Renovation dos and don'ts: must-read tips from the Instagram and Substack community
We asked some of our favourite content creators to share their honest renovation stories and best advice for achieving a successful project
Renovating a home is no easy feat and it’s likely that, however much you plan a project, you’ll make mistakes and come across a few hurdles along the way. I should know! What I thought was going to be a relatively straightforward kid’s bedroom makeover for my youngest daughter Lily, 3, has become a slightly longer slog than originally intended. We thought it would be a speedy paint job and a quick flooring replacement and she’d be back in her room within a couple of weeks.
Fast forward a month and we’ve had to get our plumber in to cut away an old disused pipe that was sticking up through the floorboards when we pulled up the carpet (sigh!) Plus we had to get our builder in to fix and replace parts of the sub floorboards that had previously (most likely by the dodgy builder that we bought the home off of) been cut for historical plumbing work and not been reaffixed to the joist. Which basically means that for the past 6 years we’ve been unwittingly standing on a floorboard that’s been leaning on copper water pipes below. How we haven’t had a burst pipe is beyond me!
So, if I was to share a useful renovation tip with you all today it would be, firstly, DON’T ever let your plumber (or any other trade for that matter) cut your sub floor without working out a plan for how to reattach it again correctly! DO be prepared for a project to take longer than you plan for. Especially when you are planning to fit a lot of the DIY around your day job (and night job if you have kids that don’t sleep). On that subject, can someone, anyone, let me know at what age I can expect (hope) my kids to go to bed on time and actually stay in their bed all night?
Which brings me to today’s newsletter. If, like me, you’re thinking about taking on the challenge of renovating your family home, we thought it would be super useful for you to read the first-hand accounts of those who have already been there, got the T-shirt and have come out the other side ‘mostly’ unscathed! Which is why we have invited several of our favourite Substackers and influencers to share their top tips for anyone considering renovating their own home or thinking about buying a fixer-upper to transform into their dream family home. Enjoy!
1. Healthcare market researcher Mariam Mansoor over at @THE_PINK_DORE is a mum to teenagers Yusuf and Safaa, as well as a lover of all things home. We love her honest account of how, after a divorce and sale of her family home in East London, she took on a 1930s house reno single-handedly, learning lots of new skills along the way.
DO think about how you are going to use the space and who is going to live there. I work from home but knew I didn’t have enough room for a home office. So I created an office nook between my snug and kitchen diner that connects the two spaces but are also distinct. And in between the snug and kitchen diner, running beside the office nook, I created a small utility room to house the washer and dryer, hang coats and store everyday essentials like the vacuum cleaner and mop and the extra toilet rolls and laundry detergent.
DON’T accept everything your builder tells you. As a woman, it can be daunting dealing with male traders who can be quite condescending, especially if like me, you don’t have any building experience. Despite this, I would say to push back and challenge your builder if you have your heart set on something. I really wanted arched openings throughout the house but I was told for lots of reasons it wasn’t going to be possible. A lot of the time, there is a solution and, after talking it through with the builder and showing him photos, I commissioned a carpenter to build custom arches for the hallway divide and my builder constructed the rest of the arches for me.
2. We’ve loved following Heather Craig’s colourful renovation and super useful home hacks over on Insta at @heatherscolourful, so we were super excited when we saw she had recently set up a newsletter here on Substack.
DO be adventurous with colour. It can be tempting to default to neutrals when decorating, particularly when starting from scratch. Colour has a wonderful way of lifting our mood. You can start small with window sills or doors. Then build on your colour confidence and see where it takes you. If you feel stuck then begin to notice which colours you are drawn to in your environment and take pictures with your phone. This is a great starting point to learn the colours you love and turn your back on beige for good. I warn you. It becomes addictive!
DON’T follow trends. When we moved into our house in 2017 dark interiors were having a moment. I particularly liked how colourful artwork popped against the dark backdrop. Our already dark, Artex-covered hallway was magnolia so we went ahead and painted it the beautiful colour Green Smoke. I thought the dark colour would hide the Artex until we could plaster over it. It actually enhanced it and felt cavernous. It was such a time consuming paint job and we had to live with it for years before we were ready to plaster. I now know that I prefer darker colours as an accent in a scheme together with brights. We will all make mistakes and this is how we learn what we truly love. But do be mindful of being carried away by trends and stick to what you love!
