (and why we had to ditch the idea 😅). But many factors will come into play when you are considering what type of extension you may wish to build. Design is one thing, but the cost of an extension may determine what you are able to afford with your property and your budget. 

How much does a loft conversion cost in the UK?

In 2026, a loft conversion in the UK typically costs between £40,000 and £70,000, with the national average sitting around £45,000–£55,000.

Costs depend heavily on:

• Whether structural reinforcement is required

• The type of conversion (Velux, dormer, mansard)

• Whether a new staircase is needed

• Adding an en suite bathroom

• The quality of finishes

Our students Jen & Stu spent £50,000 on their loft conversion with en suite in the South East (2022 pricing).

Loft conversions can be more cost-effective per square metre than extensions, but complexity and head height constraints will influence feasibility and price.

The main items to consider when considering a loft conversion is the size of the loft space, namely that there is enough head height so that someone can occupy the conversion without hitting their head! The second thing is to note the position of the stairs in the house. Will it be easy to provide access to the loft without changing too much of the floor below? And how many windows will be added? Will you add an en suite? And how ‘luxury’ will you finish it (lighting, flooring, etc)? These decisions will all inform the costs of your loft conversion.

How much does a new bathroom renovation cost?

A new bathroom renovation in the UK typically costs between £6,000 and £15,000, although basic refurbishments can start from around £3,000 and high-end designs can exceed £20,000+.

Costs vary based on:

• Whether plumbing locations are moved

• The quality of sanitaryware and fittings

• Tiling coverage

• Labour rates in your area

• Specialist installations such as wet rooms

Keeping the plumbing layout the same is one of the most effective ways to control costs.

One of our Reno Club students reduced their bathroom renovation budget significantly simply by retaining the existing pipework configuration.

How much does a kitchen renovation cost in the UK?

In 2026, a kitchen renovation in the UK typically ranges between £8,000 and £30,000, with bespoke or high-end kitchens reaching £50,000+.

Budget kitchens with minimal layout changes may fall at the lower end of the range, while costs increase where projects involve:

• Structural alterations

• New electrics and plumbing

• Bespoke cabinetry

• Stone worktops

• Premium appliances

Our students Matt & Georgie completed their bespoke kitchen for approximately £17,000 by carefully managing specification and supplier choices.

The biggest cost drivers in a kitchen renovation are cabinetry, worktops and labour. Reducing layout changes can dramatically lower the overall price. What a beautiful result👇🏻

Factors that will lower your kitchen price include: 

• Sourcing cheaper materials

• DIY when fitting the kitchen

• Having a smaller kitchen (fewer cabinet costs, lower sqm worktops etc.)

• Little to no changes to the plumbing and electrics or appliances

Factors that may increase your kitchen price include:

• Having a bespoke kitchen made and fitted

• Expensive materials and fittings (Such as marble worktops and stone floors)

• A larger kitchen, including islands and new appliances

• Works that may be required to house the kitchen (plumbing, electrics etc.)

Is 40K enough to renovate a house?

£40K is a very tight budget and would probably only cover the basics but it can be done! Our course student Anna wrote about she renovated a small cottage in Cornwall with £40K and wrote “Renovating on a budget” – so make sure to check that out if you’re working with very tight budgets.

3 quick tips to reduce your home renovation costs

1. Design for your lifestyle, not excess
Instead of adding costly extensions or knocking down major walls (which will add up fast ££!), explore how you can work with your existing layout. How can your current layout be adjusted to suit your lifestyle without structural work? One example could be introducing sliding or pocket doors to create openness without altering structural elements. Focus on flow and function. Because I promise you, a well-thoughtout layout can feel just as spacious as adding extra square footage – without the hefty price tag!

2. Time your renovation strategically
Plan your renovation around sales cycles and seasonal discounts. So for tradespeople, avoid peak demand periods – booking them during quieter months, like late autumn or winter, which can result in lower quotes.Kitchen and bathroom suppliers also run significant sales during November and after Christmas which will help you make a tidy saving.

3. Salvage and upcycle wherever possible
Renovators often overlook the cost-saving potential of reclamation yards, auctions, or even online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace and eBay. If you’re willing and able, you can find high-quality materials, period features, and furniture for a fraction of the cost of buying new that needs a clean up and a lick of paint. For example, reclaimed wood can make stunning flooring or feature walls, while vintage doors or fixtures add character and save money.

Just a few tips here, but look at our renovation course for ways to prevent your costs spiralling and spread your budget effectively.

Find out your renovation costs – we can help

Are you planning a home renovation project but you’re worried about overspending and blowing your budget? Do you feel overwhelmed by the numerous expenses associated with the renovation process? We understand how you feel, and we want to help.

We've produced a resource for saving money on every aspect of your home renovation project. With our free guidance, you'll have access to insider tips and tricks that can help you stay within your budget while achieving your dream home renovation.

The guide is designed to help you avoid costly home renovation mistakes that lead to overspending.

We'll show you how to make smart choices when it comes to materials, contractors, and project management so you save money without sacrificing quality.

With this guide, you'll gain the confidence and knowledge you need to navigate your home renovation project successfully. It’s honestly something we wish we had access to when we were in your shoes, new to the world of renovations.

Don't let the fear of overspending hold you back from achieving the home of your dreams - sign up for the Survivor's Guide to Renovating today and start saving!

Thanks for reading,

Fi (+ Neil)

You may also like:

How much does an architect cost

Renovating a house where to start

Home renovation course

See also

• Renovating a house on a budget uk

• Kitchen extension costs

• How much does a kitchen cost?

If you're trying to decide between Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) and Engineered Wood Flooring, you're right to give it a lot of thought. It's one of the most common questions I get asked by clients and that’s why today, I’m breaking down everything you need to know before you commit 💰

This post will help you weigh up the pros and cons and pick the floor that suits your budget, lifestyle and taste.

Spoiler alert: There’s a standout winner – but I have to explain 🫢

LVT vs Engineered Wood: What’s the difference?

Before we talk design and performance, it’s important to understand how these two floors are made. Because while they can look quite similar once they’re freshly installed, underneath, they’re worlds apart.

• LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) is made from layers of vinyl, with a printed top layer that mimics the look and texture of real wood. It’s a plastic-based product, which makes it waterproof and highly durable. If you’re looking for Bathroom floors, bingo 👌🏻

• Engineered Wood Flooring has a real wood veneer on top and multiple layers of plywood or high-density fibreboard through its center. It’s real wood, just in a thinner layer, supported by a stable, more rigid core to prevent warping.

So in short: LVT is plastic, Engineered Wood is real wood. That’s the core distinction to keep in mind as we dive deeper.

Engineered Wood or LVT: Which is the best design?

If you’re after a warm, authentic, timeless look (especially in living spaces that don’t require waterproof flooring) engineered wood usually wins.

The natural variation in colour, the tactile grain, and the warmth underfoot gives a level of luxury that’s hard to beat. For heritage homes or spaces where character matters, engineered wood adds long-term value and style.

But I wouldn’t go writing off LVT in a hurry. Oh no.

Because high-end LVT options are incredibly convincing and virtually look like real wood nowadays. Many LVT floors have textured finishes and bevelled edges that mirror real timber superbly. Plus, LVT planks tend to be thinner making LVT ideal for rooms where you need to tuck the flooring beneath existing doors and skirting.

🏆 My design verdict: Engineered Wood wins on design but premium LVT is catching up fast, and is a brilliant option for kitchens, bathrooms, and projects that require waterproof solutions.

LVT or Engineered Wood: Which is more durable & family friendly?

This is where LVT absolutely shines in my opinion.

• Waterproof? Yep ✅

• Scratch-resistant? Oh yes ✅

• Suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms and pretty much any room in the house? Ding, ding, ding ✅

LVT is so hard-wearing and forgiving that a contractor once dropped – and then stood on! – a bunch of nails, skidded across the floor with them and it didn’t leave a mark. If you’ve got kids, pets, or just want peace of mind, LVT is a dream to have in your home. Believe me.

In terms of spills and stains, engineered wood, while more durable than solid wood, doesn’t like water in the same way LVT can cope with it. It can be used in kitchens if chosen and installed with care (and the finish is protective), but in bathrooms, engineered wood is generally not recommended.

🏆 My verdict on durability: LVT is the clear winner here. If scratch resistance and water resistance are high on your priority list, this is the floor of your dreams.

What about maintenance? Does LVT or Engineered Wood last longer?

This one’s a bit more nuanced.

• LVT is low-maintenance, no doubt about it. There’s no refinishing required and a simple mop and you're good.

• Engineered Wood needs more care but it can also improve with age (if you love the lived in feel wood brings – I know I do!) You can sand and refinish it once or twice depending on the top layer thickness, which adds to its lifespan and also gives you a bit of insurance if scratches and dinks happen. LVT isn’t as easy to patch repair like wood is.

It really comes down to your preference…

• Do you want a floor you never have to worry about? → Go for LVT

• Or do you want a floor that wears in beautifully over time and can be refreshed instead of replaced? → Engineered Wood is the one

🏆 My verdict on which lasts longer: Ooof now that’s a hard one, but I have to say engineered wood wins by a margin since it ages beautifully with time.

Is LVT cheaper than engineered wood? Breaking down costs

Generally speaking, LVT is more budget-friendly. Not just in terms of materials, but also installation. So if you’re doing a room refresh, you want a good quality floor but you need to be price conscious, it could be the better option for you.

Note here: LVT isn’t the most affordable floor for those of us on a very tight budget. It’s worth keeping in mind floors like laminate if you’re really tightening the purse strings.

Engineered wood can be pricier especially if you go for premium finishes, wide planks or herringbone/parquet patterns (which I recommend you do!). That said, don’t assume it’s always more expensive than LVT and get quotes for all the floors you like so you can compare them.

In fact, one of my clients recently saved £50 per square metre just by calling different local flooring retailers for quotes on a specific engineered floor she wanted. The difference added up fast.

🏆My verdict on cost: If budget is tight, go LVT. But always compare both and get multiple quotes.

Which is better for the planet? Engineered wood or LVT?

OK let’s talk eco.

Engineered wood is the more environmentally-friendly choice out of these two floor types when you choose FSC-certified options. But keep in mind other floor types like Cork, or reclaimed timber will be more sustainable than both of these options.

LVT, being plastic-based, isn’t great for the planet. It can off-gas after installation and many homeowners complain it has a funky smell which leaves after a few days (it’s quite normal for this to happen so air your home after it is fitted). Also, LVT is harder to recycle at the end of its lifespan. So if sustainability is a top priority for you, this may factor heavily into your decision.

🏆 My verdict on sustainability: Engineered wood is the more sustainable choice 👌🏻 But if sustainability is a high priority in your renovation, floors like cork, reclaimed timber – or reviving existing flooring – are worth considering.

So, which floor do I recommend overall?

Honestly, I just can’t choose one overall because we all have unique homes, design taste and needs. In my client’s designs I use Engineered wood as regularly as LVT.

However! For my own personal projects, I think I sway more towards LVT. Especially the more premium options that look virtually like wood but with a very low maintenance record.

Are you wondering where to shop? These are the floors I propose to clients👇🏻

I always want to over-deliver and help my readers, which is why I created a spreadsheet containing the actual floors I propose in client projects – it’s my Flooring Black Book. There are a mix of LVT and Engineered Wood options you should consider buying (some I’ve spent years trying to find) as well as installation tips to get the best result with your floor.

Download my flooring black book – it includes my vetted flooring options with UK and US suppliers across LVT and Engineered Wood.

A final word of advice:

Remember your flooring sets the tone for your entire space and needs to look great years from now. So don’t rush your decision, order samples and make sure it works for your lifestyle, your renovation vision, and your budget.

👉 Click here to download the floors I recommend to clients [spreadsheet]

It’s free and it includes the LVT & Engineered Wood options I propose to clients in my projects, with supplier links for UK and US.

Want help planning your renovation with confidence? I share weekly advice to help you avoid costly mistakes, save money, and make decisions like a pro.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel or check out my online renovation courses if you’re ready to plan your dream home the smart way.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope this helped you and I’m rooting for you and your renovation!

Fi

Michelle’s a renovator with serious guts and a plan to flip property, while living in & renovating them, in central London.

Her first project? A stunning 4-bed Victorian terrace that hadn’t been touched since the 70s. The work is a lot, the timelines are tight, and all while spending time overseas visiting family & girlfriends in Seattle. Oh, and did I mention she was doing a full side and rear extension plus a loft conversion?

But here’s where it gets wild…

She completed her purchase on the house at 12pm.

By 12:15pm the same day her builders had the keys in hand and were starting demolition. I’m not exaggerating. 15 minutes later. And she wasn’t even in the country…

How?

Because Michelle had done the prep. She’d been planning this renovation using our course (big shoutout to her for being the most proactive student!) and had mapped out every stage like a pro. So when things got a bit chaotic – and blimey, they got chaotic – she wasn’t caught off guard.

Let’s rewind for a sec.

Michelle had originally hired an architect and a design & build team. Seemed like a solid plan at first. But when we started working together on the interior design for her loft conversion, alarm bells started ringing.

I was reviewing the loft layout and asked her architects a simple question about ceiling height in the en suite. They couldn’t give a straight answer. Not ideal when you’re planning where to put a shower — especially under a sloped ceiling. So we had to pivot and put the bathroom somewhere we knew would work, even if it wasn’t our top choice. Because a bathroom you can’t stand up in? No thanks.

That was red flag number one.

Then, just days before the build was due to start, with keys due to be collected on Friday, Michelle had to pull the plug on her architect and design & build team a few days before. Yep. She’d discovered more missed measurements, miscommunications, and a general lack of professionalism. She was basically being pushed into a plan that didn’t optimise the property, or her budget.

Most renovators would panic at this point.

Michelle? She opened the course, followed her project plan (which we lovingly call her Bible!), and started again. She interviewed 15 contractors in a matter of days. And it paid off. Enter, Spencer. A seasoned builder who immediately spotted a smarter way to handle her loft construction. Thank goodness for Spencer.

Rather than live with a cramped top floor, he suggested lowering the loft floor into the room below. Because the ceilings were already high, it wouldn’t cause issues downstairs – but it would totally transform the loft. And the cost? Just £3,000 extra.

Michelle went from a potentially cramped and awkward loft space to a plan that will actually feel like a room.

Then came the plumber drama. Get this.

She’d lined up a plumber who verbally quoted her £25K for the whole property. Sounds like a lot, but it was about right for the scope of the build. But every time she asked him for a quote in writing (another thing we stress a lot in the course), he dodged her.

What?!?

The day before she completed, he was supposed to begin works. She called him and insisted on a formal quote. Finally, he came back – not with a quote, but with a bombshell…

“Sorry Michelle, it’s going to be £75K.”

Yep 🤯 He assumed that because she’d bought in Central London, she was rolling in money. He thought he could lowball the quote verbally, crack on with the work, and then hit her with a nasty surprise invoice at the end.

But Michelle was ready.

She had her paperwork. She had her prep. And she wasn’t falling for any of it.

He was out. And again, Spencer and his team stepped up, filling the gap and keeping her project moving.

What Michelle’s experience shows us is this:

Renovation success isn’t about luck. It’s about planning. It’s about asking the right questions early, not being afraid to make bold decisions, and having a support system around you that knows what to look out for.

And yes, this stuff still happens. Even in 2025.

Architects and design & build teams still get drawings wrong. Many don’t have a clue about build costs, and just want to rush out planning drawings and move onto the next client. Not all of them – but enough that it’s a problem.

That’s not how we work. Around here, we’re invested in getting the best job done for you, our renovators. Exactly why we asked Michelle if we could share her story to give you a heads up.

Michelle’s journey isn’t finished yet, but already it’s shaping up to be a dream project. Yes things haven’t gone 100% smoothly, but she’s confidently took control at the moments that mattered most.

Thinking of starting a project like Michelle’s?

Honestly, don’t go it alone. There’s a reason she kept saying “Thank God I had access to the course and advice from you guys.” on our calls, which fills me with motivation to keep doing what we do 🙏🏼

We’re here to help you catch things early, save thousands, and make confident decisions – even when you’re 4,000 miles away visiting family in the US!

TLDR: You need to learn from this…

• The smartest renovation move Michelle made was saying no early.
  She trusted her gut, spotted the red flags, and pulled the plug before it cost her thousands.

• Verbal quotes mean nothing – get it in writing.
  Her plumber quoted £25K, then tried to switch it to £75K last minute. Because she pushed for paperwork, she caught it before any work began.

• Never assume your architect understands build costs or space planning.
  Michelle’s first team overlooked critical ceiling height issues. Always question the plans, especially in lofts.

• Be ready to pivot, fast.
  When her team fell through days before the start date, she followed the contractor hiring guidance from the course, interviewed 15 builders, and found someone better.

• You can make big structural improvements without blowing the budget.
  Her new builder suggested lowering the loft floor for just £3K and totally transformed the feel of the space.

• Plan before you complete.
  I can’t stress this enough. Because Michelle had her renovation roadmap ready (thanks to the course & our design work together), she was able to hand the keys over at 12.15pm and start demolition – all while she was overseas.

• Builders and trades might try to take advantage but you need to be one step ahead.
  Michelle was prepared. Her questions, her process, and her paperwork saved her tens of thousands.

• Support makes all the difference.
  Between the course and us working together on design, Michelle had backup when things went sideways and came out stronger because of it.

If you want to be ready for your renovation, join our online course as Michelle did, or start our free renovation guide. You’ll be glad you did!

Our Budget Bathroom Makeover

When you’re dreaming of your beautiful new bathroom and the quotes come back super high… your jaw just drops.

£20,000, £25,000… and that’s before you’ve set a contingency. What if you find rotting floor boards under the bath? Gulp.

A shocking quote can really make you question everything: Can we even afford this? Are bathrooms really that expensive? Am I being ripped off?

It makes you consider abandoning your dream bathroom completely because you think it’s not possible with a tiny budget.

This has happened to so many renovators (including me, in the past)

But after making every mistake in the book in this bathroom (and experiencing one very dramatic bathroom disaster), I found a way to refresh this space and get my dream bathroom for a lot less.

We slashed our bathroom costs from £20K to just over £3K – and the results are pretty similar to the high-end version I originally designed.

