1. Plan – Planning in advance including what you want and need and setting out a budget is a fundamental starting point to beginning your renovations project.  It establishes guidelines for both yourself and the Renew Renovations team on what areas you can spend on and those you need to save or cut back at.
 
2.  Living at home while you renovate – Living at home while you renovate is a great way to keep costs down.  To avoid the mayhem, be as organised as possible especially with kitchen renovations.  Having pre made meals in the freezer is a simple way to avoid stress in the kitchen building phase. 
 
3. Kitchen – Keep the design and function of your kitchen clean, simple and timeless to ensure you will love it in years to come.  Kitchen islands and breakfast bars create a great multi-tasking space and add optional extra storage with their built in drawers, cupboards and shelves.  Consider good lighting, soft-close drawers and marble bench tops.  If your kitchen is separate to your living area look at opening it up to create seamless flow. 
 
4.  Bathroom – A great bathroom is an essential renovation but doesn’t have to cost you a fortune whether it be a few small changes you’re making or a complete overhaul. – an old bathroom instantly dates a property.  A second bathroom and toilet is almost compulsory these days for home buyers so look into these options if you’re selling.  Make smart water saving decisions with eco-friendly taps, showers and toilets and invest in quality fittings. 

5. Storage – Storage is an essential asset to any home whether you are planning to on sell it or you and your family will live there in years to come.  Make the most of any spare space you have – this doesn’t have to take up your floor space.  Look above for creating bookshelf or cupboard storage. 
 
6.  Insulate – With the rise in energy costs it’s always a good idea to consider your home’s energy efficiency for yourself or future and potential buyers.  Install insulation in walls, floors and ceilings.  For noisy and cold areas, retrofitting windows with double glazing is a practical option.    
 
7.  Space – Make the most of your space and look for where potential space can be created.  The removal of just one non-structural wall can give a much more open and inviting feel particularly for smaller home renovations.  Be mindful of costs as some load-bearing walls are not cheap to move and building consent will be required.
 
8.  Deck -  A well designed deck creates vital indoor/outdoor flow to your home and offers another space for entertaining – it’s also one of the simplest ways to increase the value of your home.  Built in seating that has storage should be considered to maximise its use.  Also consider the most practical and cost effective shelters from the weather to take you through the seasons. 
 
9. Lighting – The right lighting will enhance your home’s natural features and add ambience to your space.  Consider moving a window to maximise good views.  Tubular skylights are a cost effective option to funnel natural light down from the roof.  Adding dimmers will enhance your living areas, there also a variety of cost effective LED lights on the market.  Don’t forget to add outdoor lighting, cabling it up in advance means you can buy lights later if you’ve stretched the budget for the moment.
 
10. Street Appeal – Lastly, how your home looks from the outside is especially important for lasting first impressions if you’re renovating to sell.  A feature front door could be the simplest uplift.  Consider painting your fence, resurfacing cracks in the driveway and even updating the letterbox for fresher look.