3. Author of The Little Book of Living Small and The Bunk Bed Book, Laura Fenton knows what she’s talking about when discussing home renovations and sustainable design. We love her Living Small newsletter showcasing clever solutions, ideas and general musings.
DO make a budget – and plan to exceed it. I have yet to hear of a renovation that did not cost more than the homeowner planned.
DON’T try to live in your house during renovation. It’s dirty and chaotic. I know it might seem like a cost-saver to try (I know, I’ve tried it myself), but if there is any way you can relocate temporarily, the work will go faster with your family off site and you’ll maintain your sanity.
4. JP Clark has recently re-branded his substack newsletter
which is full of essential interiors and gardening advice, with a small dose of humour and witty banter on the side. He’s currently writing a newsletter series about one of his house renovations which is definitely worth a read!
DO, wherever possible, learn how to do things yourself. It will save you a fortune!
DON’T rush. Don’t start knocking down walls and chipping off tiles in your first six months unless you have a lot of previous experience. If it is at all possible, just ‘live’ in your home for a while. Find out what works and what doesn’t. How does the space flow? How does the natural light travel around your home? We always take a tracing paper copy of the floor plans and ignore what each room is currently used for. That way you can get a clear idea of all the space you have and its possibilities. We do try to bear in mind things like waste pipes, water and gas inlets, etc, as these can be very expensive to move. However, sometimes moving a kitchen, or a bathroom, or even just a wall to make a space larger can be the best money you could spend.
5. Set designer, stylist and interiors author Emily Henson’s (AKA Life Unstyled) work can be found on Instagram and Substack. She shares valuable insights into the world of interiors and styling on both platforms, as well as an honest and personal insight into her own home renovation.
Do pay attention to what can be re-used during a renovation. I asked the builders to save the ceiling joists when they pulled down the living room ceiling and they used them to create (decorative) beams in the new kitchen ceiling.
Don't feel like you have to spend on a pricey fitted kitchen. I spent a lot of my budget on bigger structural things like knocking down walls and ceilings which didn't leave much left over, so our builder created simple and inexpensive kitchen units from birch plywood which I then oiled. At a later date I'll replace the worktops with stainless steel but for now it works well.
6. Substacker and interior designer
helps busy homeowners turn their house into a home. If you need helpful, honest advice from an expert – who also shares nuggets of her own beautiful home – this Substack newsletter is for you.
DON’T make an impulse purchase for a piece of furniture before deciding the room decor. A client recently reached out looking for advice on how to turn their living room into a cosy, relaxing space which would work with their rather unusual purchase of a blush pink sofa.
Even though they loved the sofa, they soon started questioning their colour choice and realised it might have been a good idea to have thought about how this was going to work with the rest of the room decor. If you ever find yourself in this situation…
…DO look at how you can work with what you’ve got. I decided to use the sofa as a key feature in the design and colour theme. I chose a neutral colour base for the walls to compliment the pink sofa and added brightly coloured cushions, curtains and artwork.
7. Last, but no means least is mum and influencer Vanessa Edwards. She’s lived in 36 homes across the span of her lifetime so she plenty of experience in knowing what does and doesn’t work design wise. She shares her knowledge and love for using colour in interior and exterior spaces over on her Substack newsletter
- go check it out!DO take the time to ensure that all relevant people in the house understand and are happy with the plans. I made a point of including my husband in all aspects of the decision-making process. This took a bit more time, but we were both so pleased to see our joint vision come to life that I can’t remember any arguments during that time – despite the mess and inconvenience!
DON’T forget to triple check all product numbers and colours! I received an email from our flooring contractor confirming the product number for our order. I scrolled up to confirm that it was the same number as in my original email, but I didn’t bother to compare that number to their catalogue again. It was only when the wrong flooring was delivered that I realised that I had included the wrong product number in my original email!
We’d love to hear any of your Dos and Don’ts – anything you’ve learnt from your house makeover and/or reno projects. Reveal your wins and fails in the comments below…
What a great read. All good tips. Particularly having confidence with tradespeople and stick to your guns