In this post, I’ll walk you through what we did, the costly mistakes we made the first time, and how we saved thousands on our bathroom costs – so you can create a bathroom you’re proud of without going thousands over budget.

The Story: Our bathroom fails (and the shower screen that shattered 😱)

I have to tell you the backstory first, or none of this post will make sense.

One random Tuesday, I was sitting in our home office, slurping a cup of tea, quietly getting through some emails. Then I heard the loudest crash and my heart jumped through my skin… 👀

I ran into the bathroom and whispering “what the ffff!” The shower screen had decided to leap off its hinges and shatter into thousands of tiny pieces on the floor. No idea how. No idea why.

I rushed to brush up tiny bits of glass, trying to dodge getting cut, as my cuppa tea went cold 😭

we designed it all wrong the first time

This is the second time we’re doing this bathroom. Back in 2016, long before I was an interior designer, we renovated this bathroom with no real plan, no clue about finishes or layout, no understanding of costs and just hoped for the best.

We got it done in a rush. And it looked fine for the first year or so… But after the honeymoon period, the leaks started and the mistakes began haunting us. I swear this damn room was cursed and has cost us so much money in temporary fixes over the years because we failed to get it right the first time.

• We didn’t fit adequate ventilation
  So grout & finishes quickly got mouldy despite my constant cleaning efforts.

• We fitted a cheap, flimsy bath
  Which could never be fitted stable no matter how many times we paid contractors to try. It caused grout cracks & water leaks, consistently. We got so bored of re-grouting the grout that kept cracking, that we stuck a line of gaffa tape over it – sexy!

• We chose the worst panelling positioning, ever
  MDF should never be positioned in a splash zone. Even when you’re rushed and desperate to get it finished.

• Grout was cracking in the floors

• The silicone was so mouldy

• And so many other mistakes!

For years, the issues just had to stay as they were until we had the funds to renovate the bathroom again properly in the future. Arghhh loads of lessons learned - we wish we had our online courses back then 😖

The breaking point (literally)

That day when the shower screen shattered, we’d got to the end of our tether after years of problems. We just had enough. We looked around the bathroom… The Gaffa tape elegantly waterproofed our cracked grout. The patchwork of stains left on the ceiling beneath from the years of stressful leaks.

It was time to do this room properly. To design my dream bathroom. So I got to work.

The Dream Redesign (and the £20K Bathroom Quote)

After the shower screen smashed and we realised we had to do this again, I approached the bathroom like a proper design project – the same way we now teach our students in our renovation courses with proper plans, mood boards, layouts, and supplier lists to take the stress out of all the decisions.

Having a clear plan from the start made all the difference.

We initially budgeted about £20K for the new bathroom design. And I know that might sound like a lot, but it’s a pretty average price for installing a mid-range bathroom nowadays. We wanted to get this room done right. Once and for all.

We planned a bespoke vanity, artisan tiles, underfloor heating, all the bells and whistles.

I knew the design I was creating would come in around that price and I had a lot of fun designing my own lighting from scratch, designing my own vanity unit from scratch, and having my team there to discuss options and lean on to create these showstoppers in the space.

But guys, something unexpected happened. A curveball we didn’t plan for.

That’s when everything changed

Neil and I fell in love with the £20K bathroom I was designing, and we started to firm up quotes and dates to start the work…

As I said, the quotes didn’t shock us since the team we work with are reasonably priced for the outstanding work they deliver in our client’s projects. If you don’t believe me, look at the kitchens we work on together. They cost a fraction of high end kitchens for the same a better result.

But we started to question our decisions.

It wasn’t a question of whether we could do this new bathroom. But whether we should.

We started debating whether it was really that sensible to spend £20,000 on this dream bathroom, when we’ve been living in this house for 10 years and might plan to sell soon. This is a house already at its ceiling price, by the way.

With this reality check, we pivoted our entire plan. (Sidenote: it reminds me of when we ditched our £80,000 extension last minute too 👀)

Our new challenge became: How do we bring the same design vision to life – but on a fraction of the budget?

What we ended up with cost just over £3K 👇🏻

OK, it doesn’t look as good as my original dream version, but it’s close enough! And it’s insane to me how much more high-end it feels in here with such a small amount spent. Let me show you how we achieved it.

How we did it for £3K (without sacrificing style)

We instantly put in place cost-saving methods and smart strategies to address the main issues and leaks, and worked to achieve a timeless design that would age more gracefully than our previous, rookie efforts.

• We changed none of the plumbing layout
  This alone saved us thousands in labour & material costs and avoided the mess, time, and risk that comes with moving pipes.

• We dropped the non-essentials

  Yes underfloor heating & new wall lights would have been an amazing upgrade, but we had a leaky, smashed bathroom we needed to prioritise. Focussing on the priorities saved us thousands on the nice-to-haves which required labour, electrics, plastering & new flooring.

• We focused on upgrading some finishes only
  After the leaks were fixed – we fitted a reinforced acrylic bath & a patented shower screen that reroutes water run off – we spent our budget on finishing the room to a higher standard. New tiles, a blind and a new colour scheme which breathed new life into the room.

• We revived existing fittings
  With a simple swap to the light fitting, a lick of paint to the vanity unit and a re-grout of the floor tiles, we’ve kept this bathroom refresh simple and affordable, without needing to hire electricians or invest in a new sink, tap and vanity unit.

Ultimately, when it comes to your project, I can’t stress enough how much impact just changing the tiles & colour scheme will have if you’re trying to keep it low budget. But just avoiding mistakes in the first place is the best way to make savings long-term as you won’t be re-doing work. Our online courses walk you through the exact steps – from layout planning to finding trades – so you can feel confident and stay in control of your budget. It’s honestly what I wish I had access to back in 2016.

What we got quoted vs What we spent

Here’s a quick overview of how the pricing & our savings break down:

The main savings were made by heavily reducing the scope & labour costs. We abandoned all bespoke joinery & did a minimal refresh on our existing cabinets, wall panelling & bath panel. I found a bargain blind & Neil did all of the decorating himself, following the supplies & techniques in our professional Home Decorating course which saved us £1,000 in decorator’s fees.

And honestly, we know it’s not a huge transformation but we’re chuffed with the results given we spent so little.

How you can save thousands in your bathroom renovation

Now, you might be reading this thinking: “Fi, our bathroom looks like your 2016 before pic, I need to do a full renovation on mine.” But there are still some straight forward tips you can implement into your project right now, no matter how big or small the scope is – which will reduce your costs massively:

• Plan a layout that avoids moving pipes

• Have a vision to work towards – not just a wish list (and if you think you aren’t creative, you’ll like this)

• Don’t be afraid to revive your existing vanity unit – new handles & paint scheme can save you hundreds

• Avoid choosing the wrong materials & layout which will only cost you more to fix later (this is the approach we apply to projects now, to prevent costly mistakes)

• Take the time to source fittings yourself to get the best quality at the best price (if you want to fast track the days of research, you’ll like this)

If you’re dreaming of renovating your home but you’re worried about costs, decisions or mistakes, our online renovation courses give you so much guidance through every stage with clarity and confidence. You can check them out here.

Closing advice for your bathroom

This has proven to us once again that you don’t need to spend a huge amount of money to get the bathroom or home you love.

With the right plan, a clear design vision, and savvy spending, it’s totally doable on a modest budget. And even if you’re staring at a bathroom that looks far worse than our ‘before’ picture, applying our cost-saving methods will ensure you’re updating your space in a way that hasn’t broken you financially.

I help renovators save money & prevent costly mistakes in their projecrs via our online courses & community. Join & get the support you need.

Alternatively if you’re keen to take the stress off completely, get your bathroom all designed for you by an interior designer (me) – check out my Bathroom Design Pack to speed through your project. With shoppable links to get materials and finishes right the first time and avoid mistakes, this is packed with my vetted suppliers, colour schemes, lighting, sanitaryware & careful design direction. You’ll get a design by an interior designer, with none of the hefty design fees.

Thank you so much for reading about our bathroom refresh, and I really hope it’s helped you learn something.

If you got value from this, consider supporting our company with a few clicks:

• Subscribe to my Youtube channel

• Follow me on Instagram

• Or becoming a cherished newsletter subscriber, either by getting access to the Bathroom Floors I recommend to Clients (for free) or my Survivor’s Guide to Renovating for expert renovation saving tips.

It’s so great to connect with you and to be able to support you with your project!

Speak soon, I hope!

Fi

I’m going to show you 8 easy, affordable small bathroom ideas for your renovation.

These ideas will make your bathroom:

• Feel a lot bigger 

• Be insanely practical to live with

• And beautiful to wake up to every morning!

• Some ideas will even save you money when your renovation gets started

If you enjoyed this video, take a look at our online courses & Bathroom design pack if you’re struggling with your project and you’re keen to get more support.

I hope this has given you some affordable ideas for your small bathroom renovation.

Are there any you’re going to try out? Thank you so much for being here, and I’ll see you in another! Bye guys!

I’m so excited to share one of my favourite client projects to date.

Mark & Naomi’s Sussex cottage renovation came into my life at a time when I was quietly battling a tough spell of anxiety and I can honestly say that working on their home gave me a sense of focus and creativity again. It was a reminder of why I love what I do and helped me out of such a rough time.

But like most renovations, we swerved some real challenges.

With a tight budget, we had to make every design decision count – ensuring the home worked hard for their lifestyle, without overspending or compromising on quality.

We created the vision. All the designs were finalised. Then just before the build got into full swing, a major setback risked everything.

This is what happened. Stick the kettle on! ☕️

From a tired cottage to their dream home

Naomi and Mark came to us just as their youngest child was about to leave for university. They were relocating and downsizing to a beautiful 1850s cottage in Sussex. The kind of property that rarely turns up on Rightmove… bursting with charm and history, but in need of some serious TLC.

What made this renovation really unique from the start was their goals. They weren’t just doing an aesthetic upgrade, it was a fabric-first renovation with sustainable, Passive Haus ambitions.

They wanted their next chapter in this home to feel calm, functional, and energy-efficient. But like many of the renovators we work with, they also had a strict budget to stick to.

They started as course students and then became our clients

Naomi first joined our online renovation course, starting with our free 3-day guide – and within weeks, after she and Mark confidently projected their budgets & timelines, they brought me on board to help fully reimagine their home.

I worked closely with Naomi throughout to explore every inch of the property’s potential, drawing up multiple layout proposals and design details that factored in their full renovation wish list:

• A rear extension, loft conversion & garage conversion

• Heating system upgrades (air source heat pump)

• Complete insulation overhaul

• Windows and glazing upgrades

• And of course, the modern country kitchen ❤️

When you’ve got a whole home to transform and a strict budget, clarity and smart choices are everything. I gave Naomi and Mark multiple routes forward with their interior layouts, carefully balancing design, impact, cost, and their lifestyle needs.

The curveball that could have broken their build

Just months before the extension was due to begin, every room a sea of dust & rubble in a bid to get the property insulated and air tight, they ran into unexpected problems with their mortgage provider. Their budget shrank overnight and their floor project had to be scaled back drastically. It was the kind of financial blow that could bring most builds to a halt.

But Naomi and Mark didn’t panic. Neither did I. Why?

Because we already had alternative layout plans in our back pocket – ones we weren’t originally going with, but that were just as considered, just as beautiful, and importantly… fully affordable without needing to borrow more.

This is the power of planning well from the start. When you’ve explored options, priced things properly, and made smart decisions early on, surprises don’t have to derail your dream.

You can pivot without sacrificing your vision.

We achieved a £50K kitchen for half the price

From the moment we met, Naomi had one dream room at the top of her list (and I squealed with delight when she told me what it was!) A bespoke modern country farmhouse kitchen.

We poured over colours, cabinetry details, layout and finishes together until everything was just right.
And it was designed to the millimetre! It was built from scratch by our trusted local team (who we work with on all our bespoke client kitchens).

What I love most about the kitchen (& why I feel so blessed to have found our team) is it looks like a high-end £50k+ kitchen from a luxury brand, but it was achieved for around £28K, fully custom and lovingly crafted.

Remember: when design and architecture are created together, everything clicks

Naomi told me time and time again during our work together that having the interior design and architectural details developed side by side made the entire renovation feel smoother, clearer and far less overwhelming. She found it easier to manage trades because of the designs we’d pre-agreed.

Nothing was missed, everything had purpose – and that level of joined-up thinking meant they stayed on budget and avoided the kinds of costly surprises most renovators can face.

It’s an approach I wholeheartedly believe in, and one I bring into every client project I take on.

I call it holistic renovation planning, and it’s the foundation of all the work I do. Whether it’s a 1:1 design project or someone starting our renovation course, I teach every student to think this way…

Start with your lifestyle, bring your vision into focus, and plan the design and architecture together so nothing gets overlooked, your contractor quotes are more accurate and every penny is working hard for you.

A renovation that gave them a new life

This project was about more than just bricks and layout decisions. It was about giving Mark & Naomi a home that works beautifully for this next phase of family life.

• A space to host when the kids visit.

• A kitchen to bake in.

• A cosy cottage that feels energy-efficient, practical and peaceful.

• A feeling of being settled and proud of what they’ve created for the rest of their life and later, into retirement together.

Naomi told me that having the online course alongside my design support gave her a huge sense of control. She always had a clear vision, knew what questions to ask, and could make quick decisions when contractors needed answers. That’s the bit most renovators don’t realise they’re missing – and it’s often the difference between a smooth build and a stressful one.

Where to start if you’re planning a renovation

If you’re reading this with big plans for your own renovation, here’s where Naomi started:

• Download our free 3-day Renovation Guide it’s what gave Naomi the clarity to take control of her project

• Or if you're ready to dive deeper, join our renovation course

• If you long for a bespoke kitchen designed & built by our team, visit our Kitchen Service page to find out more

• Or consider more direct support with my 1:1 interior design service

Whether you're working with a tight budget or planning something big, I’d love to help you create a home that’s right for your next chapter.

Rooting for you,
Fi xoxo

Clare joined our online renovation course when she and her partner Zak bought a semi-detached house in Hove that needed everything doing, from rewiring to replumbing and even asbestos removal.

They felt doubtful and afraid they’d make some big mistakes with their project, not knowing where to start or who to hire…

But with the support of the course and later opting for our Bespoke Kitchen Service they quickly transformed every single dated room into the dream home for their family.

We were so thrilled for Clare and her results that we had to drop in for a cuppa and to get some snaps.

Below, she shares the costs of their project, the challenges they faced (especially with the kitchen!), and how our course supported them along the way.

Please introduce yourselves and your journey to purchasing a renovation property. Did anything interesting happen along the way?

Hi! We're Clare and Zak, and we bought our semi-detached house in Hove around four years ago. We hadn’t specifically set out to take on a renovation, but the potential of the house and its location really appealed to us. We actually found it by putting notes through letterboxes in the area, and were lucky to hear back from the owners of this house, just two doors down from Clare’s sister!

Tell us a bit about what was involved in your renovation and at which stage you renovated your kitchen

The house needed a full overhaul – rewiring, replumbing, asbestos removal etc. The kitchen was one of the last rooms to be completed, although it was a key part of our plans from the very beginning.

How long did the renovation take from start to completion? And how long did the kitchen take

The full renovation took around six months. The kitchen took just over three months from start to finish.

What was the total cost to complete your kitchen renovation?

We spent approximately £35,000 on the kitchen.

What was the breakdown of costs?

Roughly:
Cabinetry: £25,000
Worktops: £5,000
Appliances: £5,000
Flooring, lighting and decorating costs were included in the overall renovation budget.

You chose to go with our Bespoke Kitchen Service. What made you choose a bespoke kitchen over an off-the-shelf option? Was the price fair?

We explored a few off-the-shelf options, but they were either too expensive or didn’t offer the quality we were after. Going bespoke allowed us to make the most of the space, and the design support helped us shape something that’s both functional and well-fitted to the house. For the quality and service, we felt the cost was very fair.

Your kitchen is stunning! Can you tell us about some of your layout & design choices and why you made them?

Thanks! We wanted the space to feel light and open, while still reflecting the character of the house. A large island gives us plenty of prep space and informal seating, and we included full-height cabinetry along one wall to make the most of the storage. The pantry cupboard has also been a really useful addition.

What was your experience with our cabinetry team?

Really positive. The team was approachable, responsive, and clearly cared about getting the details right. They were great at listening to our ideas and offering solutions where needed.

How did our online course help you during the renovation process? Were there any particular modules or lessons that stood out?

We were so relieved when we found your online course, as we had never done a renovation before and didn’t know where to start! The entire course was really helpful, especially at the start. The budgeting module was invaluable, and I used the budgeting spreadsheet throughout the entire process. The design section helped us refine our style and develop our colour choices. Overall, the course gave us much more confidence as we moved through the renovation.

How did you feel about your renovation before you joined us and how did you feel once you made progress? Were there any challenges you faced that the course helped you overcome?

At first, it all felt quite overwhelming – there’s so much to think about. But once we started the course and became part of the Reno Club, things felt more manageable. One of the trickiest aspects was working out the right order to do things in, and the course helped us figure that out.

How did you decide on the design for the overall aesthetic of the kitchen?

We were after something that felt like a natural extension of the rest of the house – a mix of traditional and more contemporary elements. Instagram and mood boards helped, but the course really helped us focus and pull things together in a coherent way.

How did you cope during the renovation work?

It was definitely intense at times. We weren’t able to live in the house during the work, so we rented nearby, which helped us stay close to the project. There were moments of decision fatigue, but working with a reliable kitchen team made a big difference.

If you had to give one piece of advice to a first time renovator, what would it be?

Take your time with the planning—it really does pay off later. And definitely build in a healthy contingency as costs can spiral more quickly than you’d expect.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about joining the online courses & Reno club community?

We’d definitely recommend it. The course gives you solid, practical guidance, and the community is a great source of support. It helped us feel more informed and less alone during what can be quite a full-on process.

Want to create your dream space?

A step-by-step course + community for first-timers. 
Plan your renovation confidently, save thousands & get your dream home design 

Don’t miss this course enrolment. It’s the best way to set your project up for success. Join over 1,500 smart renovators creating their dream homes the easy way. Click through to learn more.

By the way, a big hello if you’re a new reader! I’m Fi, I’m an interior designer helping renovators create dream homes confidently and affordably. I cover mistakes to avoid, how to save money, and all the nitty gritty details that make your design perfect. It’s great to have you here!

