28/11/2025
Renovating is fun - but it’s also exhausting, expensive, frustrating & fun!
5 things I’ve learnt that I was never told prior to starting:
1. Spending $2/300 extra on a high quality tap means nothing in the scale of the whole budget. Pay a little bit extra now to avoid paying more later.
2. You have to like your builder.
Let’s be real, they’re showing up at your house at 7am everyday while you’re still looking cooked so you better make sure you don’t mind having them in your space.
3. You gotta be a bitch sometimes
If you want to be happy with the final result - sometimes you gotta be assertive and say exactly what you want & expect from your trades. And if they do it wrong, say so!
Ps. I don’t think I’m ever a bitch but it’s hard for me to be assertive sometimes so that’s been a new one to navigate.
4. Even if it’s 99% awesome, you’ll forever notice the small mistakes
When YOU design it from the start and put your heart and soul into every decision, you’ll never NOT see the parts that aren’t perfect. But to everyone else it looks like a dream!
5. Leave budget for painting. No really - leave budget for painting. It’s sucks when you realise how long it’ll take to DIY but it often gets overlooked in the planning stage.
6. Bonus lesson - interior designers are worth every penny. We worked with who helped us design the layout of our kitchen and she absolutely nailed it. As we didn’t have the budget for any further help, I DIY’d the rest of it myself and you. can. tell!
It’s still pretty but a designer really would have taken it to the next level. Maybe next time!
Are you a renovator who learnt a some lessons the hard way? Lemme know 🖤
