Renovating a Country Home – 5 Guaranteed Ways to Ease Budget Stress.
So you want to ease budget stress when renovating a country home?
Make good decisions that wont drain your bank account?
I’ve been renovating for over 25 years (all my life really), and have some very handy wisdom to share with you. Help that may assist you on your financial renovation journey. Renovating a country home.
Renovating really can be a dirty word and not all of us are seasoned renovators. Even those that are can struggle with the absolute chaos it can create. Not to mention unexpected financial pitfalls. If you’re wanting to renovate for profit please click this link.
In my experience renovating a small run down- should be bulldozed country home/farm is next level. By next level I mean ‘did we make the biggest mistake of our lives?’ Well, that’s exactly what we did 7 years ago. ‘
Luckily my husband is a builder and me well I like to offer all kinds of design advice-much to his sometimes amusement and sometimes ‘WTF’…. are you thinking? We both thought we had this one in the bag and with 25 years renovating experience under our belts it should have been a given.….hhhmmmm we had another thing coming.
Before- What Were We Thinking?
As you can see the house was a proper mess in fact I would go so far as to say we had bought a lemon. The pics above do the house justice. The rest of the farm was worse however that’s another story.
I recall my oldest son turning on the solar pool heater which was attached to the roof above the kitchen. Unbeknownst to us the piping had perished and rusted a hole in the roof creating pressure which then dramatically exploded into the ceiling. Water poured into the kitchen making a hole big enough to put a head through. Words leaving my mouth were not the nicest and left little to the imagination, ‘Hello’ new home was not one of them.
You can probably tell I was not excited. The dogs weren’t either as cleaning up took hours and no treats were given that day.
Millie was NOT happy.
Budget Talk
Not everyone love’s to talk budget. In fact I know people who exit stage left when one is even mentioned. Honestly our own budget was small. What needed to be done seemed overwhelming and the feeling we had made a huge mistake was all consuming.
A money pit is what I secretly thought but trying to be positive I kept that notion to myself (my husband may beg to differ) and just focused on how to get to the other side without going broke and/or losing my sanity.
Melodramatic I know but at the time and to this day I still have moments of pure panic that we still haven’t finished 7 years later. The bulk is done and the finish line is getting closer and to be honest could have been completed if not for the fact that to give our children opportunities that our city counterparts have, boarding school beckoned and our future home renovation had to wait.
Planning
A renovation doesn’t need to break the bank but it does need a strong plan and a budget. I am almost certain that all of us at some point have dreamed of the perfect home, a place that gives you a sense of belonging, a place that makes you feel safe and welcome. One perhaps full of children and animals.
On a budget that dream can become a reality even if your taste is more champagne than beer but your budget is more beer than champagne. What’s wrong with beer anyway especially if home brewed.
Renovating A Country Home – 5 Guaranteed Ways To Ease Budget Stress.
1. Live In It First Don’t Rush In.
Live in your renovators delight for a least a few months before rushing into anything major. After you live in a house for a while you may look at things differently.
You will definitely know what you like and what you don’t like about the house, what needs to be changed and what can stay. Sometimes what you thought was a deficit at first can in fact turn surprisingly positive.
The moral of the story is rushing in can sometimes result in unnecessary expense.
2. Plan Your Renovation.
Planning your renovation is one of the most important things you can do. It’s often boring however can save you a lot of money moving forward. A bit like the prep work when painting- a thankless boring job but essential for a flawless finish.
A good builder who is experienced in renovating will also give you advice in regards to what’s possible within your budget. Before hiring professionals such as a draftsman, architect and/or interior designer have a clear plan in place even a hand drawn pic or a plan done via an app will save you money as these professionals often charge by the hr.
Planning may pull the reins in for some but ease budget stress for others.
3. Budget, Budget, Budget!
Budget, Budget Budget. I cannot emphasize this enough. My advice is to never over capitalise and have a clear and concise budget. One that includes all costs.
House renovations are a major expense however farm renovations can quickly delete funds if not budgeted accordingly. There are often hidden costs and infrastructure can be huge for example, fixing broken bores and sheds. It is worth getting a professional to assess any incidentals that may be hidden and getting at least three quotes for any works that are to be done.
We hadn’t factored a new bore into our budget –(the old one wasn’t pumping enough water) and this set us back $40k. Not a fun surprise. Yes this little thing a bore.
4. Find A Quality Builder.
Find a quality builder that you feel comfortable with and has good word of mouth reviews. Having clear and honest communication is the key to a smooth and successful outcome from the get go. The more communication the least likely costly errors may occur. Build repo ire with your trades, a happily functioning team will surprise you with productive results and make the experience that much more enjoyable. If that’s possible 😊
5. Look for Grants
The government in Australia often have grants available for renovators that can ease budget stress and you can find more details on the Home owner grants – Queensland Treasury.
Getting there will keep you posted.