If you prefer to watch the video, here it is. Otherwise scroll down and keep reading.

1. Plan your heating and ventilation early

One of the biggest mistakes people make is leaving heating and ventilation decisions until the last minute — or worse, leaving them to the contractor to decide (no one knows your design vision and layout better than you do) so get these sorted well in advance.

Bathrooms need proper airflow. Without it, moisture builds up fast, leading to mould, damp, and ruined finishes. So plan a powerful extractor fan, choose exactly where you want it fitted, and how it’ll be routed to your external wall.

Design tip:

Wall-mounted extractors can break up your tilework. Instead, opt for a ceiling-mounted extractor in white (on a white or pale ceiling) for a cleaner, more discreet look. It’ll blend into the background while still doing its job.

For heating, underfloor heating is the gold standard, I’ve always recommended it for clients. It frees up wall space, removes the need for bulky radiators, and adds a touch of luxury under your tootsies stepping out of the shower!

If underfloor isn’t an option, go for a heated towel rail, and make sure it’s dual fuel. That way you can use it independently of your central heating — perfect for drying towels in summer.

2. Avoid “Panini Tiles” at all costs

You might be looking at me funny, thinking “What the hell are panini tiles?!”

Well here’s a screenshot of a tile I ordered to show you. But I need to explain…

You know those tiny tile samples companies send you? The ones that barely show the pattern of the overall tile? They’re nearly impossible to visualise in your space and they’re the precurse to a panini tile error.

Here’s what to do: I use the small, free samples to narrow down my tile options, but once I’m down to one or two favourites, I buy a couple of full-size tiles. Yes, it might cost £25–30 in samples and shipping, but it’s saved entire projects from disaster.

That’s where the panini tile comes in… I once fell in love with a tiny tile sample. I ordered two full-size tiles to check the pattern variation — and when they arrived they had ugly dark stripes all over, like it was a misprint. That tile is now forever known as “the panini tile” and this is your sign to avoid it from happening to you.

So: buy a few actual tiles before placing your full order. Leave them in your bathroom for a few days. See how they handle moisture. Watch how they look in different light. Because honestly, this one step helps ensure your materials look great and hold up long-term.

3. Plan out your lighting

Bathroom lighting is often an afterthought — and it shows. You don’t need to go overboard, but adding one or two extra lighting layers will make your bathroom feel considered, luxurious, and genuinely nicer to live with.

Here’s the minimum I recommend:

• A main ceiling light like spotlights or a pendant

• A wall light or sconce beside your mirror

This lets you switch between bright task lighting (showering, cleaning) and softer ambient lighting (bedtime, relaxing). It’s easy on the eyes and creates a much more versatile space.

Wall lights are also a great design opportunity — affordable, timeless, and packed with personality.

If you want to go further:

• Add LED strip lighting under your wall-hung vanity, inside shower niches, or beneath floating shelves. It adds a gorgeous glow across the space — and takes your bathroom from basic to boutique hotel.

If you're not sure how to map out your lighting and electricals, I have a downloadable template I use with all my renovation students in our renovation online course. It allows you to map out lighting placement and socket locations — so your contractor knows exactly what to do. I use it for all of my client projects that request lighting support.

Too stressed to design your bathroom?

The sheer time you spend trying to find the best tiles, the right colours, and the best quality sanitaryware, it's overwhelming. And still, there's a possibility of getting it wrong (I've been there!)

That’s why I launched my Done-for-You Bathroom Design Pack. It takes the stress out of choosing finishes. You access a professional design that you can create confidently, without interior design fees.

One of the highlights of the whole design pack, aside from the timeless design, colour schemes & visuals, is the entire shopping list with my detailed 'must do' installation notes to avoid design issues.

It's jam-packed with affordable supplies I've spent years trying to find – I've done all the thinking for you. 

Inside the pack, you'll find:

• Timeless, affordable tile options

• Colour schemes and flooring pairings

• Recommended vanities, sanitaryware, and styling ideas

• Detailed design notes with product links and sizes

It’s available for both UK and US homes — and I’ve added a special discount if you grab it during launch weekend. Order it here.

Final Thoughts

I hope these 3 essential tips help you avoid common bathroom renovation regrets and feel more confident as you plan your space.

Let me know – which tip will you be using first?

Thanks so much for reading, and for being part of this amazing renovation community. We're all rooting for your dream home.

If you need more support, check out our website for courses, design packs, and free tools to guide you every step of the way.

Kitchens are expensive and complicated projects. There are literally hundreds of decisions to make — from worktops to upstands to kitchen extraction… you name it. And on top of all that you’re probably thinking, “What if I spend all this money and end up not liking it, and really regret my choices?”

Don’t worry — here are 9 easy, affordable kitchen design ideas for your renovation. Some of these have taken me years of trial and error to learn, and my students and clients love them. They look far more expensive than they are, they’ll age gracefully, they’re insanely practical, and some will even save you money during your renovation.

Let’s get straight into it…

By the way, a big hello if you’re a new reader! I’m Fi, I’m an interior designer helping renovators create dream homes confidently and affordably. I cover mistakes to avoid, how to save money, and all the nitty gritty details that make your design perfect.

If you prefer to watch the video of this, here it is. Otherwise scroll down for the 9 design ideas in written form.

Oh and make sure you read to the end of this article, because I’m also sharing the worst kitchen design idea you’ll want to avoid at all costs… I know, I know, I make it sound so dramatic. But my job is to get you amazing results and I’m determined to lay out your options so that you can go into your kitchen project clued up.

Kitchen Design Colour Schemes

Let’s start with colour — because the moment someone steps into your kitchen, it’s the colours you’ve chosen that really communicate whether your space feels high-end and curated, or a bit budget.

1. Choose a muted colour palette

For a timeless kitchen, avoid bold, primary colours. Choose lower saturation tones — think neutral stone or earthy shades like green, ivory and charcoal. These are easier to pair with complementary tones and won’t overpower the room.

2. Experiment with colour on walls only

If you’re feeling unsure, keep bold colours to the walls. It’s easier and more affordable to repaint walls than it is to replace cabinets or tiles. If you’re nervous, you really can’t go wrong with cabinetry in white, stone, navy, and charcoal. Leave all experimentation to areas that are easy and cheaper to redo.

3. Try a two-tone kitchen

You might be reading this thinking “I want to be braver with colour!” Go you! 😃 A design technique I’m recommending a lot right now is using one colour on wall cabinets and a second on the island or breakfast bar to create contrast and depth. Two-tone kitchens will remain timeless if the colours you select are tonal or complementary and muted (see point 1 again).

Design Tip:

If budget allows, opt for paintable cabinet fronts — even just for your island. It lets you update your kitchen’s look in future without the cost of new cabinetry.

Kitchen Worktop Ideas

Worktops take up a lot of visual real estate in a kitchen — so they need to look good and age well for you over the years.

I always recommend solid surface, granite or quartz worktops. (Read my Which Kitchen Worktops are Worth Your Money Guide) But if you’re on a tight budget, the obvious choice is standard laminate which can look tired quickly. Believe me, I have it in our bathroom and it has aged very poorly! Instead go for compact laminate. It’s seamless, looks more high-end, and wears better over time. Yes it costs a little more than standard laminate, but it’s still far more affordable than Quartz, Granite & Solid Surface.

Kitchen Design Support

Are you overwhelmed with all the decisions for your kitchen and need help to renovate it?

I offer 2 ways we can work together:

1. If you're at the start of your kitchen renovation plans, perhaps you’re extending or doing a full house renovation and you want to keep costs down, hire the right trades, and avoid renovation mistakes — our renovation online course & community will show you step by step and save you thousands in prevented mistakes. Read our 5* reviews.

2. If you're mid-renovation and feeling overwhelmed by design decisions for your kitchen — from colours to lighting, worktops, tiles, and more — check out my done-for-you interior design packs. These are full, professional designs with shopping lists, ready to go, and much more affordable than hiring a one-on-one interior designer.

You can find information about both right here on our website.

Kitchen Cabinet Ideas

Shaker cabinets are a classic, aren’t they? We installed them in our own 1930s house renovation. But looking back, there are definitely things I’d do differently to elevate our kitchen design, and yours if you’re considering shaker units.

4. Upgrade to in-frame shaker cabinets

They used to only be available through bespoke makers, but now suppliers like Howdens and DIY Kitchens offer affordable in-frame options. This subtle design detail adds a truly elegant, high-end look.

5. Level up your kickboards

In modern country interiors, kitchens with proud kickboards (those sitting flush with the cabinet fronts) tend to look more custom-made, whereas recessed kickboards can look a little more mass-produced. That said, recessed ones suit modern designs better and are more ergonomic. It’s all about the look you’re going for!

Kitchen Layout Ideas

Layout is everything. Getting your appliances and worktop space in the right places will make or break the functionality of your kitchen.

6. Use legs on islands or breakfast bars

Raising the unit off the ground creates a sense of space and can help smaller or darker kitchens feel bigger and brighter.

7. Don’t stress about putting your sink under a window

Yes, it’s lovely to have a view while doing dishes, but a sink facing a wall can still look great — and even be a standout feature with the right lighting or shelving.

8. Consider vertical laundry units

If you’re short on space, stack your washer and dryer vertically — and maybe add a folding table in between. This works well in utility areas or even within a kitchen.

9. Add symmetry with tall units

Position integrated appliances and tall larder cupboards next to each other, ideally with symmetry on either side of the room for a balanced look. You can even disguise doorways to utility rooms as cabinets to create more storage and a seamless appearance.

The Worst Kitchen Design Idea

OK — what should you avoid then?

I know I may ruffle a few feathers saying this but believe me, we lived with one and they aren’t the best nowadays…

It’s Standard silver extractor hoods.

Not because they look bad necessarily, but because there are far better alternatives out there for you now. Bulky cooker hoods can disrupt the visual flow of your design and are a pain to keep clean.

Instead, go for worktop extractor fans, plasterboard solutions, or integrated mantles that let your cabinets shine.

If budget means you have to keep what you’ve got, no stress — your kitchen will still look fab. But if you’re starting from scratch, this is one of the first things I’d advise you to consider carefully.

Final Thoughts

I hope this gave you some practical and timeless ideas for your kitchen renovation. If any of them stood out, let me know — I love hearing which tips you’re trying out!

Thanks so much for reading. If you'd like more support with your design, you can explore our courses and interior design packs over on our website.

See you next time for another design chat!

Guys! We installed the most beautiful, affordable kitchen worktops on this double storey renovation (above) and I can’t wait to reveal it later in this blog post.

But first, I have some interior design advice to share with you if you are:

• Trying to choose between kitchen worktops

• Looking for practical and affordable kitchen worktops

• Or on the hunt for the best UK kitchen worktops suppliers (I use these specific companies again and again for client projects)

Worktops are a huge investment you don’t want to get wrong. And because they make up a massive part of your kitchen design visually, they’ve got to age well, complement your cabinet wall colours & metal finishes, and be able to cope with daily spice spills & everyday use. 

So I’m going to lay out all of your worktop options for you including:

• Kitchen worktops costs

• The pros and cons of each type of worktop

• Which worktops I think you should give serious thought to

• Which to avoid at all costs

I’ll also be revealing the number 1 kitchen worktop that came out way ahead in our student poll… you’re going to love these worktops. OK let’s get started…

By the way if you’d rather watch this as a video, here it is. Otherwise scroll down for the full low down on worktops.

First up, why listen to me?

Well if we haven’t met yet I’m Fi, I’m an interior designer and I want to show you how to renovate your dream home confidently and affordably. I share a lot of mistakes to avoid, how to save money on your renovation and all the nitty gritty details that will make your home perfect for you! So be sure to check out my free guide and online courses if you’re tearing your hair out doing home improvements right now, and you need professional support.

How much do you want to spend on your kitchen?

👆🏼This right here is the very first question I would start by asking you, if you were my client. It will help us work out which sort of kitchen worktop is right for you and your overall budget. And if you have absolutely no idea, then my kitchen costs post will help you out here.

Different types of kitchen worktops & their costs

Let me pull up this little chart to illustrate how kitchen worktop costs differ… and you can see what sort of price range you fall into.

So if your kitchen is low budget and you’ve got to keep costs as low as possible, then Laminate worktops are your best friend. They’re the most affordable kitchen worktop out there, they’re straightforward to install so they’ll keep your labour costs low too. Then there’s Solid wood worktops which costs a little more than laminate and is also a budget friendly option. I’ll get onto the pros and cons for all of these shortly. 

If you’re remodelling your kitchen and you’ve got a mid-range budget, you don’t want to go crazy costs-wise but you do want to go for a higher quality worktop, then your options are going to look like Solid Surface, Quartz, or Granite. And I’ll explain what the differences are and where to buy from, hold tight. 

Obviously if you’ve got a very big budget and you’re looking for the highest of high end worktops, it’s going to be marble or maybe Soapstone if you’re in the states but also keep in mind the mid-range options if you have a big budget, and I’ll explain why it’s the mid-range category we need to be focussing on for most kitchens. 

OK with pricing out of the way, what are the differences between all these worktop styles, what are you getting for your money, how durable are they and which suppliers should you look at? 

Laminate worktops: The Pros & Cons

Let’s start with Laminate worktops first. The Pros:

• They’re affordable, so they’re an excellent choice if you're doing a budget kitchen makeover.

• They’re also hard as nails and very durable as they’re scratch & stain resistant.

• They’re made of chipboard, MDF, or plywood through the core with a durable top layer of compressed paper and resin, that’s bonded under heat and high pressure. So because it’s not a natural product, it’s not porous like other worktop materials meaning…

• They aren’t prone to staining

• They don’t take on water damage like solid wood worktops will,

• And there’s no sealing or maintenance needed with them, either.

• Installation is also quicker, they’re a more DIY friendly worktop to install which will also make these a more affordable option for you if you’re on a budget. 

Now, while they ARE affordable & durable, they come with their downsides.

• They’re not a lifetime purchase like Solid surface, Quartz or Granite would be.

• Laminate worktops can chip, peel and delaminate over time especially if they’re installed poorly.

• They also tend to need visible joint tape if you’re joining two lengths of worktop together, perhaps on a corner, and edging tape is often needed on a cut end.

• These tapes and corner seams can get scruffy over time.

• Laminate worktops also don’t win a lot of awards for imitation, to be honest. It never quite looks like real quartz or stone  

Pro tip if you’re choosing Laminate worktops…

If you can increase your budget a little bit, I recommend going for  what’s called a Compact Laminate worktop which has a solid colour through the core and is still a budget friendly option. These can be joined and cut more seamlessly, and they’re the only laminate option if you’re going for an undermount sink which requires exposed edges.

What type of Laminate should you choose?

Well I recommend going with:

• A thinner profile of about 12 or 20mm.

• Go with a square edge not a bullnose edge if you can as it mimics real stone or wood better

• And definitely upgrade to the compact laminate option for a cleaner finish!

• Suppliers like Formica, IKEA & worktop express have great affordable options.

Solid wood worktops: The Pros & Cons

Next, solid wood worktops. Are they worth it? 

I could probably do a whole video about solid wood worktops because they’ve been both the love of my life AND the bane of my existence all in one.

But let’s look at the facts. The pros:

• They’re not a bad price at all

• They offer natural, unique character to any home.

• They’re repairable if you get scratches and stains on them, just sand them back and retreat them with a stain or worktop protector.

• They suit almost all kitchen styles with the ability to stain them different colours and change the look over the years.

• Plus they’re cost effective to install, especially if you have any bespoke areas like cuts needed around a sink, they’re very easily shaped and your costs will remain low.

But as beautiful as they are, and this is where my love affair ends with them! The cons:

• They are a bit needy in terms of maintenance.

• They scratch, they stain, they chip. That’s part of the character, I get it…

• But it’s advised to each year to sand them back and reoil or restain them to keep their lustre and protect them.

• They absolutely hate water as well so definitely don’t go for any drainage grooves. The wood will turn black with water ingress over time.

• Wood also expands & contracts, which can disrupt the levels of two worktop lengths as they meet and that can start to look pretty scruffy over time.  

Can you tell I have wood worktops in my house right now?  But don’t let me put you off because you can love and loathe something if you’re willing to give them the maintenance they deserve. They are a beautiful, timeless choice and a great affordable option. 

Pro tips if you’re choosing Solid wood worktops…

I recommend:

• A chunkier profile of around 40mm for wooden worktops, they’ll be stronger and will look aesthetically more expensive.

• There are so many different stains and finishes which are a minefield but the ones I recommend you look at our Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C. They have beautiful finishes that are food safe and 0% VOCs.

• There’s also the Clear Matt Osmo oil which will bring out the natural colour and grain.

• Your kitchen supplier will likely have plenty of solid wood or butcher block options, we bought ours from Howdens but there are also prestained and finished wood worktops from suppliers like IKEA & DIY Kitchens

How do you make sure your worktop suits your cabinet colour, floor, tiles & walls?

If you're designing your kitchen yourself then you’ve got a lot of decisions ahead. It can be scary to choose colours, cabinets, handles, lighting, taps, sink, you name it, and you can end up spending a fortune on things that don’t match. But I’m offering something really easy for people who are fitting a new kitchen soon – my done-for-you Kitchen Design Pack to create a kitchen that wows, without paying hefty fees to hire an interior designer. 

I’ve made all your kitchen design decisions for you, including a detailed shopping list. Come and take a look. You’ll access interior design plans pre-made by me, for your whole kitchen, delivered to you instantly. It’s like having an interior designer by your side, making decisions with you, but it’s a fraction of the cost and no waiting around.

Solid surface worktops: The Pros & Cons

Next up we have solid surface worktops. Now, of all the worktops I’m mentioning to you today, solid surface worktops are ones to seriously consider if you’re looking for a material that strikes the balance between price and durability.

Solid surface worktops are a type of countertop made from a man-made material that combines natural minerals and resin to create a smooth, non-porous surface. Think of it as a sleek, seamless slab that's not quite stone, but not plastic either—it's somewhere in between.

Let me explain some of the pros and cons and how they stack up against worktops in the same price range like Quartz and Granite.  

