If you want to create your dream home and are thinking of extending or renovating, here are five common pitfalls you’ll want to avoid to ensure your desired results.

Your vision is defined by how you want to live and use the space. It is the reason you’re making the changes and in-vesting your time and money. A clear vision will be your guide throughout the process. It will sustain you when you’re in the middle of your project and having moments of doubt, and be a sense check for your design choices and decisions.

Your plan can be scribbled in a notebook, on planning software, on an Excel spreadsheet or in a Word document. Setting out at the start what work you’re having done, how much it’s going to cost, who’s going to do it and when, will help you stay on track during the project.
You don’t need to know the how, especially if it’s not your area of expertise. However, you do need a good builder you can trust who will deliver your vision and your plan safely and to a high standard.

Sometimes the smallest of changes to the design of a building can have a huge impact on how you can use the room. Adjusting the size or position of a door or window in a kitchen, for example, may allow you to fit in a critical piece of kit. The design and layout of your rooms should be done alongside the build plans, not afterwards.

From start to finish, kitchens can take around 16 weeks to design, order and deliver. This period needs to be factored into your overall plan so you don’t waste time and money waiting for deliveries. The same can be said of most materials, fixtures and fittings. It’s important that you’re the one making the choices of what goes into your home and that everything is on site ready to use when the builder needs it.

Choosing materials, fixtures, finishes and furnishings one decision at a time is unlikely to give you an intentional, cohesive and elevated look. It’s also tiring and stressful. Put your ideas and choices on a moodboard and send for as many real samples as possible, to check colours and materials work well together.
Avoiding these common mistakes will make the process of creating your dream home much more enjoyable, with less stress, overspend or guesswork.