Setting a clear budget and being willing to compromise on materials are ways to keep a lid on rising renovation costs. The key to success and navigating this process is by engaging specialists, such as Kaiko Design Interiors for your home renovation.

The key to success

It is well publicised that inflation has hit the construction industry hard – but there are ways we are able to keep a lid on rising costs. Engaging with us at Kaiko Design Interiors early in the process is the key to setting yourself and your home renovation up for success. In August of last year, spending on home renovations hit a 4 year high, despite the increased cost of labour and materials.

Some key tactics to wrestle your budget into line are:

• Setting a clear budget

• A willingness to compromise on materials

• Locking in your decisions prior to even breaking ground

• Engaging specialists upfront.

How to get the best price for your home renovation

The only way to get a fixed price from your builder is through comprehensive documentation. I know I talk about it almost every month - just how vital the documentation package is but it really is the greatest tool you have in getting what you want, to align with what your budget will pay for.

When should i engage with my Interior Designer

Builders will say to you to get a job costed before looking at planning or finishes, in fact it is quite the opposite. Here at Kaiko Design we specialise in home renovations and the reconfiguration of existing layouts. Perhaps you are looking to renovate a bathroom or relocate and renovate the kitchen, we have the tools, experience, and knowledge to quickly determine what is going to be possible and get some preliminary planning to the relevant trades people – be they builders, joiners, plumbers or an electrician. Without adequate planning, even in its very preliminary stages, builders can often overestimate.

What is the value in engaging my interior designer early?

Ordering materials early on and willing to compromise on different aspects of the renovation can help keep a lid on rising costs. This is so important to the running of the project – in terms of both the timeline and budget. At Kaiko Design Interiors we work through many iterations of interior schemes, choosing tiles, stone, veneer, laminate, paint, and wallpaper to name just a few. When the decisions on finishes are made prior to any works, we have time to respecify finishes that don’t fit within the budget. Time is the key to a successful outcome. For example, say the stone chosen for the benchtops is too expensive, rather than just selecting any reconstituted style material like Cesar Stone (which is not ALWAYS cheaper than the real thing!), perhaps we need to go back and look at an entirely new material palette for this area. Maybe the benchtop becomes a small format tile, popularised by the mid-century style or perhaps it becomes timber. This change of material has a knock-on effect for the rest of the space. Substituting a single material is not always the right answer. The key to success is having time upfront to resolve the material selection to suit the budget.

If you’d like more information or like to know how Kaiko Design can transform your own project get in touch here to see how we can help you.

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