First the pros:

• The first major pro has to be the range of design options available. They come in nearly every colour and pattern so you can really feel empowered to choose a worktop that’s exactly right for your design tastes. I’ll give you some ideas in a moment. 

• Also because Solid surface worktops are made from man-made material (it’s a man made resin combined with natural minerals) they’re non-porous unlike Quartz and Granite and that means they’re less susceptible to stains or bacteria.

• There are no teeny tiny holes for liquids to penetrate into and stain.

• You can also relax a little because scratches and chips are actually pretty repairable on solid surface worktops. They can be buffed out easily and provided they aren’t exposed to hot pans straight from the oven directly on the surface, they’ll retain their beauty for many many years.

• From a design perspective, they’re seamless too. You can easily design a cooker backsplash, or fabricate a whole sink from a solid surface because it’s so easy to mould and will give you a virtually invisible, sleek, continuous look.

• Oh and they are usually quite a slim profile offering a really modern look. You can get them fabricated with a waterfall edge overhang though, if you want it looking thicker. 

But what about the cons:

• Well, like I just mentioned, if you’re someone who doesn’t want to have to worry about reaching for a heat protective mat every time you take something out of the oven, Quartz or Granite will be your preferred worktop.

• Solid surface worktops won’t be as heat resistant.

• They also scratch easily with knives and every day wear, which is fine as they’re repairable but if you’ve got a solid surface worktop directly under a light source, you’re going to see those scratches!

• What else… they’re not as hard as Quartz or Granite either so they can chip. 

Would I choose Quartz or Granite instead of solid surface?

I definitely wouldn’t discount solid surface. It can be more reasonably priced than natural stone, has a lot more design options and it’s a much lighter material which will save you money in installation costs. It’s still a very easy worktop to live with. 

Pro tips if you’re choosing Solid surface worktops…

So as I mentioned there are so many different designs and patterns on the market, whether you want a Calacatta solid surface worktop or something more unique like a Terrazo worktop which would look incredible in a mid century kitchen. The main suppliers are Corian, Hi-Macs, Staron or Hanex. You can even go bespoke with your solid surface worktop and bring in personal features like a chamfered edge, I love this in Modern Country kitchens, or an integrated sink or a waterfall edge island. You’ll create a really unique look. 

Guys if you’re getting value from this post, then come and take a look at my done-for-you design packs to get full guidance on your kitchen design. Or if your kitchen renovation is part of a bigger full house renovation, my online courses will be a big help you to.

Granite & Quartz worktops: The Pros & Cons

Next we have Granite & Quartz worktops. And here’s a fun fact for you, I polled our students recently and the overwhelming majority of responses said they fitted Quartz worktops in their kitchens and there’s loads of reasons why.

Granite & Quartz actually offer similar pros and cons – but they also have their differences too which I’ll explain. There’s also something you need to be mindful of if you’re choosing Quartz, it’s currently banned in Australia and I’ll give you some details and alternative options. 

So the Pros first:

• Quartz & Granite are luxurious, there’s no doubt about it. The look, the feel, the clink when you put your glass down – they’re next level worktops. Remember my client’s project I told you about in the start of this video? Well we chose to fit a Quartz worktop in a carrara marble high gloss finish which has dramatically transformed my client’s kitchen and LIFE! Pics below.

• These worktops work hard, they’re scratch and chip resistant making them lifetime purchases that look as beautiful in 10 years as the day you fitted them.

• They’re on the whole low maintenance except granite can require sealing, making them ideal for busy kitchens

• And estate agents will often talk up the Quartz or Granite worktops if you come to sell your property which can add value in your buyer’s eyes.

What about the Cons then:

• Quartz & Granite are mostly natural stone and they’re heavy. So reinforcement of your cabinets beneath and specialist installation will be necessary.

• They’re expensive with higher initial costs than laminate, wood and solid surface, but with a longer lifetime value.

• They’re difficult to repair – while they’re hard as nails and chip and scratch resistant, they aren’t chip and scratch PROOF,

• And if you do get unlucky, it’s a costly, challenging material to fix.

• Granite is more porous than Quartz and can stain if you’re not quick to wipe up turmeric spills, beetroot or red wine spills, it’ll penetrate.

• Quartz isn’t porous but can still stain with your main culprits, turmeric, beetroot & red wine as it’s typically a lighter coloured surface. The good news is that you can usually remove stains with the right cleaning products and a little bit of elbow grease. 

Pro tip: A warning about Quartz worktops

As I mentioned, Australia has banned engineered stone, which includes quartz, because it poses an unacceptable risk to workers. It contains high percentages of silica dust which is harmful to lung tissue and I mention this because the UK may follow suit. If you’re looking for alternative options I would consider Solid Surface worktops, they’re completely silica free, and Dekton is also becoming very popular with low percentages of silica. Both have a variety of colour options that mimic Quartz well and I’ll give you a run down of suppliers in a moment.

Quartz vs Granite: What’s my brutally honest verdict?

So what if it’s a toss-up for you between Quartz & Granite and you’re not sure what the differences are? Well, their composition is different.

Quartz is made up of 90-95% natural quartz crystals mixed with other materials such as resins.

Whereas Granite is 100% natural stone that’s quarried, cut and polished so you can expect a pretty uniform pattern in Quartz, but an unpredictable pattern in Granite where no 2 slabs will be the same.

Granite is porous whereas Quartz isn’t, so Granite requires annual sealing and extra maintenance to keep it stain resistant. Granite is a lot more tolerant to heat, but Quartz is more forgiving if it’s scratched or chipped. And both offer very different looks in a kitchen. 

Pro tips if you’re choosing Quartz or Granite worktops…

So the big question then, where do you purchase your Quartz or Granite worktops from?

• I recommend shopping local to you. You’ll likely have many stone suppliers in your area and it’ll give you the ability to see your worktops and hand select the right pattern for your kitchen.

• If you want to shop online, brands like Caserstone is a great one to look at. I love their Arabetto Quartz and their Layalite.

• Deluco are supplying very unique materials like Quartz, Marble & wood options sourced from all over the world at competitive prices.

• There’s also Gemini who are UK retailers, DIY Kitchens have good rates on Quartz and Dekton worktops.

Just another reminder that if you’re struggling to pull together the full design for your kitchen, the cabinets, colour scheme, lighting and which metal finishes will pair well with your worktop choice, then definitely check out my Done-For-You interior design packs. I’ll show you exactly which worktops to purchase, which kitchen brand, range & colour to choose, and you’ll have all the design details chosen for you.

Marble & Soapstone worktops: The Pros & Cons

So finally, Marble & Soapstone worktops. I don’t specify these worktops for a few different reasons.

• Firstly, I specialise in affordable renovations, and Marble tends to be over budget for my students and clients.

• Also, as much as I really love the luxurious look and charm of Soapstone, it’s just not a popular material choice in the UK where my main client base is. 

Marble is stunning and luxurious, with unique veining and timeless appeal, making it a favourite for high-end interiors. However, it is porous and prone to staining, scratching, and etching, requiring regular sealing and careful maintenance to preserve its beauty. Solid surface, Granite & Quartz are easier to maintain while still bringing a touch of luxury so even if your budget is high end, I’d look at the options I’ve mentioned in the mid-range price bracket.  

So there we have it. Everything you need to know about kitchen worktops in one post. I hope this has helped you with your decisions and thank you so much for reading this and being here. Why not subscribe to our emails if you want a weekly drop of interior design & renovation knowledge?

Take care and speak soon! Fi xoxo

Guys, if money grew on trees the first thing I would do in our 1930s house renovation is rip out and replace all of our downstairs flooring, swapping it for one specific type of floor that’s far more practical, long lasting, and not even that expensive. I’ll reveal which flooring wins my vote every time in this blog post.

But for now, if you’re feeling:

• Unsure about which flooring to go for

• You’re wondering which is better for your lifestyle & property

• …and which will be worth your money short term or long term

• …Or even if you’re curious about what an interior designer would propose for your home

I’m going to make all your flooring decisions super easy for you in this blog post, including some flooring suppliers you should take a look at. None of which are sponsored. These are the suppliers I propose to clients all the time.

OK let’s dig in!

But first, why listen to me?

Well if you’re new here, I’m Fi, I’m an interior designer and I show people how to renovate your dream home confidently and affordably. I share a lot of mistakes to avoid, how to save money on your renovation and nitty gritty advice to make your design perfect! So take a look at my other blog posts, free guides, design packs and online courses if you’re doing some home improvements and you’d like professional support to ease the stress!

How is LVT flooring different from Laminate flooring?

To explain this I need to teach you a very quick design anatomy lesson and briefly cover: What is Laminate flooring? What is LVT flooring? What are they made of and how do they differ?

In a nutshell, both are hard surface floors and very popular flooring choices in renovations for different reasons.

Laminate flooring: What's it made of?

• It’s made with multiple layers fused together at high heat with the core component high-density fibreboard

• There’s a protective layer at the top to prevent scratches and stains

• A photographic layer beneath that projects a real photo of wood or stone

• And beneath that, it contains this strong core made from high-density fibreboard, a very cost-effective material, which is what keeps laminate flooring on the more affordable end. 

Pro tip if you’re choosing laminate flooring

The thicker the laminate, the stronger and more durable it will be – so rather than an 8mm profile, you’ll want to be looking for 12mm thick laminate as a minimum.

Now, initially you might be attracted by the way laminate makes use of cost-effective materials. For that reason it’s great if your project needs to be done on a budget, but there are some things to watch out for in terms of its practicality and durability which can be a little bit stressful to live with, I’ll explain in a moment. 

LVT flooring (also called Vinyl Plank flooring): What's it made of?

LVT flooring on the other hand stands for Luxury Vinyl Tile, and its composition is made up of vinyl layers. So where Laminate flooring was mainly fibreboard, LVT is mainly plastic – which makes it one of the most durable and completely waterproof options on the market. 

• Its top coat is embossed which gives a more realistic texture and look of real wood or stone providing lots more colour and finish options on the market.

• Being made up of many layers of vinyl, it’s unique in that it has a very low profile, so it’s great if you’re going for underfloor heating or you need your flooring to remain as low as possible or sit beneath existing door thresholds. 

Everyday use – Laminate or Vinyl flooring?

But when we’re examining laminate vs LVT, which is best for your everyday life, which is easier to install and which will last longer? Well, there’s a clear winner in my opinion and I’ll advise you on the flooring design, colour, plank widths & texture to look out for. 

So we just discussed that laminate is the more affordable option because of its composition, but that LVT flooring is much more durable given its waterproof composition, but how do they both stack up for everyday use? 

Let’s talk about everyday tasks like mopping, cleaning up spills, and how prone they are to scratches in busy, high traffic areas. Because as someone who designs homes for busy households with families and pets, I specifically want materials you’ll relax with and not feel worried about. 

For me, LVT is the clear winner for practical use and durability because it's waterproof & hard-wearing. In fact, it’s the flooring all major new-build developments are laying now because it's waterproof and perfect for daily life. 

Laminate can handle the occasional splash and is very hard wearing, but it’s not great for say, a drink that’s been spilled and forgotten about overnight because standing liquid makes the fibres swell and delaminate over time.

This means you’ve got a little bit more vigilant when you’re mopping laminate, so you don’t use an overly wet mop unless you select a water-resistant version.

Even then, laminate won’t be fully waterproof like LVT. Laminate isn’t normally recommended in wet areas like bathrooms either, because over time, it’s likely to suffer from that daily water damage. 

LVT on the other hand, you don’t need to think or worry about water! You can load up that mop, the dog can spill all the water he likes around his bowl, you can lay it in bathrooms, and water ingress from daily life won’t be an issue. 

Pro tip if you’re choosing lvt flooring

What I like about LVT too, is that depending on the installation method, a glue-down LVT floor will be fairly straight forward to patch repair. So if you’ve had a major leak, a paint spillage or you’ve dragged furniture across your floor and scuffed it – laminate and LVT are scratch-resistant, not scratch-proof, so lift any bulky furniture – with your LVT, installers can usually cut around it and patch repair the affected planks. Whereas laminate being a click and lock system will usually need a large part of the floor taken up for any repairs. 

Which flooring sounds better underfoot? – Laminate or Luxury vinyl plank?

Both feel very warm if you’re walking around in socks or bare feet but they have very different acoustic outputs when you’re walking from a to b. The sound of floors underfoot can come down to personal preference so I called on our Reno Club community to - get this - record their footsteps so that you can hear the difference in sound and determine which is your preference which you will be able to hear at 5:11 in the video above.

The acoustics as you’re moving around a room and the acoustics between floors are a major component of how the overall design of your home feels. That’s why for me, LVT wins. It’s a quieter sound and feels better quality underfoot. I live with laminate myself and it tends to reverb sound so when my noisy little niece and nephew are coming to stay, I love them dearly, but the volume seems that bit louder and echoey bouncing off the laminate. Also if you’re choosing between Laminate & LVT for a flat or you want hard surface floors upstairs, I’d be selecting LVT so as not to disturb people downstairs. I’m keen to hear your thoughts on this though!

What about Installation & Costs – LVT or Laminate flooring?

Well, both are pretty DIY-friendly and straightforward to cut provided you or your installer has the right tools for the job.

Laminate:

• Usually uses a click-and-lock system, so you can lay it over your sub floor with no glue or nails needed.

• It’s faster to lay than LVT so you’ll notice a slightly lower price than LVT on installation.

• Both of these types of floors also require an expansion gap left along the outer edges hidden by your skirting board to allow for temperature changes and movement over time. 

LVT:

With LVT you have a few more installation options.

• You can click it together or glue it down for a permanent fix

• Some people say it’s generally easier to cut than laminate – but being a thinner profile it’s a bit more fiddly to position.

• Depending on your floors there could also be a bit more prep needed prior to laying LVT. You’ve got to be sure your subfloor is level and pristine before laying the floor. Check in with your chosen flooring supplier for advice on how to prepare your subfloor & any underlay required. 

• Both of these types of floors also require an expansion gap left along the outer edges hidden by your skirting board to allow for temperature changes and movement over time. 

Pro tip when you take your flooring delivery

Laminate needs to acclimatise in your home after your delivery, for 24-48 hours to get used to the temperature, whereas LVT is ready to lay when it arrives – and if you’re storing your flooring overnight, lay it flat in its boxes as soon as it arrives. Don’t stand or lean the boxes as it could cause your planks to bow. 

Pros & Cons of Laminate vs LVT flooring:

Now if you’re still undecided, then this will sway your decision if you’re planning to have underfloor heating.

While both laminate and LVT are compatible with underfloor heating:

• LVT conducts heat more effectively than laminate, and distributes it evenly across the floor

• LVT is also more resistant to temperature changes and copes better with regular expanding & contracting.

I’ll do another post at some point about other hard surface flooring options like tile and engineered wood, if you’d like to see those.

Costs wise:

• Laminate tends to be cheaper making it an excellent budget option

• Whereas LVT does cost a little more for both supply and installation. However, with better durability & waterproof qualities LVT will likely last you longer and end up saving you money in the long run if you’re planning to lay it in high-traffic or high-moisture areas.

• Laminate has a guarantee of about 10-15 years

• Whereas LVT is more around 15-25 years, but it really does depend on many factors like the supplier you choose, whether it’s been installed correctly and how you’ve maintained your flooring. 

I told you at the start of this post that I wanted to rip out all of our laminate floors and replace them. After about 8 years living with our laminate, it has a few chips in the high traffic areas that are annoyingly now taking on water when I mop – I’ll tell you about the flooring and supplier I would choose in a moment…

Which colour, plank & pattern flooring should you choose?

So with a bit more knowledge on how these floors perform, next comes the minefield of choosing the right design that will be timeless and bring warmth & homeliness.

With so many different styles on the market you’ll be wondering whether to go stone effect or wood effect, which plank width to choose, which colour should you go for to stop a room feeling too dark, which direction should you lay your floor and how can you prevent your home from becoming a clash of wood finishes and not look dated in 5 years… 

We’ve got some important design details to dig into here. 

Pro tip pay attention to the shine levels – it’s a dead giveaway…

I recommend looking at any flooring samples really carefully to make sure it isn’t too high-shine. A soft or matt sheen will diffuse light better and look more expensive. You’ll also want to check the flooring is finished with bevelled edges on all 4 sides as it will look more realistic.

Which direction should you lay your flooring?

You’ll want to lay your flooring in the same direction as the main light source in a room and/or in the same eyeline as the most frequently used entrance.

Which colour and style should you choose?

If I was choosing this flooring for you, I’d be selecting:

• A timeless wood effect floor as it’s much harder to get a stone effect that looks realistic.

• I prefer a wide width plank which makes narrow and small spaces feel bigger

• And I recommend you look at warm, vanilla wood tones and avoid anything grey which will make your home feel cold.

Pro tip when you’re selecting your flooring…

The lighter the flooring colour, the lighter and bigger your room will feel – and whatever you do, try to choose a colour that’s not orange so that it will suit other wood finishes in your home and not date in 5 years. 

How can you ensure your floors match with the rest of your home?

I’ve got some supplies to tell you about that I recommend to clients, so keep watching for those – but if you're renovating or making improvements to your home and want the finish to be wow without the hefty fees of hiring a designer, then I’ve got something for you. My done-for-you Interior Design Packs are here to take the stress out of your renovation.

I’ve put together interior design plans for every room in your home, including:

• Colour schemes

• Materials

• Supplies & shopping lists I recommend for every room.

It’s like having an interior designer by your side, making decisions with you, but at a fraction of the cost.

So no more decision fatigue—just a home that looks stunning, feels cohesive, and is super easy to achieve.

If you’re ready to level up your renovation with done-for-you interior design plans, get your hands on a pack today!

Laminate and LVP flooring suppliers I rate!

Now, let’s talk about suppliers.

Where should you buy your laminate or LVT to make sure it’s great quality with good design options and a decent guarantee? Well for Laminate, I recommend Quick Step. Their 12mm Impressive Ultra range looks authentic, it’s water resistant and it’s competitively priced.

For LVT I’m a huge fan of both Amtico & Karndean.

Laminate vs LVT: What’s my verdict?

For me, I choose LVT over Laminate every time now.

I mentioned Neil and I have been living with laminate floors over the last 8 years. We fitted Quick Step laminate which was a fantastic budget option and very hard wearing, but with longer guarantees on LVT flooring, how practical it is to live with, and the acoustic benefits it offers, I’d be investing that bit more and choosing LVT for how bullet proof it is and its longevity. 

