Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living Magazine May Issue – How to Keep Your Renovation within Budget

Our creative director Arlene McIntyre was interviewed by Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine to give her best tips on how to keep your renovation within budget.

‘’If quotes are markedly different in costs there is often a good reason for this, either

they are playing around with your brief, or misunderstood it, and are trying to come in at

the lowest cost to win the job.’’ Arlene McIntyre.

When approaching any of our renovation projects we always try and first establish what the budget is and then try and utilise it as best possible. As a rule I would always first try and establish what the big ticket item costs are, for example, if we were working on a kitchen we would first establish the building works, then the kitchen, new windows, flooring and anything that helps to get the bones right first. Managing both your expectations and costs is very important from the start. Furnishings and general décor would always come last. It’s a common mistake to see the cart put before the horse; where clients are driven by beautiful furnishings before they understand the overall costs. Always get more than one quote for everything and remember to always compare apples with apples. If quotes are markedly different in costs there is often a good reason for this, either they are playing around with your brief, or misunderstood it, and are trying to come in at the lowest cost to win the job. This can then lead to missing items being added on later down the road, which plays havoc with your budget. Good communication and having a clear brief from the get go is key in any given project. Get everything into writing and do your homework.

Read the full article below.