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Iwan Carrington Renovation Tips
From picking the right builder to designing your dream spaces, a home renovation is a big journey – and it’s one that’s way easier with the right prep. Iwan’s Carringtons advice? Start with a solid relationship with your builder and make sure your priorities line up. Plus, keep an eye on comfort: living through a reno can be tricky, so planning for dust and delays helps keep things smooth. And with Iwan’s top tips for each room, from kitchen essentials to a smart office setup, you’ll be ready to create a space you’ll love!
Top Renovation Tips
Constructing a Strong Relationship with Your Builder
Develop a good relationship with your builder, this is so important from the very beginning. Talk to neighbours who have done similar projects and ask them for their recommendations and then spend some time meeting builders face to face and communicate what’s important to you when they are working in your home. Do you value tidiness? Punctuality? Are you happy for them to work on a Saturday? Ask questions to get a feel of how they operate, and always treat them with kindness and respect. It’s likely you will encounter problems during a renovation, so maintaining a positive relationship will help to smooth over any issues. I recommend being on site as much as possible during any renovation. So many small details that need quick decisions will crop up along the way - if you can’t be there in person, check in every morning and ask for video calls to see the progress each day.
Consider Your Living Conditions During the Renovation
Consider your living conditions during the build. Living in a renovation can be miserable! There may be times without heating and hot water, building dust gets everywhere and living out of boxes for any considerable duration isn’t fun. If you have to stay on site, plan for how you are going to live there day to day to maximise your comfort with the resources you have.
Prepare for Delays and Unexpected Costs
Plan for delays and unexpected costs. I am yet to experience any renovation that has run exactly to time and budget. Hidden costs or delays are common, and it’s best to plan for these to allow some wriggle room in your budget and schedule. Keeping a spreadsheet of all costs can help you track this, and I’m a fan of an old fashioned calendar on the wall that can be viewed by your builder at a glance.
Top Tips for Each Room
Kitchen Top
Too many appliances on our surfaces can look cluttered, so consider your counter top space and whether you can integrate any (for example the microwave in cupboard). Allow enough plug sockets for all of the appliances that you will have out permanently, plus a couple of additional ones. Consider having some USB chargers within them so you can charge devices in the kitchen.
Kitchen Units
For large kitchen appliances, check their energy efficiency to give you an idea of the cost of running them long term. It’s also worth checking what warranties they come with and factoring that into the cost. You may want to shop smart and take advantage of sales, but remember you will have to keep the items somewhere during the renovation and they take up a lot of room - so only buy them early if you have enough space to store them during any building works. Always ask for a discount code when shopping online, or shop via a cash back site.
Office
Desks can be pricey. You can easily build a bespoke desk area using 2 sets of drawers placed either side, with a solid wood door on top. You can also use a kitchen worktop which creates a large surface area to work.
Living Room
Second hand furniture can save you a fortune. My sofa is years old and I regularly recover it to keep it looking new. You can buy slip covers and there are companies that make bespoke covers for flat pack sofas, so you can buy a cheap sofa and make it look premium with a beautiful fabric! It’s also easy to swap the legs to adapt the height, often sofas can be too low so this can be a quick and easy fix for that.
Utility Room
Consider the location of your utility room - if the main use is for washing and drying clothes, could it be situated near to the bathroom and bedrooms to avoid carrying washing up and down the stairs? I have my washing machine in my bathroom and it’s so handy when I only have to move the washing around on the same floor as my bedroom. Plan for enough space to hang some clothing where possible, so you aren’t relying on tumble drying everything.
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