I have a video showing the 6 affordable flooring ideas I recommend to clients which features the specific Laminate & LVT products I turn to from these brands, so give that a watch if you need some specific ideas. 

If you’d like more design support don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list for weekly support. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next blog post!

Taking on your first renovation can feel like a wall of unknowns.

You’re battling money worries, unsure about where to start and who to hire, and the pressure’s on. You don’t want to make any mistakes or have regrets.

Take it from me, it's natural to be consumed by doubt.

Especially when you’re investing significant sums into a fixer-upper and your brain’s been telling you: ‘Why am I doing this, it’s a money pit’.

But let me pause right here.

Take a deep breath.

Because yes, renovations can be nerve-wracking and there are pitfalls to navigate (we’ll get onto those in a second).

But they're also a canvas for transforming your life.

Imagine the thrill ✨

You’re about to unlock the potential hiding behind years of peeling paint, asbestos ceilings and tired, dated rooms.

And you have complete authority in enhancing every corner, tailoring your future home precisely to your needs.

I've stood where you stand now. And similarly to you, I chose the difficult path vs the easy.

We could have waited. Bought properties that were already finished and saved ourselves the weight of uncertainty and first-time wobbles, right? But we didn’t for a reason. The size of the prize is much greater.

Years later, not only do I have a home I lovingly created that’s completely to my taste, but I've also supported over 1,400 client & student renovators who have shaped their dreams into fabulous homes too.

Every single one of these renovators (and I) had to overcome & tackle a host of threats to their projects.

Let’s take a look at these threats more closely. I want to help you prevent them head-on.

Threat 1: Running out of cash to finish the work 😬

Although we tell renovators this story a lot, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who still fall into this problem.

You won’t, I hope. You’ll take action to prevent it.

Back in 2016, Neil and I were about to take on our first renovation.

We made many mistakes we wish someone warned us about. It would have saved us a lot of unnecessary stress and money.

The most expensive mistake we made? Hiring an architect too early.

We thought this was the first step to renovating a house. WRONG ❌

We paid the architect thousands to produce plans. But when we started to get quotes from contractors, we quickly discovered the plans were too ambitious and we couldn’t afford to build any of it.

*Rips up the drawings we paid £3.5K for* Literally!

Many renovators rely on architects to know construction costs but it’s not the most accurate way to gauge your affordability.

Instead, we recommend relying on renovators who are doing similar work to you in your location. Or experienced contractors who have a clear understanding of renovation costs. Or quantity surveyors who are qualified to produce estimates.

What should you do to avoid running out of cash halfway through your project?👇🏻

You need access to up-to-date, accurate renovation costs you can rely on. I'm not talking about ChatGPT or staff writers who are all circulating the same incorrect information. I'm talking real, recent project costs you can benchmark yours against. If you're working with your architect right now, you can still make this a priority.

Threat 2: You make the wrong call with part of your layout & regret it 😩

The layout you choose can make or break your renovation.

It can either add value to your property and enhance your life, or it can devalue your property and be a pain to live in.

But can I tell you something that every other interior designer would probably keep locked away as their deep dark secret? 😬

The 2016 version of me, before I became an interior designer, doubted my layout decisions…

…my lack of training and experience back then led me to make expensive mistakes to my own property.

Not to mention I felt overwhelmed by decision fatigue.

Neil and I would bicker about the dumbest things, too.

But deep down, it’s because we were both terrified about the cost of our renovation and the potential damage or mistakes that could unravel.

I belly-ached over layouts and material options, which slowed down our projects.⁠

If you don’t believe me, the evidence is in the 2016-2018 blog posts still live on our website 😅

But here’s the thing…

9 years later (5 of those as an interior designer) and supporting over 1,500 renovators via our online courses…

…I now have specific tools and templates that speed up and bring confidence to renovation planning.

It’s honestly been a game-changer for me getting tools that work in place.

The 2025 version of me has 100% confidence in layout planning.

I'm ready for any surprises and I don’t question my decisions.

I'm applying techniques I created that ensure I don't miss any layout or design opportunities. And they’re the reason why students & clients are in control of their projects now.

I have full peace of mind that the materials we’re selecting won’t be a massive waste of money.

Don't underestimate the power of a damn good framework. Build your tools to get you through the most complicated projects stress-free 📝

If you want access to my tools & approach, join our Course Bundle. More renovators than ever are joining to prevent their costs spiralling in this higher-cost climate, and joining to ensure they are investing their money in the right ways.

Threat 3: You spend thousands renovating your home, but end up with an interior design that looks meh 🤦🏻‍♀️

OK… Even though you probably have a fair idea about how you want your new home to feel…

• Warm, bright, airy

• Calm, great storage, somewhere to entertain/spend time with family

And even though you might be brimming with design ideas right now…

• A side-extension here, loft conversion with en suite up there

• Maybe we could knock down this wall or pop a WC under the stairs

I need to prepare you for the reality of interior design.

This might feel a bit unbelievable to you right now, especially if you feel excited by the design part…

But I’m here to share with you what I see commonly happen for renovators.

In the early stages, renovators get excited by designing their homes. Hello, Pinterest!

But then they book contractors in and suddenly they’re like: “Eeek, which flooring? Which lights? Which heating? I can’t believe how many decisions I need to make and they’re starting work in a few weeks”

When construction gets underway, you’re paying out for contractors and funds start depleting, fast.

Suddenly your initial design plans are at risk and it’s: “For god’s sake, I need to compromise on so much. Which suppliers will give me the cheapest deal?”

What started as high hopes for exciting design plans with a decent budget, becomes a tearful search for things like tiles and taps, doubting your ideas and whether it will look cohesive as you scroll the endless options.

You go back on Pinterest to try and get some ideas but all it gives you is doubt about how everything will look. Leading to a lack of cohesion and your home looking like a mish-mash of styles. The renovation you paid thousands for was supposed to look better than this.

There is an easy way to achieve cohesion and take the stress off, though.

Nobody should have to heavily compromise on their interior design vision because of costs, complexities & stress mid-renovation.

In busy spells I can be designing multiple properties at once, fairly effortlessly. Some clients have dwindling budgets because of rising construction costs but I have tools in place to protect their design vision and ensures a quality finish, affordably.

When you’re paying thousands to renovate a property, don’t wait and leave your interior design decisions until the work gets underway. Decide your interior design details as early as possible, and budget accordingly.

Threat 4: Missing out on the best deals that could have saved you thousands

Sometimes it’s not where you shop, it’s how you shop that has the potential to save you thousands of pounds in contractors fees, professional fees and supply costs.

Like many things in life, there’s an expensive route and there’s a route that gets the same or similar result for much less money. Clever planning, creative thinking and becoming more savvy with your choices could save you many thousands in the long run.

Threat 5: Losing control of your project & finances (and it all goes to 💩😭)

Renovations are like high-risk investments.

There can be some soaring highs and crashing lows, financially.

You won’t be able to predict parts of it. Like the costly, unforeseen work that even your experienced builder looks shocked by as he peels back layers of the house.

But you can control how well you prepare for this and how you spread your money to make absolutely sure you get the return you started this renovation for.

There’s work you need to do to understand your costs, your priorities, where best to invest your money, and what order to complete your project in so that you’re avoiding any rework later.

Threat 6: Hiring a team you thought you could trust, but you missed some major red flags. Their work is slapdash and you’re paying for it! 😩

You’re about to pay people you’ve likely never met before £20,000-£500,000 to rip apart your property and follow your instructions to create your vision.

Who are you going to trust? How will you find them?

While we’ve met and worked with highly experienced, detail-driven contractors who we’ve hired again in a heartbeat…

…we’ve also had our fair share of charlatans trying to charge us through the nose for a simple job. Or trying to pull the wool over our eyes with ‘creative’ invoicing… Or simply completing a job to a poor standard.

Your A-team is out there, I assure you ⭐️

But too often renovators can miss the red flags to watch out for when engaging a contractor – inflated costs, bad communication, poor workmanship.

Your next steps: Renovations are risky but take the reins

It’s in your power to deliver your project successfully, swerving all of these potential threats.

And we’re right here to help you make that happen.

Don’t miss our renovation online course enrolment.

We are stunned by the number of renovators who have already joined us to get ahead with their planning.

More renovators than ever want to prevent their costs spiralling in this higher-cost climate, and have joined to ensure they are investing their money in the right ways.

You’ll never get better value than if you join us now. We’re adding more and more value to the course and prices will increase after this enrolment.

Join us before we close the enrolment and let’s make your renovation an enormous success ✨

Hello! We're Fi and Neil a couple from Brighton in the UK. We completed a full 1930s house renovation & guess what? We managed it pretty much under budget!

Embarking on this house renovation journey has been like riding a rollercoaster full of surprises🎢

Imagine finding pre-war newspapers hidden under carpets, electrocuting ourselves, getting permanent tinnitus & having to scrap our £80K extension plans at the eleventh hour – yes, we've been through all that! And we survived …just about 😅

So, if you're thinking "I want to renovate my house, where do I start?", or if you're puzzling over the steps to renovating a house, you're in the right place.

We're here to share our experience, step-by-step, with handy tips on how to renovate a house.

A word of warning for your renovation!⚠️

We were chatting the other day about how to ensure your renovation is successful.

The fact that you discovered this guide is already a total level-up for your renovation project, but you’re going to get overwhelmed & start sweating 😓 about the complexity of the project ahead if you try and consume it all now - so join our free bitesize renovation email series now before you get into the weeds!

With that out of the way, let's dive into the world of house renovations and discover where to start when renovating a house.

Renovating a house step by step – where to start

Back in 2016, we were right where you are now: about to make the brave decision to take on a property to renovate.

We fell in love with a 1930s house that miraculously came onto the market within our price range, but we only had a very tight £80,000 to make it our dream home. And it needed EVERYTHING changing. There was no central heating, every wall and ceiling had dated wallpaper on it, and the carpets were so old they were literally crumbling under our feet!

To top it all off, we were oblivious to how much it would cost to renovate…

Over a glass of wine in the evenings, I remember sitting in our new fixer-upper with Neil, talking about the worst things:

• What if we run out of money and are left living in rubble?

• Where do we even start?

• What if we regret our decisions and waste money?

• Or unearth some budget-shattering, project-destroying issue we can’t fix?!

For two very new renovators at the time, the project felt insurmountable. But guess what?

We did it. And we learned SO much during the process. We documented every single inch of the dust, sweat and tears it took, right here on this blog, including the mistakes, to support other first-time renovators. I then trained to become an interior designer, frustrated at a lack of support available to renovators at the time, and Neil and I now deliver online courses to first-time renovators who want our help to plan their projects.

Your family and friends are probably saying, ‘don’t touch it,’ but don’t listen to them. With the right support and if you’re sensible with money, you can do it! You’ll make this house your dream home…

Step 1: Finding your property to renovate

You might be looking at properties to renovate as I write this to you, or you might have your heart set on the one, you’re just waiting for the keys.

When Neil and I were looking for our place, we initially didn’t know it was a renovation we’d end up with. Were you the same? Or did you know it was a property to renovate you were looking for?

We called ourselves reluctant renovators (although now, we’re addicts!) because we were forced to buy a property to renovate due to rising property prices in the South East. Our options were:

Option 1 - Buy a house that was already decorated with 90s decor for about £400K

Option 2 - Buy a house with 60s decor that needed renovating for around £330K and use the £70K equity to make it our dream home.

We considered our options very heavily, as we always do, and decided we’d rather make a property ‘our own’ than buy one to someone else’s taste and have no money left to redecorate.

So the property hunt began.

What to look for if you’re viewing properties right now:

• A property with good ‘bones’ – as I like to say – that means…

• Decent sized rooms

• The potential to extend/convert if that’s on your wish list in the future

• Heating/Electrics/Water at least already installed! Especially if you plan to move in straight away and it’s edging closer to winter – we made that mistake 🤪 Cue us huddled around a plug-in electric heater during -2 temps!

• Period features like chimney breasts, alcoves, stained glass windows, and original cornice. OK, it’s a nice to have, but if you’re tossing up, I’d go for character above all. That said, you can always reinstate features that have been ripped out

What we learned quickly:

• Bring an experienced contractor to your viewing. We slipped ours £50 to say thanks

  • They’ll look out for structural issues or pricey problems before you put your offer in

  • They’ll ballpark the work you want to do so you know you can afford it

  • They might even tell you whether it will be easy/difficult to get planning approval

• A full Building Survey is a MUST

  • In our opinion, Home Buyers surveys just aren’t detailed enough

  • You need to enter into this refurb with your eyes wide open, aware of all the potential house renovation costs that may be lurking

  • We actually asked our surveyor to ballpark remedial costs, which helped us negotiate with the sellers

  • Negotiate remedial work off the original asking price – we brought our original offer down by £23,500 simply by obtaining a full building survey and estimates for the work. That was a tidy sum we put back into the maintenance of the building.

• Understand the ceiling price in the area

  • What is the property for? Are you flipping, or will it be your forever home? Either way, you need to be aware of whether you’ll make your investment back if/when you come to sell

  • If it’s your forever home, the location is perfect for you, and you can’t see yourself living anywhere else, you might be comfortable going above the ceiling price, and that’s OK

  • Just clarify your goals early on

• Be smart about what’s feasible

  • It sounds obvious, but never buy a property and worry about how you’ll have the layout later – you could be left very disappointed if work can’t happen due to feasibility or for legal reasons

  • If you know you want to extend or build into the loft, find out if it’s feasible now by either conducting a viewing with an experienced general contractor, structural engineer, or architect or give your Local Planning Office a call

  • I’ll give you an example, the property we bought can’t really be extended larger than the current size because the floor height is about 8 steps above the back garden height. We’d have to drop the floors internally to do a rear extension with bifold doors. I mean, it’s doable, but not to our taste or budget. 

  • Some people think you can knock up a loft conversion in any house. Nope! The property needs the right head height, so check this with an experienced contractor or your local planning office before you buy

• Look at the neighbour’s floor plans online

  • Usually, properties nearby will be built with a similar footprint to yours, so you can tell whether loft extensions are feasible just by looking at whether your future neighbours have done it

  • The same goes for all other developments like driveway installations, garage conversions, and double-story extensions. Have any of the neighbours done it? Chances are you’ll get your plans signed off, too if they have

  • Equally, don’t let their properties keep you ‘thinking small’. If you’d love an apex window in your rear extension, and all your neighbours have gone for flat roofs, investigate it as a possibility. Times change, and budgets are different in every household.

Articles to help you during this phase:

• What to look for when buying a property to renovate

• What we WISH we knew about before renovating a house

• Free Guide: Download our Property Viewing Checklist

Step 2: You’ve secured your mortgage, and your offer’s been accepted. Now get excited, but number-crunch like your whole life depends on it!!

The hard truth is, you might think £100,000 is enough to get everything done until you need to double it 😳

Don’t believe the Homes Under the Hammer promise that you’ll get the perfect 3-bed reno complete in under £50,000. It just doesn’t happen in today’s world unless you’re a contractor doing the work yourself and paying only for materials.

Before we started working with renovators 1-on-1 and in an online format, it was common for people to guess the costs involved and then run out of money when their extension or loft conversion got to first fix.

I’ll let you in on something. It’s more likely you’ll run out of money on the ‘design/finishing’ bits, like the lighting, worktops, kitchen, furniture etc, than the actual renovation work. This baffles me. I have to say. Because prices for these are all online and available for people to factor into their budgets from the word go. Yet people forget to.

To avoid any costly surprises:

• Set a very healthy contingency

  • Have access to funds 10–20% higher than your overall budget

• Have a Plan A and a Plan B

  • Consider phasing the work. It’s exactly what we did, and many of our students are too. Jen from our Reno Club shared a DIY Kitchens review on here recently, and her plan is for the kitchen she’s just completed to become her utility room once they finish their extension

  • Remember, renovations can move as fast or as slow as you want them to. The only thing holding you up could be contractors, but you’ve got a lot of planning to do before they knock on the door, so use this time wisely

• Don’t make the mistake of buying the property before you’ve got a clear idea of how much it will cost to renovate

  • You need to go in with your eyes wide open, as I said before

  • This stage would be the perfect time to begin working through the first module of the How to Renovate a House online course if you want financial peace of mind

• Factor in your finish costs, not just structural

  • Who wants to spend thousands only to be left with a mediocre finish?

  • Budget for every known cost from the start. Yes, including sockets and switches, door stops, skirting boards, the lot!

• Factor in accommodation costs

  • We explained in our What we wish we knew about renovating guide that renovations are hard to live and work in. Our Reno Club students (particularly those juggling childcare, work and renovating) are budgeting brilliantly to allow for comfort and renting while the work happens

  • Will you live in, live with family/friends or rent?

• Understand early on how you can bring costs down

  • Another reason to read our renovation guide is to learn about how to reduce your costs and prevent them from spiralling

  • This forms a big part of our renovation online course too. We work hard to ensure students bring their renovations in on budget and show them ways to manage their projects affordably

  • I tend to say you should learn as much as you can from people who have renovated before you to prevent you from making their mistakes (that’s why we opened up our Reno Club private community as part of our course. Students have found it really useful to connect with others going through the same thing.)

• Conduct any suggested surveys

  • We know they can feel like burning money, but just get them done for insight and peace of mind financially

  • When we got our building survey back, our surveyor recommended a CCTV drainage survey and asbestos survey. For the sake of a few hundred pounds, we’re so glad we did them. We were able to budget for asbestos removal and remedial works to the drains (and got quotes for it knocked off the price of the house)

Free Guide: What we wish we knew about renovations before we started

Feel clued up and confident before you begin. We’re sharing:

• Expert tips to save money and avoid budget overruns, giving you peace of mind throughout the process.

• Strategies for finding reliable contractors who are easy to communicate with, so you can build a positive working relationship.

• What order to do work in, making it easier for you to stay organized and on track (Includes downloadable timeline you can save or print)

Articles to help you during this phase:

• How much does it cost to renovate a house?

• How much does a new kitchen cost?

• How much does a kitchen extension cost?

• What's the average cost of a bathroom?

• How much does an architect cost?

