5 mistakes before a renovation starts – and how to avoid them

After more than a decade of renovation work, we see the same five mistakes again and again. They don’t happen during the renovation – they happen in the weeks before, while the client is still making the key decisions. Here they are, in order of cost.

Mistake one: rushing to start

Clients often want the renovation to start ‘next week’. Realistic planning – site visit, quote, contract, ordering materials – takes 3–4 weeks. When this phase is skipped, work begins without a precise plan, materials are ordered on the go and the delays come as a surprise. Better to push the start back by a month than to begin unprepared.

Mistake two: choosing a contractor on price alone

We get three quotes, the lowest is ‘€4,000 cheaper’, and we decide without looking at where the difference comes from. Often the low quote leaves out key work (plumbing alterations, drywall partitions, dust control and cleaning) that the others included. By the end of the project we pay the same or more, plus the extra stress of arrangements made piecemeal along the way.

Mistake three: relying on verbal agreements

‘We’ll sort it, don’t worry’ is the most dangerous sentence in renovation. Without a written contract and scope, every dispute halfway through the project comes down to ‘my word against yours’. Even if you find the ideal contractor, protect both sides with a written document – it makes the work easier, not harder.

Mistake four: leaving no buffer for unforeseen work

Old buildings always hold surprises – a corroded pipe, hidden damp, poor electrical wiring that cannot be left as it is. If you have left zero leeway in the budget, the first surprise means either halting the project or going into debt. The standard recommendation: a 10–15% buffer on top of the planned budget. Better not to spend it than to find yourself short.

Mistake five: not talking it through with your family

It sounds odd, but a renovation is a family project. If you live with a partner and children, each of them has an opinion on the layout, the colours, the kitchen. When these conversations don’t happen before the start, they happen in the middle of the project – usually in front of the tradespeople, usually with extra costs. Sit down together before you invite contractors in, and decide what you want.

Avoid these five mistakes and the project becomes predictable. Not problem-free – no renovation is problem-free – but manageable. And usually cheaper in the end.