Renovating can feel like a big leap into the unknown if you haven’t done it before - we remember that feeling well! When we started renovating houses, Erin and Lana had no renovating experience so we relied on Bonnie’s knowledge (and a whole lot of winging it!) to complete our first project.

Now we’re onto our 18th house and we’ve helped tens of thousands of others renovate their dream homes and turn their worries into wins.

The concerns we hear about renovating are always the same. Do these sound familiar to you?

1. Budget Blowouts

It doesn't matter how big or small your project is, if you have $5k or $5m to spend... everyone worries about their budget. And so they should! It's a large chunk of money (sometimes your life savings) and you're going to spend it all on something you have little experience in. For many, it will be their FIRST TIME renovating or building anything. Now THAT is a pretty scary scenario.

Want to know how to tackle your budget to avoid budget blowouts? Plan, plan, and plan some more! When it comes to working out exactly how much you’ll need to spend to complete your desired renovation, the ONLY way to draw up an accurate budget is to go through the quoting process which will require a fair deal of work and planning on your part. But, in the meantime, you can try and determine what your ballpark spend might be. We teach you how to do this in our Three Birds Reno School.

2. Decision Dilemmas

Choosing colours, finishes, and fixtures can be overwhelming. Selecting products for an entire home is enough to send anyone into a frenzy, let alone a rookie renovator! Feeling overwhelmed about choices is super common.

Our advice? Break it down. Start by creating a vision board to visualise your dream space or home. This will become the definitive guide for the overall style and you’ll refer back to it every time you need to select a product or colour.

And, when in doubt, phone a friend! A problem shared is a problem halved, so when decision fatigue hits it’s a good time to ask a fellow renovator - WWYD? If your friends are sick of hearing about your dilemmas, Reno School could be perfect for you, we’ve got 25,000 fellow renovators lined up for you to ask in our Reno School Community.

3. SHADY TRADIES

Another big concern is the worry of dealing with cowboys on the building site. No one wants to find out they’ve employed dodgy tradies, as it can lead to subpar work, unexpected delays, and even financial losses. This is why it's crucial to do the due diligence and get your dream team lined up before you break ground. Look for reputable, licensed professionals with positive reviews and references. We teach our students not to be afraid to ask for quotes and always compare them using our scope of work template. Remember, transparent communication and a clear contract can go a long way in ensuring a smooth renovation process and keeping those dodgy dudes and dudettes at bay.

4. TimeLINE TENSION

Worried about your reno dragging on forever? All too often we see projects run later than they need to. To avoid this, you need to sit down with your dream team and set a realistic timeline together. We have a template (which we share in Reno School) that we like to use with our builder. Communication is key, so keep in touch with your tradies and suppliers to stay on track. Regular site visits are a must. FaceTime is a Godsend if you’re not nearby!

5. Fear of Fumbles

Nervous about making a mistake? We've been there too! The trick is to do your research, ask for advice, and go with trusted professionals. And hey, even if there's a little oops, it's all part of the journey to creating a home you love. With careful management and plenty of communications, most little oops moments can be rectified before they become big oh-no moments.

ARE YOU READY TO RENOVATE?

We can help you tackle your reno worries with more confidence and lots of support in Three Birds Reno School. It’s the ultimate online course to get you geared up to renovate. We’ll teach you everything we know about how to design, renovate or build your dream home.

We often say “We’ve made the mistakes, so you don’t have to” … and it’s true! We share all of them in Reno School.

When you join Reno School you’ll be invited to join our private Facebook community of over 25,000 fellow students ready to support you on your journey and get exclusive supplier discounts from our besties in the biz. Want to know more? Click below.