• Free Guide: Download A Survivor’s Guide to Renovating – find out if you’re really ready for this crazy phase of your life and get preparation tips.

Step 3: The removals van is booked. You’ve finally got the keys! Now what? Firm up your layout, and don’t get an architect until you know you need one!

We made this expensive mistake early on and don’t want the same for you!

Read our post on Why you shouldn’t begin your project with an architect, do this instead for the full story.

Anyway, the day we got the keys, I won’t lie. There was a fleeting ‘shit, what have we done’ feeling as we walked around the property we now owned. Reality hit. We were made aware of just how much needed changing. 

It was like an excited apprehension. Like a gigantic ‘gulp and hope for the best’ feeling. I wonder if you’ll experience similar?

Here’s where you need to swing into action, though. I don’t mean act fast by any means. I mean, you need to make small incremental and careful progress every day while you have the momentum and the property right in front of you.

What we advise you do at this stage:

• Take your before shots of every room + exterior

  • Do this before you do anything! You need a record of how far you’ve progressed to give you hope when you’re about to give up!

  • Plus, it’ll be fun to show the grandkids how you renovated an old house to become your new home.

• Start a wants + needs list

  • We’re ALL about getting the practicals down first when we design property, and salvaging or reinstating any period features

  • This is one of the most powerful exercises that we ask our students to do, which helps them form a solid brief to banish that feeling of overwhelm

  • By adding to your list(s) over days/weeks you can get peace of mind that you’re doing everything with careful consideration and you ensure nothing is missed

• Draw up layout ideas – lots of them!

  • Every renovator or homeowner needs to do this step, especially if you’re hiring an architect (read our post on why)

  • I like to use Sketchup as my software tool of choice for floor planning, but it’s because I need it for client work. It’s a steep learning curve and not necessary for new renovators when there are great tools like FloorPlanner, Magic Plan and DIY Kitchens 3D tool planner to get stuck in and work quicker with

  • Be scrappy! Sometimes quick sketches as you chat with your partner or contractor for ideas can be every bit as useful

  • Always take your ideas into scaled format (whether it’s pen/paper or online) once you’re starting to firm up decisions. I’ve found drawing to scale to be an essential skill to learn as a renovator, which is why it’s one of the first things we teach people in our online courses – you get a much clearer understanding of flow and whether things will fit

  • Sit on your ideas as you live in the property and role-play the layout in any way you can, changing things that don’t work

  • If you’re looking for advice on how to approach an Edwardian house renovation, a bungalow renovation or a 1930s house renovation, then we have specific guides tailored to the period of your property

• Define the design/style you want your home to be

  • It’s so important that you start to develop a strong vision as early on as possible – nobody else can create one on your behalf. You need to know the vibe and style you want as a minimum

  • Even if you’re hiring an interior designer + project manager for a renovation (I know many of us don’t have the budget) just understand that it still requires a lot of input from you to make the £100s of thousands of pounds you’re investing end up looking fab not ‘meh’

  • I don’t mean to be harsh. It’s a reality check. You need to get clear on what you want the look and feel to be in every room and how you’ll reconfigure the spaces to optimise for light, storage, practicality, beauty, relaxation etc – and bring it in on budget while retaining or enhancing the value of the property

  • Hiring an interior designer can help with some heavy lifting, but it’s far more important to sharpen your skillset if you’re feeling overwhelmed or struggling with layout and design early on

  • At this stage, it would be the perfect time to start our Home Design Lab program (it’s how homeowners are getting results like this 👇🏻)

• Try and stay off Pinterest …for now

  • Unless you’re being intentional with it, and you know what you’re looking for, aimless pinning is a recipe for magpie tendencies. You want boho one minute, scandi the next. That can cause a mish-mash of styles with no sense of flow that you need to avoid.

  • I’m all about designing a property that’s YOU. Try to determine what’s YOU, not what’s trendy (we have lots of exercises to help unravel what your tastes are so you end up with a home you love)

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Step 4: Hire your architect (if you need one), confirm your interior + exterior plans + submit necessary planning applications

You’ve investigated and started to clarify what you want and need from your fixer-upper, and now you’re ready to put your ideas into action – and get them enhanced and drawn by expert minds like an architect or interior designer.

Lots of renovators choose to form their interior design and exterior plans in a piecemeal way, but I recommend working holistically if you’re serious about getting your interior layout to flow well with the additional space you’re building or reconfiguring.

My top tips for this stage:

• Find an architect who designs properties that you’re aspiring to create

  • It’s far more likely you’ll have a good rapport, they’ll be the right budget to hire, and they’ll plan a build that’s within your budget too

  • Remember, there’s a lot of work to do before you part with your cash and hire an architect. We’ve put together a step-by-step action plan to follow in our home renovation online course

  • If you’re not sure whether your project requires an architect or not, read our architect costs post for a handy flow chart to find out

• Work towards drawing up a detailed layout + design plan for your kitchen, bathroom, loft conversion and/or extension spaces

  • Understanding what furniture, appliance, light, sink, showers, etc, will fit where as early as possible is so important. You’ll ensure there is enough space/it’s feasible and prevents any heartbreak later when you come to realise you can’t have that dining table because your extension isn’t built big enough

  • Loosely firming up room layouts will, at the very least, give you certainty there’s space for everything you know you want (prior to submitting any planning applications), and at the most, you’ll be able to see possible tricky design situations before they arise, change course, without breaking the bank or compromising the overall design

  • Planning a renovation holistically is something we never knew to do until we made a host of mistakes! That’s why I wrote all about the common mistake renovators can make and how you can avoid it.

Step 5: Select and invite contractors to quote, agree costs and a start/completion date and wait for any applications to be approved

This is arguably one of the most stressful steps in renovating a house. You’re so close, but so far. You’ve got all your plans lined up. You just need to get approval and the right team to execute it for you.

Our advice for this step in the process:

• Be clear about your project + requirements

  • You’ve probably heard from family + friends how hard it is to find available contractors right now. Some don’t even answer your call or send quotes

  • The biggest piece of advice we can give if your timeline is slowing down because you’re waiting on contractor’s calls is to make your project sound exciting and like it’s going to benefit them

  • Contractors do this work day-in-day-out, and they’re people at the end of the day. They want to work with happy clients they enjoy problem-solving with, and if a job sounds up their street, they’re more likely to do it

  • So show your personality and tell them why you’ve chosen them to come and quote, get them excited about working for you. It’s like hiring someone on your team at work.

• Compare quotes fairly

  • In our online course, we have a popular PDF download explaining how to effectively obtain quotes, ensuring you’re asking the correct questions and then, importantly, how to compare them and make the right choice for your renovation

  • I can’t stress enough how important this step is to get right. Making the right hire could be the difference between a terrible or successful renovation – which is why we’re so passionate about helping students with a framework showing them how to hire the right people for the right job.

• Put contracts in place and protect your project

  • It’s so important to dot your i’s and cross those t’s before you start any renovation work. Who is liable if things go awry? Are you insured?

  • We wrote about JCT contracts recently for mid to large renovations, which is a good avenue to explore
    

• Don’t just wait around. Keep progress moving.

  • When you’re sick of looking at that avocado suit, all you want is for work to start rapidly – so it’s frustrating when it gets held up

  • Don’t allow this to get you down though!

  • You have SO many decisions to make when the build begins. Use this time to source products, tiles, taps, worktops, furniture, you name it.

  • You don’t have to buy the products now unless you have a dry, damp-free place to safely store things. But get samples in and find the companies you resonate with at the least.

  • Believe me, product sourcing takes an obscene amount of time! That’s why our online courses offer supplier directories to introduce you to reputable companies to work with (many we’ve used ourselves), and we offer you ways to track your spending and product lists

Step 6: Let the renovation work commence!

It’s D-day, the kettle is on the boil, and the builders are knocking. Finally, work can begin 🙌🏻 This next phase needs to involve great communication, ensuring you reduce stress and manage the team and outgoing costs effectively. And if you’ve done the right level of planning prior to this, you’ll sail through it all. I promise.

Do you want to know the order a typical renovation runs in? We share the exact steps with renovators in our free Survivor’s Guide to Renovating. Look out for Day 3 for each step of the process from here.

I hope this was useful?! – Neil and I would love to help you with your project

Renovations have been somewhat glamorised in recent years, but as an experienced renovator and an interior designer, I can tell you there’s more dust, sweat and tears than people expect going into it. Yes, it’s 100% worth it, but if you don’t feel clued up, it can be a really stressful period of your life.

Neil and I started our company to help new renovators ease the stress, prevent costs from spiralling, grow their confidence in the design and project management and get the home of their dreams – all within budget.

If you’re on the same page as us and you like the idea of renovating a home that’s going to enhance your life, then we’d love to invite you to the next opening of our renovation online course.

Take a look and see if it’s for you.

Thank you so much for reading this, and very best of luck with your renovation project 💛 You know where we are if you need help!

Fi (+ Neil)

WHAT WE WISH WE KNEW ABOUT RENOVATING BEFORE WE STARTED

Grab our Free Survivor's Guide to Renovating and get up to speed!

👉 Tips on cutting costs, getting trustworthy contractors & delivering on time

👉Let's make your renovation less stressful, more fun and with fewer compromises

👉 Confidence to do things right - don't regret wasting money

Other posts you may like:

House Renovation Costs

Why we DITCHED our 80K renovation plans

Kitchen extension costs – revealed

We also have…

• How much does an architect cost

• How much does it cost to renovate a house

• Edwardian house renovations

• Bungalow renovations

• Victorian house renovation

• Terraced house renovation

You wouldn’t believe how excited/nervous we were when we bought this ugly duckling 1930s house renovation in the UK. That photo below is from the day we moved in. Having never bought a fixer-upper before on this scale before, it's safe to say there were a lot of things Neil and I wish we knew what to look for when buying a house to renovate.

The old lady that was selling it hadn't touched it since the 1960s and so there was a lot of work to do. It didn't have a central heating system or gas, every room was dripping in spew-worthy wallpaper or carpet and the kitchen was a small galley layout. We decided that we fancied the challenge of renovating the house and it has been one of the most challenging but rewarding projects we've ever worked on.

If you’re looking at buying a house that needs renovation and to make completely your own, then there's a few points we've learned to look out for along the way. 

First time renovators are woefully under-prepared, so that’s where our blog and online courses come in and so we put together this guide on what to know when buying a a house to renovate.

In our experience of viewing fixer uppers, you normally only get one 10 minute show around a house before you make your offer, so you better make it count. 

The fact is, older houses can hide a lot, looking quaint or full of character on first look, and then being an absolute horror show of a few decades worth of bad DIY under a single strip of wallpaper.

So what should you expect when you decide to take on a house in need of renovation?

What major work can be hiding in the walls?

A few things to consider before you make your offer...

1. Do your research about the property both before and after viewing it

If you're not an expert, going to view a house that needs renovation (or any property for that matter) makes you feel like you're wandering into a gunfight holding a sword.

You're wandering around with about 10 minutes to spare whilst an estate agent tries to "inform you" about the property (you know fully well that they have very little valuable information about it). Part of the problem is that first-time buyers don’t know the right questions to ask.

We have a very useful free resource called The Property Viewing Checklist (see the spreadsheet below) that you can download that looks at exactly the sorts of things you should consider.

Note - We would 100% recommend getting the experts in at a later date to look at the property if you’re getting into the offer stage, but there are things you can do upfront to try and understand whether the property is for you or not.

A completely free viewing checklist that you can use in Google Sheets

2. Try to understand your ‘red lines’ and make a list

When looking for a property to renovate, it can become extremely stressful. Doer uppers are potentially big risks.

There are moments when you’re going to start feeling like you’d just move in anywhere in order to stop the pain in the proverbial of having to keep looking for one (we promise you the thought will go through your head). The constant balancing of pros and cons and making decision after decision gets super tiring and you start saying and thinking things you haven’t thought through properly.

Establishing your red lines upfront i.e. the lines you will not cross in terms of your property requirements, could help you years down the road. An example could be before the renovation saying “I would never live in that area because there are no good schools” and then when the stress kicks in “We can live without good schools because the property has so much potential” (bit of an extreme example but hey…)

Create a list of your requirements. If you’re looking with your significant other, make sure that you are both aligned to them. Establishing those lines upfront improves communication and makes it easier to ask yourself serious questions when the going gets tough.

3. Make sure you understand how much a renovation would cost

Clearly the biggest deciding factor about whether you can do a renovation is cost. We've written a post all about how much it costs to renovate a house so we'll leave all of that useful info there. But needless to say, performing rough calculations about how much work you'd need to do is a really important step.

You'll need to break down "finger in the air" estimates to understand a ball park figure. You'll definitely hit a brick wall (so to speak) where you just can't work out how much things will cost, but you should be able to find some local information on the internet.

4. Understand the Limitations of Permitted Development Rights

One of the most overlooked aspects when buying a house to renovate is understanding what changes you can legally make without applying for planning permission. And, understanding whether the work you want to do will get sign off at planning stages.

Not every property offers the same flexibility under permitted development or planning permission rights, and restrictions may apply in conservation areas or for listed buildings. So we tell everyone… before falling in love with a fixer upper, check with the local council or use online tools to see what’s allowed and what’s been given the green light. You can easily search neighbouring planning applications to give you an indication. This step can save you from disappointment if your dream extension or loft conversion isn’t possible. And if the property you want to renovate does require planning permission for major works, factor in both the time and potential costs this will add to your renovation.

5. Get a building survey done

We've always gone for a full structural (building survey) and yes they’re expensive, and yes it feels ‘wrong’ spending a lot of money on a fixer upper that isn’t even yours yet...

But to put this initial survey cost in perspective, whilst in renovation mode, batches of thousands of pounds start to disappear without much bother. As the survey will probably be your first cost, it is going to seem high, so your instinct may naturally be to try and keep costs down. People who say "just get a homebuyers report" are probably the people that never experienced any real structural or fundamental issues.

Getting a building survey done is a less risky step as it creates a sort of shopping list for the repair of your property. Sellers play nasty tricks like wallpapering over cracks, and as cliché as it sounds, it does happen. And whilst a property may look OK to you, the reality may be very different.

Check out our beginners guide on the the different types of house survey if you want to look at which one to go for as you’re planning your fixer upper purchase.

6. Get a friendly builder to come and view the property and provide rough calculations on what it might cost to renovate

If you have a rough idea of what you want to do to the property and a structural survey you should be on your way to getting some costings. Pre-exchange of contracts, many builders will resist providing this service and we experienced some huffing and puffing when speaking to builders about helping us on a property that we hadn't moved into yet so bear in mind you might have to pay the builder for their time if they’re not friends of yours. It's probably best to prioritise structural items (for example getting them to quote on things that absolutely must be done rather than nice-to-haves). 

7. Ensure that the cost of any fixer upper reflects the work needed

Any property that needs work should be on the market for a lower price than comparable properties that have already been finished to a good standard. Once you've understood the high-level/ball park renovation costs, a good exercise is to compare similar renovated properties to the cost of the fixer upper you're looking at PLUS the renovation costs. 

For example we were looking at a house for £400K that had been renovated to an estimated total of 70-80k – so really, the fixer upper we were looking at had to be priced no more than £320-£330K.

8. Work out what you can compromise on

4 out of 10 renovators go over budget. You might be in a situation like us where our idea for aspirations for a kitchen extension plan crumbled like rubble before our eyes upon receiving an eye-wateringly high quote. It was just too expensive to justify the benefits it would bring to us. Thankfully the space that we had to work with was of a sufficient size that we would be able to do several other things with it. There might be times when you need to compromise, so come up with a plan B and a plan C and D.

9. Ask yourselves can you live in the property while you renovate?

If we're honest, living in a renovation is not exactly a breeze, especially when the kitchen/bathroom is being done. You’re going to have to drop your cleanliness standards, full stop. However making food is possible if your builders tidy up after themselves each day and you plan well. You can create a makeshift kitchen quite easily as long as you have access to running (ideally hot) water.

It's a huge workaround for a few weeks whilst this crucial part gets done. The main issue we experienced was when we decided to work from home and the noise of power drilling was unbearable, there's nothing you can do to get away from this type of noise. If you can find a plan to get out of the house then do it.

Having said all that, it does have its benefits; you save on storage costs or rent and you can keep close to the renovation. Our blog post What it’s like living in a renovation gives you more help on this subject.

10. Ask who the sellers are

Get to understand who the sellers of a property are. Ask the estate agents all about them, how old they are, when they moved in and where they are going to. You might find that the sellers are in a weaker position and really they just want a quick sale on the property. We found out that our sellers were not in a strong position and we used it to our advantage in the negotiation. If the owner of the fixer upper you have your eye on is in a rush to sell, you could shave off ££s in negotiations.

11. Negotiate on what you find in the structural survey

The more problems you find in the structural survey, the more you can reduce your eventual price you offer. The secret is that many renovation properties are being sold when an old person goes into a home/elsewhere and the next of kin 'need' the money to pay for that, 10-20K would not be noticed as much as 10-20k to a couple who are up-sizing. Get into the psychology of this, if you are asking for a reduction, then it's quite likely that anyone else in your position would do the same - are the sellers willing to gamble because you asked for a reduction?

If you’re British like us, negotiating is probably not in your blood. We strongly recommend that you grow a pair and be a bit cut-throat, otherwise you’re going to get trampled over like the flimsy doormat in said renovation property!

12. If you run out of money what will you do?

As difficult as it is, you've got to think about what would happen in the event that you completely run out of money. For us, we eventually did run out of money but only after we had completed the pressing stuff (structural, gas/central heating install, the exterior, the entire downstairs, two bedrooms done) it was always part of our thinking that we would be in a situation where we would have to find money for the rest elsewhere but we've got our whole lives to do this, there's no need to rush. Thankfully our plan meant that the lowest priority items were the last things we did and we had sufficient disposable income that we would be able to save for the rest of the rooms.

13. Look for properties that are renowned to be well-built

We consider ourselves pretty fortunate that we landed a 1930s house. There are many reasons why a 1930s house rules the roost in terms of build quality. By the 1930s, house building had evolved to a point that modern technology was around such as cavity wall insulation but combined with period features such as chimney breasts/alcoves and decorative exterior features.

