The Renovation Experience

I wanted to get a client’s perspective as it’s a completely different experience when working with a professional interior designer. My lovely client was kind enough to answer my questions about her renovation experience and has allowed me to share it with you in this post. Hopefully this will be of help to you if you are thinking about renovating your own home.

Question 1
What was the hardest part of the renovation?

Prepping for the renovation was a lot of work! We had to clean out 20 years of accumulation from every cupboard, closet, nook and cranny on our main floor, then pack up everything we were keeping and store it in the basement. We also had to get rid of all our furniture (we sold it all on Kijiji), as we did a complete re-do of our entire main floor and master bedroom.

We decided to stay in our house during the renovation, which we do not regret, but we had our moments! There were four of us, plus our large dog, and Jeff (husband) has a home office. It would have been difficult for us to relocate for four months (not to mention the expense!). We basically made a makeshift kitchen in our basement with a microwave and hotplate (we already have a full-sized fridge down there, thank goodness!). We used our barbecue when the weather cooperated, and ate at my mom’s house once or twice a week (thanks, Mom!). We still had access to the kids’ bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor, so that allowed us stay in the house. Renovations are dirty and dusty, so there was lots of that around, but we managed to remain fairly sane throughout.

Question 2
Is there one specific thing you are glad you did in the reno?

Everything! We love that we made our unused (front) living room into a beautiful office/sitting room. We love that we opened up our kitchen and made the island bigger so we could sit at it. And we are so glad that we decided to close off the entrance into the kitchen from the laundry room. We went back and forth on that in the beginning and now we can’t imagine it any other way! 

Question 3
Was there anything you cut out of the renovation
that you wish you didn’t?

I don’t think we cut anything out, did we?? I feel like we only added to it!

The one thing we are glad that we did, was holding off on renovating the kids’ bathroom, and instead, renovated the master bedroom so that it matched the new master bathroom. We’re glad Stephanie convinced us to “finish an entire room.”

Question 4
What did you learn through the renovation?

We had a vision from the beginning of what we wanted, but we didn’t know how to get to the finished product. We learned that finding a designer that has the skills to bring your vision to life is key. We 100% could not have done our renovation without Stephanie. We liked her right from the get-go, and after a few conversations with her, and speaking to some of her other clients, we knew she was the one for us! 

We learned that it’s important to have a designer and a contractor that work well together. Together with Stephanie, we interviewed a few contractors and then chose the one we felt would be the best fit… and he was! Brendan and Stephanie were a great team. Once we found the right professionals to help, we then trusted them to do their jobs. 

We learned that early preparation and planning is super important. Our first consultation with Stephanie was in December, and our renovation started in March. We wanted everything to be finished by mid-July, so we all worked hard to make that happen. We made sure the house was ready for the reno, Stephanie planned everything down to the last piece of furniture, and Brendan laid out a realistic timeline with his trades, so that we could have our house ready on time.

We learned that communication is very important during a renovation. We had regular and timely communications with Stephanie and Brendan throughout the entire process.

Question 5
What was the best part of the renovation for your family?

We really enjoyed the “reveal” at the end. To see everything come together and be move-in ready was truly wonderful! Although we knew what everything was going to look like on paper, it was quite another thing to see it in real life. We spent the first night after the reveal just walking around our “new” house marvelling at how beautiful everything was! You can see the reveal video here!

Question 6
Now that you’ve been back in your house for a while,
is there anything you would do differently?

We have zero regrets about anything we did with our renovation. There is honestly nothing we would change.

There you have it! Perhaps you are ready to embark on a renovation of your own and have some questions about what it will be like. We hope this helps you get a better understanding that while the renovation process may be mildly painful and a lot of work, it is absolutely worth it in the end!

Are you ready to redesign your space?

We’d love to help! Contact us at 403-818-2283 to discuss your next project or send us an email with ALL the details.