You don't have to wait until the Melbourne rain starts to leak into your house before you think about renovating your home. But if you've begun to store your stuff on the floor or the kids are whinging for their own space, then renovating to accommodate lifestyle changes in a period of stable low interest rates now makes perfect sense!

People renovate for all sorts of reasons but most of us would prefer to put it off until we simply have to. Call it being in denial. What we're really afraid of is the domino effect — you change one thing and it impacts on another, then another... What begins as a minor alteration can end up a major nightmare. We choose instead to jump in the car, drive to Bunnings or Ikea and come home with yet another bookcase, or can of paint. Spending money on temporary solutions to on-going problems is certainly not cost-efficient.

With time, all houses, indeed all buildings, go through wear and tear and therefore there's a constant need for upkeep and remodelling. The problem with renovating your own home is that often you've lived there for years and see right past its potential. We all know that a home is a long-term investment, but you should boost its short-term value as well. So think of a renovation as a reinvestment in a home which will add to its future saleability.

So when do you say enough is enough and call Home Extend?

  • When your home ceases to be comfortable and relative to today's lifestyle
  • You want to maximise the use of natural light and warmth
  • When you've fallen out of love with its original features and feel you'd like to update fixtures and fittings
  • When temporary solutions to structural problems don't work any more

Four factors which influence the decision to renovate

  • Necessity
  • Money
  • Time
  • Availability of labour

And the most appropriate time to begin a stress-free renovation is when all these elements are compliant.

Planning your budget. How much is too much?
It's dangerous to begin a renovation without a firm budget. As a general rule, Archicentre (the architects building advisory service) advise not to spend more than half the value of the property on the renovation. For instance, if your house is worth $700,000 — cut off the renovation budget at $350,000. However, you should realistically calculate for variations.

Remember:
Which features add value? Gold taps... no. A flexible room or floor plan that can be reconfigured... yes!

Make a list of your top five priorities, especially in the kitchen and bathroom, and decide that's where you are going put your money.