14. Speak to the locals

It's quite likely that there's a huge source of information just waiting for you around the corner from the property. If you're reserved British people like us, knocking on a complete stranger's door may seem pretty alien. However we've had people knock on our door to talk about our house and we've really enjoyed it, your house becomes part of your life and talking about it with people who have a mutual interest is a great ice-breaker.

They can discuss with you things that won't be obvious upon viewing a property like noisy neighbours, parking issues, issues with damp and subsidence and since many areas have the same build style of houses, there will be a plethora of information about the properties too.

15. Fixer uppers are stressful - get ready for that

You're going to be in uncharted territory, especially if you're a first time buyer. This is a complex process and aside from all the paperwork, mortgage stress, the viewings, the "will we ever find a place that we like/love?" uncertainty, you're now adding in a whole world of newness with regard to a renovation and unknowns about how much things will cost.

No matter how much you plan, there will be most definitely things that crop up that weren't expected. As soon as the builders start peeling back the layers of your house, who knows that they might find...The first step is having a clear idea idea of what you want to achieve, a view of the priorities, a solid budget with some contingency and a fall back plan - could there be a cheaper way to do what you're thinking of doing?

16. Consider the plumbing in a fixer upper

It sounds like a silly thing to reflect upon but plumbing and heating is so essential to get right in a house. Any problems with water damage and you could be looking at a hefty repair bill and a big headache before you've even moved in. 

What's more, if there are problems with plumbing it can often mean floorboards (and flooring) having to be ripped up to make corrections, ruining your hard work. Plumbing is common work for a renovation, but it's important to recognise (as best as you can) any potential problems so that your offer on a house reflects the money you'll need to pay for maintenance of it when you move in.

Consider the following process:

1. Get a full structural survey on any property you buy and chat with the surveyor before they survey it.

2. Ask them how much of the plumbing they can cover in the survey

3. If it's minimal, request a drainage survey (usually done using a CCTV camera in man holes nearest your property) to check everything is above board before you begin any work.

When our offer was accepted we did both a full structural survey and drainage survey and reduced our offer when issues arose - this is quite normal and depending on the situation you could save thousands of pounds.

17 . Take a look at the electrics in the renovation property

Electrics will almost definitely need attention in an older property, largely because building regulations have much tighter standards every property must adhere to now, but also because period homes weren't wired with all the lights and plug sockets we need for our modern day lifestyles.

Having old circuits might not comply with the power you need when you come to make electrical changes to suit your lifestyle. Here are some tips:

• When you're looking around at the property pay close attention to your fusebox for the age it looks and if you can, take a photo of it.

• If you're not sure whether it's a old board or a new one that might comply with building regs, call an electrician to ask for his advice and send the photo to him. They will normally offer this advice free as it could mean business for them if you end up buying it and need a rewire.

When we moved in to our renovation property we realised we needed a whole new fuse board which cost roughly £500 (that excludes the rewire elsewhere in the house). We also failed our electrical testing report initially, which meant that if we had a fire caused by the electrics, our home insurance wouldn't have paid out. If you know of any electricians that don't mind swinging by on the viewing this can help you negotiate your offer based on their findings. 

What we wish we knew about renovating before we started

Start your project with our Free Survivor's Guide to Renovating

👉 Tips on cutting costs, getting trustworthy contractors & delivering on time

👉Let's make your renovation less stressful, more fun and with fewer compromises

👉 Confidence to do things right - don't regret wasting money

18. Asbestos in a fixer-upper

Now asbestos is a difficult one to spot when you're viewing a house but there are websites online that will show you the most common floor tiles, garages and electric heaters known to have asbestos in them. These are good to become familiar with before you look at properties.

We found that our property had a small amount of asbestos in some floor tiles and our whole garage roof is made of it. We weren't to know this until we could get a destructive asbestos test done on the property, and of course we had to own the place before we could get samples done (frustrating right?) but what we did was prepare for the worst.

When we pulled our budgets together before we made the offer, we allowed for a thousand pounds worth of asbestos removal as a "just in case" measure.  

Asbestos lies dormant and completely harmless in a house for decades until us renovators come in and disturb it. While breathing in asbestos fibres doesn’t mean you will definitely get ill, it's always wise to minimise the risk of asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Asbestos is worth the cost of removing not only for health and safety but because I've heard of horror stories where contractors have walked out on the job because they found asbestos during their work, and rightly so.

Contractors are most at risk for asbestos-related diseases, and as home owners it is our duty to provide a safe working environment for them and us as renovation dust is carried through the home (find out more about asbestos here).

19. Look for damp in a renovation property

Luckily the house we bought has zero damp within it, but we've had more than our fair share of damp when we lived in our previous Victorian flat and I paid out a lot of money on trying to find the solutions to it, including paying for a damp correction course installed in the walls.

There are different types of damp to look out for in fixer uppers. Condensation (which is really common and solvable), rising damp, and penetrating damp.

Damp can be at such different levels of severity and have so many different causes that you probably won’t be able to estimate repair costs without a proper investigation. However, it can be easy to spot whether damp is being caused by something sinister or not.

Consider consulting a damp expert but here some pointers to investigate before making an offer:

• crumbling spoils you notice in walls

• walls that feel moist to touch (I've been known to view houses and just go round feeling all the walls!)

• severe dark patches particularly in bathrooms

And here are the things that might be pretty solvable but it's worth getting a second opinion from damp experts if you aren't a risk taker:

• Large stains you spot across ceilings (as long as they are dried out, normally these have been caused by innocent problems like the seals on showers in the room above leaking, or a pipe leak that's been corrected. It can be difficult to paint over leak patches unless you use oil based paint which is why sellers may not have got round to it yet and these stay visible long after the problems have been and gone)

• Little signs of mildew in the bathroom or built in cupboards (most common in student or rented properties which is usually corrected when air is let flow through the property properly or the heating switched on regularly to dry the home)

Conclusion

Make sure you download our Property Viewing Checklist. It’s going to make your life a whole lot easier for you.

There are many other hidden problems to look out for that are outside of the physical aspects of a house as well, such as leasehold/freehold issues, lack of planning permission or building regulations compliance, which will require a little bit more savvy sussing out during the buying process.

Overall, we hope this post has made you feel a little less fearful for what you're about to buy as sometimes you can feel like you're crazy and taking a huge risk in buying somewhere that needs so much work.

Within reason, everything is solvable (as long as you're financially sensible, with strong budgeting and a huge helping of patience!).

Renovating a house is seriously one of the most rewarding things you can do. Enjoy making this unloved piece of history a home again.

When Jen and Stu first started planning their extension for their semi detached, they had so many doubts. Could they really afford it? Would it be worth the disruption? And how could they possibly make their budget stretch enough to include the loft conversion they’d been dreaming of?

It’s a feeling so many of us can relate to. But with some expert guidance and creative thinking, they’ve now got a beautifully extended home that feels like it was built that way!

If you’re looking for extension ideas for semi detached houses you’ve come to the right place. Even with a tight budget like Jen & Stu, the right plan can bring your dream home within reach.

And seriously, the potential you have to extend your semi-detached house is almost endless.

With only one adjoining wall, you’ve got the possibility to add a side extension, rear extensions, loft conversions or even wrap around extensions or garage conversions.

And the choices you make around your extension can add some serious square meterage to your property, open up new social spaces, create multiple new rooms or even just let some extra light into an expanded room. 

But of course, you have to work within the parameters of what is allowed under permitted developments or planning permission and the space you’ve got with your existing dwelling. So, we’ve gathered a whole range of extension ideas for semi detached houses to inspire the direction, style, shape and use of your extension project. 

Warning before we start ⚠️

Before we start cooing over these properties together, there’s something I need to give you a heads up on.

As an interior designer, I’ve worked on dozens of successful extension projects in the last year and the truth is they can go very wrong when not planned in the correct way.

Layouts in particular can pose huge regrets for renovators.

You do all the work, spend all the money on extending, and then all of a sudden you realise there’s not enough space for that island you wanted, or there won’t be enough space to move around the dining table.

It’s heart breaking, but it’s avoidable if you plan in the correct way.

That’s why I’ve also created this free 3 day guide to help you start your planning your project on the right foot – so you don’t have to spend a penny and you’ll learn some crucial areas you need to consider before your extension gets underway.

Now let’s jump in and look at rear extension ideas for your home…

1. Extend as far back as possible

If you’re lucky enough to have ample space at the rear of your dwelling, then extending to the back can create so much more, it could almost double your floor space.

We love how this extension has been done very tastefully so it blends in seamlessly with the existing dwelling and you can barely notice it.

This extension looks to have created at least two more substantial rooms which is quite impressive! Definitely an idea to keep in mind if you have a home like this.

2. Build a semi extension bigger than the rest of the house

Some semis are spacious and others are a little on the smaller side, which is all the more reason to totally transform your home with a supersized extension.

This is undoubtedly one of the best things about owning a semi detached home, you can do so much with what you have and create a totally new home with your renovation. This absolutely stunning home has gone for a large extension on the rear, comprising a lantern roof in the centre and separate sections to break up the purposes of the new spaces you’ve created.

We also love that they’ve matched the brick shade so it all looks seamless.

3. Try a small sloping rear extension

When it comes to extensions, we’ve always got to work within the boundaries of the dwelling and land we’ve got. And sometimes budget or requirements means just a small extension will suffice.

We love how this home has extended their square footage amply but just extending backwards a couple of metres and coordinating the brickwork and roofing styles to the existing structure to create a small but significant addition. 

A small semi extension works wonders for this home!

4. Let the light into your extension

This semi detached extension structure is simply fantastic!

We love how the homeowners have used the normal roof structure to recreate the feeling of being in a lofty open space and the heavy use of Velux windows works so well to let all that natural light in.

Putting the kitchen in the big space also makes a really nice change as it makes the whole space a hub in the home and opens up such a social opportunity for interaction. 

Plan Your Dream Home Extension (without the mistakes!)

You're taking on one of the most stressful, expensive & complex projects in the renovation industry. 

You have a lot on your plate and missing important steps could lead to a painful experience with your local planning officer or construction team, ramping up those stress levels 😩

But it doesn’t have to be this way. I have a solution that’ll help you keep your extension plans organised and on track every step of the way and I’ll be showing you exactly how to plan your extension layout and get it spot on!

Take the first step towards a successful home extension project by downloading our Plan Your Extension Bundle now

Our bundle will:

• Get you faster results by doing all steps in the right order 

• Prevent missed opportunities with your extension layout (advice from an interior designer)

• Save you money and time

• Give you peace of mind + confidence throughout your project.

5. Design your extension to reach the width of your home

Where planning permission and boundary limits permit, it makes total sense to go big with your semi detached extension by planning it to span the width of your existing home.

By prioritising a wide extension, you’re not only maximising the internal space created but also creating something which blends in from the outside. This means that the finished home will look like it was originally built as big and wonderful as it stands after your extension renovation.

Just imagine living with that much extra space!

6. Go full width with your extension

If your perimeters allow then choosing to build a full-width with your extension can create a huge amount of new floor space and doesn’t detract from the garden if you’ve got one big enough.

Taking up the full space you’ve got can double your ground floor square footage with a semi of this size and also makes for a nice contrast between architectural styles.

As a bonus, attaching a porch to the rear of your extension means you’ve got a great summer social space and expands your home even further. What a beautiful property!

7. Change up your roof shapes

If you’re going for a large scale rear extension across the width of your property then changing up architectural styles across pitched and flat roofing makes a profound effect visually.

This kind of design-conscious extension design also means you can separate into two or more rooms and we love how this home has left the eaves of the pitched roof as a window to let extra light in.

A very smart move from these clever homeowners!

8. Prioritise your exterior look for total transformation

First and foremost, what we love about this beautiful semi extension idea is that you would never know it was an extension unless you see the before and after shots, it’s seamless!

A full transformation of the exterior has visually bridged between a midcentury semi and an extension built from a garage demolition turned into a double story project, echoing the same materials and colour scheme throughout.

This semi extension idea effectively doubles your interior space and, although it’s a pretty major reno project, the end result is absolutely brilliant.

9. A simple extension build can add so much value and space

It almost goes without saying that home extensions are all about making more space and this kind of semi extension does just that.

Although it’s only a single storey, the homeowners have maximised every last bit of space, with a flat roof and floorplan which extends the full width and length of the main home. They’ve chosen to go with the same lovely red brick as the rest of the semi so the whole build really blends in.

With enough vacant space to the side of the house to build in, you can really make the most of the build, almost doubling the ground floor space.

10. Go long at the back

So many semi-detached houses have nice, lengthy gardens which make for a huge opportunity to build into.

This beautiful semi detached home has decided to go long-ways with a big L-shaped extension and created a huge amount of new space which is such a smart move for the value of their property.

The savvy owners of this home have nailed how to maximise a semi with smart extension renovation and we love to see projects like this!

Are you on your own semi-detached house renovation journey? Have you extended? What kind of structure did you go for? Or do you have big plans for your renovation? Let’s get chatting!

New to the world of renovating? We can help!

Extensions are a big undertaking when it comes to home renovations but we’ve got a wealth of experience to lend a helping hand getting you on the road to home happiness. How to Renovate a House is a step-by-step guide and online community to ease you into the world of home renovations without the stress.

See also:

• Can I do an extension without planning permission

You know that punch to the gut you feel when you realise you've screwed something up? 🥴

Sometimes when I remind myself of the costly errors Neil and I made when we first started in renovations... I feel sick to my stomach 😬

Because the reality for us is, we could have saved thousands and achieved a better finish in our house, if we'd followed the methods we follow now. 

These are some of the biggest mistakes which we now strive to help you and other renovators avoid:

Mistake 1: We overestimated what we could achieve with our budget

When we first got the keys to our 1930s property, we got so excited about the possibilities. We thought our £80K budget was massive and had grand plans to extend and do a loft conversion on the house.

But quotes came back and they stung! 😩

That wasn't the worst of it though...

We'd just paid £3.5K for architect plans only to be told we couldn't afford most of it!!

*Rips up the drawings* Literally!

Let me tell you, this expensive mistake shifted us into gear.

Large-scale renovation projects need essential investigation work before hiring professionals so you can understand feasibility.

We learned this the hard, expensive way.

The absolute worst thing that can happen for a reno project is for extensions and conversions to suck up so much of your budget that you have to heavily compromise the finishes.

You end up with a mediocre home after spending £100K+ which is a serious blow. 

It's so avoidable too.

The solution is to spend more time planning and budgeting, detailing your design, so that you're clear about the downstream impacts of large-scale initial renovation works. 

I go into more detail about how to prepare correctly in our free renovation guide for beginners.

It pains me to reflect on how much money we wasted back then, but at least I'm able to show students and clients how to approach their planning correctly because of it. 

Our renovation courses are the best place to access the same methods, tools and practical advice we apply to every project that guarantees results. But if you’re new to our blog and community, start with our free guide and you’ll learn a lot!

Mistake 2: Not exploring the "routes to build" deeply enough

There are many ways to build a team and manage your renovation project. It largely depends on 3 things: time, scope and finances.

We chose to run our project with one general contractor who did much of the work himself, bringing in specialist trades he trusted when required.

It was fine. We have a great relationship with him, he took a lot of work off our hands having to find decent subcontractors. He brought trusted trades into the project, and his fee was very reasonable.

But!! Having fewer hands on deck meant that our renovation was slow and stop-start. 

Now that I’m involved in renovations on a professional level and have more experience in projects, I look back and wish we’d have made "time to completion" more of a priority alongside "cost" and "quality".

With a team working full time, the disruption would have been ripped off like a plaster rather than dragging out over months. When I work with families in particular, I help them to get clear on what level of disruption they’re mentally and financially able for. I love this process in helping renovators work out what their priorities are. Every renovator and every project is different.

I wouldn’t have changed things for us back then, because we had a tight budget and our contractor gave us a fixed price on much of the work... 

But we work differently now.

For larger projects such as extensions, loft conversions and double-storey extensions, we provide students with an information pack to quickly identify the right route and team to put their trust in. We help students confidently get their work completed with the right methods, in a sensible timeframe.

Comparing contractor’s quotes is a whole other ball game you need to be ready for. Especially as there are some cheeky tactics some trades can try and pull. 

Again, we provide an information pack to students showing the red flags to avoid, as well as a useful tool to compare costs quickly and methodically ensuring you're getting the best price for the work you're having done. 

Mistake 3: We rushed into our bathroom design... and regret it!!

I haven't told anyone this story publicly until now and here's why. One of the lowest points in our renovation was during our bathroom project.

Neil and I were both working full-time jobs. It was long before my training as an interior designer. We had very little time to navigate this complex process alone.

We had a tight budget to get the bathroom done (only £7,000) and couldn't afford to outsource the design or project management. We had to manage it by ourselves while juggling work and life commitments.

Because the project started way before I do what I do now, I had no experience with bathroom finishes, layouts or materials. And no time to learn.

Looking back it was a recipe for disaster and it was inevitable that the choices we made were wrong because we were so squeezed on time with no experience.

The builders were due to come a-knocking and through teary eyes I chucked some designs together, designing on the fly – which is ALWAYS a bad idea.

We made errors with the paint choices. I painted one of the walls 3 times because I kept getting the colour choice wrong.

We chose to fit MDF tongue and groove panelling at the end of the bath which has proven impossible to clean over the years.

The floor tile grout is splitting because we didn't do our research on how to prepare a subfloor...

...we had leaks galore which damaged the ceiling beneath. 

It was a nightmare 🤯

Mistakes happen when you have limited time, knowledge and funds.

I know now that there are specific steps to take and knowledge you need before you start, which will halve your planning time, majorly reduce the stress and achieve a durable design that will last.

You can save yourself a lot of stress and rework. 

Years later, with interior design training and dozens of client projects under my belt, I'm clued up on bathroom layouts and durable materials and I have an organised approach to budgeting, sourcing and layout planning.

Thankfully all the errors I made back then are a thing of the past and I instil every lesson back into our courses 😅 But a tip I want to pass onto you today is...

Bathroom & kitchen renovations are the most technical spaces in the house to get right. If you’re new to renovating and designing rooms, start with less technical rooms like your living room or bedrooms to get some experience under your belt first.

Be smart and plan your project methodically too which will keep you focused despite having little time.

If you're in a pinch, I can show you the exact methods I use on all client projects (and they're the same tools and exercises I use in our own projects too). Just look at the online courses and you'll see how students are getting immense value from this approach too.

