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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Renovating - 5 Tips For Planning And Designing

With any project you tackle, the most important part is the planning stage. Here at the Jarrah Jungle renovations Mr P and I have been known to spend months planning (also known as procrastinating!) the design of a renovation or project to make sure we get exactly what we want.
 
I did a detailed step by step guide last year on planning a kitchen renovation and as we are now tackling the laundry/toilet it's reminded me just how important the planning stages are.

So with that in mind here are my 5 tips for the plan and design of a renovation project:-
 
1. Start an inspiration folder
 
For our latest project the laundry/toilet renovation we have been planning this for years and I've got an inspirational folder bursting with all my ideas and things I love - product brochures, print outs of products found online, magazines flagged and pages torn out, samples of colour charts, sketches (sometimes mistaken for kids drawings!) ... all of these things help with planning the design of the room.
 
Once you have an idea of the things that you like and the look and feel you are going for, you can work out your design for the room.
 
 
2. Measure the room to work out what you can realistically do with the space
 
We have measured the laundry room a zillion times ... and then a few more times just to be sure! Never underestimate a couple of centimetres because that could be all that stands between a standard cupboard or a fancy pull out laundry chute. Likewise it could mean ending up with cabinetry that doesn't fit!

Getting the most of your room and being smart about storage and space is key to a good renovation. Being practical and functional often comes down to playing around with different layouts and being open to different storage ideas ... think outside the box!
 
 
3. Draw up the design so you can visualise what you want
 
Of course the design can (and will!) change but it will give you a pretty good starting point of the layout, cabinets, appliances, power, lights, plumbing etc. It doesn't have to be fancy but draw to scale if you can. If you're a bit more tech savvy, there's online drawing tools you can use and a few companies have their own such as Ikea and Bunnings.

Putting your design onto paper also shows you whether you will work around existing plumbing/electrics to keep costs down, or if you are going with a new layout/design then you'll need to budget for this. Remember: The key to a good design is for it to be practical, functional and look great!
 
 
4. Go shopping! 
 
This is meant to be the fun part! Shop around and get quotes in stores and also get companies out to quote for you. Everyone has their own ideas and suggestions after all this is what they do for a job so it's great to get inspiration from the professionals to help build on your design and get the most out of your renovation.

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices out there but if you've followed steps 1-3 you'll have a pretty good idea of what you want so you're less likely to go shopping for a traditional wood look laundry and come home with a sleek modern laundry instead!
 
 
5. Make decisions and finalise your design
 
After your shopping expedition, you should be able to improve your initial design, perhaps with a few changes depending on new products or features on offer. This all helps to concrete your design so you're confident in what you have planned.

Once you've had time to mull over all your options, do some research and read reviews on the products and then finalise your design. You can then take steps to put your design into action .... and turn your dream design into reality!  
 
 
Bonus tip:
 
I don't think you can really settle on a design until you've lived in a space for a while, to know what you want to change and improve on, what you love about it and what drives you crazy. It needs to be practical to suit you and your family and it needs to be functional as to how you live in your home.

Once you have a good feel for that and for some it could take months .... then you are ready to plan and design your dream home renovation!
 
Do you have any tips for the perfect renovation plan and design?
 
[All images via my Laundry Board on Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
 
 
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7 comments:

  1. Great tips! I would second the creating a inspiration folder mine is becoming quite huge but at least we are narrowing down what we do and don't like. My other big tip is the B word, budget! Make a decision about how much you can/ want to spend as that's going to have a big impact on what you do with the space

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    1. Yes they tend to get a little large but then I do a bit of culling and get rid of all the ones I definately dont like anymore! Start to narrow down the choices which makes decision time a lot easier!!
      Oh yes the budget, pretty much what rules any renovation project and is the difference between flat packs Vs cabinet makers etc. We need to revist our budget to make sure we are on track with our ideas :)

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  2. I would agree #4 is my favorite and the funnest step! I also love #1, the planning stage and pinning ideas to a folder. Great tips!

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    1. Oh yes Pinterest where would we be without all that inspiration! x

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  3. These are great tips! On #2 I can't tell you how many times I've come up with an awesome plan in my head (or bought a piece of thrifted furniture - oops!) only to realize that the dimensions just don't work in real life! I'm not good at visualizing sizes in my head :P

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    1. Yes reality has a lot to answer for doesnt it :) I carry a tape measure around with me everywhere now just so I can measure, photograph, and then check once home its going to fit ok!

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  4. Great tips and great pics! Thank you for sharing. You will be one of the features today at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Hope to see your prettiness again at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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