Your Guide to Remodelling Your Home: Expert Tips From the Project Management Pros

Whether you’re updating your kitchen, reconfiguring the layout of your property, or undertaking a full new build, the thought of bringing your vision to life can be exciting but it can also feel overwhelming. That’s where expert project management makes all the difference.

At Artizan Interiors, we’ve helped countless homeowners turn their ideas into beautiful realities. Here are our top tips to help you approach your remodelling project with confidence and clarity.

1. Start With a Clear Vision

Before you dive into the intricacies of your design and start sourcing suppliers, you’ll want to make sure you have a clear brief in place. The most important thing to consider is how you use your home and the atmosphere you want to create. Take some time to visualise how you want your new space to look, feel, and function. An easy way to start is by addressing what currently doesn’t work and what your priorities are for improvement. Don’t forget to think about your plans for the future and how your family’s needs might change.

Pro tip: Collect inspiration from magazines, Pinterest, and Instagram—but keep your lifestyle at the heart of your decisions.

2. Set a Realistic Budget

One of the most important steps in any renovation project is setting a realistic budget from the outset. Without a clear plan, it’s easy for costs to spiral.

Think about the maximum amount you’re comfortable spending on the entire project. This should be a figure that includes a buffer, ideally 10-15%, for unexpected costs, which often crop up during building work (especially in older properties).

Then, break this down into key areas like structural work, windows and doors, electrics/lighting, flooring, kitchen cabinetry and appliances, bathroom furniture, and decorating. We often help clients map this out to ensure nothing is missed.

Be clear about your priorities. It’s worth investing in things that add long-term value—like quality cabinetry, professional installation, and smart storage. At the same time, savings can often be made on elements like tiles or paint. It’s important to be honest about your budget to ensure your financial safety and so that contractors like us can meet your needs and offer accurate advice on how best to allocate your budget.

3. Choose the Right Team

From builders and electricians to plumbers and decorators, sourcing a skilled team you can rely on to communicate, meet deadlines, and deliver excellent attention to detail is absolutely key to ensuring your project runs smoothly. However, doing so is certainly easier said than done!

There are a few things we recommend doing when choosing contractors, such as making sure you ask to see previous work and checking they have the right accreditations and insurance. It’s also important to find someone who listens to your ideas, answers your questions and communicates clearly, so watch out for this when exploring potential providers.

Bearing in mind that coordinating multiple trades can be stressful and time-consuming, you might find it easier to enlist the help of a team who provide full project management like us.  We abide by CDM regulations and have our own trusted network of professionals which our experienced team will schedule for you, overseeing each stage to ensure everything runs smoothly and is completed to the highest standards.

4. Plan Every Detail (Then Plan Some More)

Some of the common causes of delays and budget issues are last-minute decisions and overrunning trades. The more you can plan before work begins, the smoother the process will be. Here are some tips on how to stay organised:

1. Make sure you’re confident you’ve got the right layout. Making changes to your layout later in your project can mean costly adjustments to electrics, plumbing, or even structural work.
2. Source as many materials as possible before the build starts/check lead times to ensure everything is delivered in time.
3. Create a detailed project timeline that maps out each stage and the associated trades to minimise downtime or delays.
4. Keep key documents such as product specs, invoices, and plans neatly filed away in case you need to refer back to them.

5. Get the Paperwork Sorted Early

If your project involves structural changes, listed buildings, or work near boundaries, you may need planning permission, building control approval, or party wall agreements. Make sure you liaise with local authorities to get all the paperwork in place before work begins. This is something we often help clients with as part of our project management service.

6. Expect the Unexpected

Even the best-laid plans can run into hiccups—especially in older properties. We always recommend building in a contingency budget and allowing extra leeway either side of each stage so any challenges can be addressed without panic. Experienced contractors can be a big help when it comes to identifying potential issues in advance. Thanks to our 25+ years of experience, we regularly spot potential problems early and deal with them before they escalate.

Renovating your home can be an incredibly exciting and rewarding process. However, managing your own project isn’t for the faint-hearted as it requires a lot of research, organisation and forward planning. Many homeowners prefer to enlist the help of an experienced project management team, allowing them to enjoy the experience and focus on the fun parts (like choosing finishes and watching your home come to life). If you would like to discuss how our expert team could help with your project, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01932 640019 or click here to schedule an initial appointment.