If the courses are closed, start with our free online renovation guide. It’ll help you figure out game-changing renovation info like costs, how to hire the right people and what order to do work in to prevent errors.

It's taken Neil and I years of experience and trouble-shooting mistakes but our mission over the last few years has been simple:

To help you and other new renovators prevent mistakes and build a home you feel unbelievably happy and proud of.

I'd love to support you through this mammoth project you’re about to start and show you the tools and exercises to practice, to make smart choices and get it right.  

Regardless of whether you plan on joining our online courses or not, I hope hearing some of our renovation mistakes helps you make fewer 🙏🏼

Take care,

Fi

I know you’re super excited to jump head first into grand designs for your reno project, but take it from Neil and I, there’s some essential work you need to do first before hiring a renovation architect which will make your life (and theirs) easier – and could save you a lot of money.

If you’re reading this and you haven’t hired an architect yet, I’m so glad you’ve found this post in time. This mistake cost us £3.5K!! Follow our advice below and it could save you money you could put towards the build instead.

Of course, if you’re reading this and you’ve already engaged an architect, don’t worry because some of the tips we’re about to share with you are still things you can work on prior to taking the next step with your architect on board.

The biggest mistake we made – don’t do what we did 👇🏻

Back in 2016, we were newbie renovators just like you.

We got the keys to our first 1930s renovation project and like you, we were a cocktail of emotions. Excited, nervous and overwhelmed with the unknowns and the possible work ahead…

Looking back we can see exactly how naive we were.

It’s taken hindsight, hands-on experience and my career change to become an interior designer to teach us ‘the right way’ to approach a renovation and this was not it.

Neil and I originally had grand plans that revolved around knocking down walls and building a large extension to the rear of the house – with a tight budget!

Like a moth to the flame, we instructed and paid an architect’s fees to draw up all the plans for it but little did we know a few months later, after implementing the tips in this blog post, we ripped up those plans that cost us £3,500 and went our own way with the layout instead.

It ended up saving us nearly £80,000 which we were able to spend on the rest of the house (and a few holidays!)

Truthfully? Our naivety had us instructing an architect too soon.

We don’t want this to happen to you.

It’s such a common mistake. It’s why we’ve made it our mission to help UK renovators who are taking on renovations for the first time, start the right way and avoid expensive hiccups, this being one example.

Years later, we’ve supported thousands of first time renovators through our free guides and online renovation course, saving them a lot of money in mistakes – guiding them through every phase of their renovation.

We’ve also been super fortunate to work 1-on-1 with clients’ homes in London, Brighton, and across the South East (like Nick & Amy’s 1930s detached in London)

Do this instead 👇🏻

I’ll keep this short and sweet because I know you’re busy and have a whole lot going on purchasing a fixer upper! :)

The 3 tips that are essential before you hire your architect.

These tips will get you moving in the right direction before you part with any cash. Do the ground work and I promise you, you’ll go into your project more clued up, confident and savvy with how you spend your money.

1. Clarify how you like to live before you start discussions with an architect

Too many renovators rush into making layout decisions and don’t pay enough attention to their lifestyle first.

It leads to layout changes on the fly which is never good when you’re submitting a planning application and need to get it right first time.

Making constant layout changes can compromise the overall look which could leave you feeling ‘meh’ about the finished room or worse, regretting choices.

Every time I start a new client project, I dig deep to unearth how they like to live as a couple or family. Rather than immediately thinking about adding space (which costs £££!) I clarify their needs to determine how the space can enhance their life and go from there.

As I mention in the next point, it’s not always essential to add footprint to your property in order to get it working for your needs.

Every course and free guide we’ve ever produced for our community revolves around making your layout and design work for YOU.

Don’t follow trends or resort to huge loans to double the size of your property.

An architect isn’t going to understand you like you do, so do this excavation work now to ensure you’re clear on your goals.

If you’re lost on where to start, consider looking at the How to Renovate a House Online Course for an in-depth structure to follow for a successful renovation.

2. Don’t forget to investigate local planning restrictions early

Before you hire an architect or make any significant decisions, it’s crucial to investigate local planning restrictions and permitted development rights in your area. Many renovators jump head first into designing their dream home without considering whether their plans are even feasible under local council regulations.

For example, certain areas have strict rules about extensions, rooflines, or even window placements, especially if your property is in a conservation area or has specific covenants. Taking the time to understand these restrictions upfront will help you avoid costly redesigns later and ensure you’re buying the right property in the first place. Check with your local planning authority and use tools like the Planning Portal to view neighbouring applications. It will save you time, money, and potential frustration later down the line.

3. Sketch out every layout possibility using the 4 walls first

If you’ve not put pen to paper yourself yet, you’re at risk of missing opportunities to save some big money. Why? Because when you hire an architect for a renovation project, it’s almost always because you’re adding space, converting or majorly reconfiguring the building. Which costs £££s!

What if your existing building will give you everything you need in a home?

This is exactly what we realised too late. And we don’t want this for you.

We hired a renovation architect then realised we could get exactly what we want within the walls we had – we didn’t need the drawings after all!

These aren’t decisions you can make overnight.

In our How to Renovate a House Online Course, we get people thinking deeply about their project to limit any regrets.

We teach you how to draw to scale and hold your hand to determine whether there are layouts within your existing building that could give you everything you need from your home and cost a significant amount less in build costs.

A successful renovator is someone who knows what to spend and what to save on. This will only come when you do the up front work to investigate your options. Don’t pay for an architect’s (or any contractor’s) fees until you know who you need to hire.

I’m not suggesting you scale back your ideas just to save a few pounds either. Remember, we’re all about helping you clarify your needs for your renovation and sometimes the existing layout of a property needs extra footprint added in order to give you the light, space and layout you need.

Sketch out all possibilities with the 4 walls first, throw away ideas you know aren’t right for you – that way if and when you come to hire an architect you have a clear brief and ideas to start from (and you know you need their services!)

4. Work on your interior design now, not later

As a new renovator there’s a tendency to decide on walls, windows, doors and stairwell positioning first and design later.

I can understand it.

Normally people are in a rush to get planning applications submitted so that you can start build work asap but the trouble I see people run into is when there has been no real thought going into the interior layout.

Important areas of the home like the kitchen, bathroom, or furniture positioning becomes an afterthought which is a real shame because the best renovations take a holistic approach to both the architecture and interior design.

Approximately 75% of the clients I work 1-on-1 with come to me after planning is approved, eager to get support with the interior layout and I spot so many opportunities to enhance light, space and design features too late – planning has already gone through.

Worse, sometimes I’m asked to design kitchen layouts for clients. They send over their approved drawings and when I start drafting interior layouts there’s a lot of redundant space that could have been prevented if the client prepared interior design / floor plan decisions alongside.

When you’re spending tens or hundreds of thousands on a renovation, you need to prepare fully to give the project the best chance of success.

No cutting corners.

This is exactly why everything we do comes from a holistic approach. Design, Budget, Plan, all in one.

If you’re lost on where to start, then look at our renovation course and community for guidance. We’re all supporting one another within the private community and we’d love you to join us.

I hope this post has given you some food for thought prior hiring an architect, or as you work with one to form the plans for your renovation property.

Thanks for reading!

Fi (+ Neil!)

Leaving a family home after 18 years to start from scratch with a renovation is never easy. Especially with planning challenges, and two lively pets in the mix. But Deb & William took it all in their stride.

They joined our online renovation course, tackling every obstacle in transforming their 1950s semi-detached home into a sleek, modern space. With skyrocketing prices, scarce materials, and a few protected trees to navigate, they created their dream home, guided by the insights and support from our program.

In this post, find out:

• How Deb & William navigated issues with their renovation effortlessly

• How much their renovation cost & how they kept within budget

• Why the online program supported their journey

• Why they phased their project

Deb, tell us about yourself and your family :) 

Hi! I’m Deb (@deb@no27), and I’m an ex Project Manager who’s having a bit of a mid-life crisis and about to start retraining as a yoga teacher! I live in my house with my husband William, who has his own consultancy business and also dabbles in vintage and antique dealing.

Why did you join our home renovation course? 

I joined the course right at the very start when we’d only just moved in. Although at that time, I felt like I knew what to expect about renovations (I didn’t!), I liked the idea of working through a structured course that would give me a deeper understanding of the renovation process and the pitfalls to avoid. 

Tell us about your initial renovation plans

We moved here in February 2022, having downsized from the home where we’d raised our family. It’s a 4-bed, 1950’s semi-detached house – a typical 1950s house renovation. The house had been owned by the same family since the early 50s, and it had clearly been a well-loved family home. So although the decor, kitchen and bathroom were outdated, the house was still in good condition.

Leaving our home of 18 years with all its memories was definitely a wrench, so I knew I needed to throw myself into creating an ideal space. Although we loved the old house, there was much about it that wasn’t ideal, so this felt like a great opportunity to make some changes.

We knew we wanted more space in the kitchen for family gatherings and entertaining.

We also knew that we wanted the house and garden to feel more connected.

What was your biggest challenge other renovators need to be prepared for? 

One of our biggest challenges has been to make decisions quickly, and to actually stick to our vision for the house, and to not be waylaid by what’s easier to do or what others might think is better. 

I think what the course helped me with most of all was my confidence in decision-making.

Builders, plumbers, electricians, roofers, and plasterers all have their own ideas of what works best… Mostly based on what’s easiest for them! It can be really tricky to think on the spot about what you want, and also to hold onto your design decisions that are being questioned.

The course really helped us to solidify our thought process in the first place, which definitely helped with holding onto the vision. 

What setbacks did the renovation throw? 

The pandemic had a huge impact on our move, as anyone who’s moved in the last couple of years knows. By the time we moved in early 2022, there was a perfect storm of materials shortages, construction worker shortages, and a booming property development market caused by people deciding to extend their current properties, and by some households having savings to spend post-lockdown. 

In the autumn of 2021, we spoke to a builder friend of ours to get a top-line idea of how much it would likely cost us to extend across the back of the house, have a loft conversion, do some remedial works to the 1960s extension, add a new kitchen, bathroom, windows, and generally updating everywhere.

Using his costs and bouncing figures in the Reno Club, we estimated we were able to renovate the whole house for £100k.

By the time we were ready for detailed quotes in the late spring of 2022, that estimate had gone out of the window! Where previously new windows throughout for a house this size would have been around £6k, we now struggled to get them for under £10k. And the average cost of a loft conversion increased from £20-25k to £40k+, so our building works budget went from around £50k to over £60k for an extension, which was around a third of the original proposal. 

Being a project manager in a previous life, I had previously managed budgets of up to £800k on commercial refurbs and had never had a penny overspend. But being faced with cost and supply issues that seemed impossible to control was really daunting.

I remember asking questions in the Reno Club, and it definitely put my mind at rest knowing we were not alone and that everyone had felt the effects one way or another.

It really helped when I was told that others in the group had faced issues, such as fixed-price contractors who had come to them to say they were increasing prices…Something we also faced later in the process and would have been even more shocking if we didn’t know the issue was widespread. 

How did you respond to the rising renovation costs?

Something that stuck in my mind from the course that helped our thinking at this stage was that Fi and Neil had scaled back their own project and made the existing space really work for them for far less.

I had a friend remind us that we were downsizing for a reason and that we didn’t need the biggest extension possible (good reminder!). This helped us to rethink our ideal layout. We worked within our new limits set by the trees and took the increased cost into consideration, and came up with what we have now, which is absolutely perfect.

I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and it all works out in the end. 

Tell us about how you phased your project 

In terms of phasing, we planned everything around getting the rear extension and the new roof complete. We planned to do as much as we could pre-extension, so that included the windows in the rest of the house, getting the electrics sorted (we didn’t need a rewire, thankfully, but did need a new consumer box that was big enough for the new extension and up to current regulations), stripping out where we could, and doing things like replacing the skirting boards, and generally trying to get the rooms ready for decorating. 

In terms of final decor, most rooms had to wait until after the extension was complete. The bathroom and hallway came later.

Our main building works took around 5 months. The builders left in March, so just over a year after we’d moved in. The next phase will take about 12 months, and this is when we will decorate the whole house and do the bathroom.

We decided to have a break from having people in the house, so left the bathroom until later. It was very brown!

How has the course & community helped you? 

We’ve been surprised by how laid back we’ve been, whilst basically living in one room downstairs!

I’d never have believed you if you’d told me we would be ok with that arrangement for several months. All we had was a chopping board for a worktop and a microwave and toaster to cook our meals. But even when things got stressful during the renovation, it was cosy and relaxing in there… Although it has also been amazing to get the huge dog beds out and to reclaim the space! 

I’m surprised that we managed it all quite successfully. And it definitely made for a more enjoyable process.

How did your renovation budget stretch?

I found the Renovation Course budget spreadsheet that’s included really useful. I liked that the spreadsheet could forecast overspending.

You absolutely have to put all the numbers in and be honest about them! I spent many hours putting numbers in the budgeting spreadsheet and taking others out to try and get things to balance. It’s tempting to underestimate your figures so you can make the numbers fit, but in the long run, it’s better to see the worst case on paper.

The two biggest expenditures for us were the rear extension and the new roof and improvements to the existing side extension.

breakdown of kitchen extension renovation costs (2022):

• New hipped roof (size of an average garage) to match existing roof £10,800. 

• Extension build (3m x 6m), including removing the existing extension and stripping out the kitchen, knocking through, creating a new utility area, all building works, electrics, relocating plumbing, insulation, plastering and so on, to create an empty shell. Supply and fitting Bifolds, picture window, 3 x Velux windows. Fitting costs include kitchen, utility and cloakroom. All finishes except flooring. £65,000. 

• Steels for kitchen extension and roof £4,000. 

• Kitchen & utility units £7,500. 

• Worktops (quartz 30mm) £3,900. 

• Appliances (2 ovens, fridge freezer, boiling tap, dishwasher, hob, extractor, and sink) £1,990. 

• New boiler £4,000. 

• Flooring (LVT through downstairs except living room) £4,990. 

• Windows throughout the rest of the house £9,700. 

• Shutters for the whole house £4,600. 

• Radiators throughout £1,400. 

• Repipe and fit radiators throughout (not including extension) £1,500. 

• Log burner in kitchen £5,700. 

• Architect technician (x2) £1,797. 

• Structural engineer £1,380. 

• Planning & BC £1,130. 

• Tree survey & report £1,480. 

• Heat Calculations (for BC) £295. 

Total: £127,166

How long did the work take? 

We moved in February 2022, and the major works started in October 2022 and were completed in March 2023. We aim to finish the whole house by March next year, so around 2 years from moving in. 

What route did you take for the build, and why? 

We decided to go the main contractor route.

I originally thought that I would be the one doing the day-to-day project management, and I was happy to coordinate the different trades at the right time etc. It was more expensive to have a contractor who managed the process and was responsible for bringing in all the associated trades, but in this situation, it was the best solution. 

It worked for many reasons, including the sub-contractors all had a working relationship with the main contractor that they wanted to maintain, and I found them far more reliable than anyone I found directly. 

We had a really good working relationship with the main contractor, who, although he was rarely on-site, always kept us up to date on the progress and plans for the coming week. He had different teams for each stage, and all of the guys were really easy to have around, which is important when they’re in your house for months on end! 

I know that a common stress point is that some tradespeople start work and then disappear. Our main contractors were on site when expected every single day, which I think was amazing, and it really helped to keep things on track. 

Do you have any tips about renovating with pets – your dogs are lovely! How are they coping? 

Our dogs have been absolutely fantastic throughout. I was really worried initially about how they would cope with limited access to the garden and all the noise, plus strangers being in the house. 

Betty was a bit of a lockdown dog (we got her in 2019), so she wasn’t great with visitors and used to bark at everyone. But now she’s far more relaxed with people coming and going, so it’s actually really helped her! 

The dogs were literally constrained to the living room for most of the extension build, but they took it all in their stride. I definitely think having a dedicated space for them really worked. I often closed the shutters if there were lots of people up and down the driveway, and we had the TV on to distract them from the noise. 

On days when there was really loud work going on, I would take them to my parents, who would kindly dog sit for the day, which also really helped. I would make sure that I took them out to the garden when the guys were having their lunch break, so we tried to balance the fact that they needed to get on with the work without dogs in the way, but also the dogs needed to get out for a few minutes. 

To be honest, after a long run in the morning, the dogs were really happy to curl up by the fire for the day! 

Did you do any work yourselves? 

We are mostly just doing the decorating, and small bits of DIY, like replacing the skirting boards.

I attempted to fit some new interior doors to the bedrooms, but after buying a new circular saw and watching a few YouTube tutorials, I started the first one and spent several hours cutting it down and fitting hinges. I realised then that it was more difficult than it looked.

In the end, I called a local carpenter out, and they fitted all four doors in half a day. They charged £250. I regret not calling them out in the first place! 

We are doing the whole garden ourselves, including a new patio area, decking and greenhouse base, so we will see how that goes! 

Quick-fire questions! :)

What are the strongest emotions you connect with renovating your house? 

Patience and satisfaction. 

What one tip would you give our readers who’re thinking about renovating a house? 

Go for it! Don’t be put off by others. 

What was the most rewarding aspect of your project and why? 

Seeing our vision come to fruition, especially the picture window in the kitchen. It was hard work to have it in the size and height that I wanted. But it is exactly how I imagined and hoped it would be now. 

Knowing everything that you know now, would you go through your renovation again? 

Yes, absolutely. 

Where are your kitchen, worktops, lighting and flooring from? 

• Kitchen - DIY Kitchens. 

• Worktops - Godiva Granite, Coventry. 

• Lighting - Atkin & Thyme (island and utility pendants) and Industville (wall lights). 

• Flooring - local supplier. Polyfor Camaro LVT in Cambridge shade. 

• Sockets & switches - Corston Architectural. 

A huge thank you to Deb and William for sharing their story with us! I’m sure your story will inspire so many and motivate those who are in the middle of renovating their homes now.

And thank YOU for reading too. Don’t forget, if you’re about to embark on your very own journey, you can join our Home Renovation Course, where you’ll learn how to manage and budget your renovation, as well connect with other Reno Club members like Deb & William for a sense check on costs and challenges.

Thanks again Deb and William!

Fi xxx