We are fast approaching the end of another year.

With that comes the promise of a fresh start. A new year always give you a new sense of motivation to make things happen. It could be personally. Such as losing weight, cutting out the alcohol or exercising a lot more. Or it could be to do with your career and climbing up the ladder, starting your own business or changing your career entirely.

For some people, the resolutions and goals you set have a lot to do with your home. It might be because you want to move, or you may want to invest into it now to pay off in a few years time. Whatever your motivation is, the new year is always a great place to start to set those goals and put plans into place to make it a reality. So if this sounds like you then here are some of the steps to take to help you revamp your home in the new year.

Step #1: Decide what you want to do

First of all, take some time to consider exactly what it is you want to do around your home. Knowing the specific jobs can help you make decisions further down the line. It could be that you want to extend. Maybe make a living space bigger or add further bedrooms to your home. It might be that you want to do the garden, and completely landscape it, or even decorate certain rooms in the home. A new kitchen maybe, a new bathroom perhaps, whatever the jobs are or the dreams make a note of them so you can start to plan accordingly.

Step #2: Seek out inspiration all around

There is always going to be times when you know you want to do certain things in your home, and you don’t have the inspiration or creativity to know what it is you want to do. This is when looking online websites like Pinterest or Instagram can be a great way to decide on what it is you like and what you may want to do in your own home. It could be a particularly color scheme that you are not sure of, or it might be that you want to try a certain style but just can’t visualize it in your head. Seeking out the inspiration could help you make those all-important decisions.

Step #3: Come up with a budget

The next thing to think about doing is to consider your budget. This might be a collective budget, or it might be budgets for each individual project. The more specific you’re with costings, the better chances you have of sticking to your budget and ensuring you get the end result that you want. Take the time to think about this, and ensure that the budget you have or want to spend is also affordable for you. The last thing you want to do is to start something that you cannot finish while you are trying to raise the extra funds.

Step #4: Think of how you will fund it

The next thing to think about would be how you will fund your renovations. It can be hard to understand when and where you may be able to do this, and it can also be a difficult decision to make. But, knowing where you will find the money will make it easier for you when it comes to funding it. It could be that you want to use loans or equity in your home to finance it. Perhaps having credit cards as a backup for smaller projects or for those emergency purchases.

This could be the best resource to find out what might work for you in terms of what is available and to consider your credit rating as well. Funding options are something that you may want to take the time to consider your decisions, as you may need to be sure you can pay back any borrowing or use those savings up.

Step #5: Start making plans

Now that you have all the big decisions sorted, you can now start making those plans to bring your thoughts into reality. The plans may include drawings so that you can visualize it better. You could try mood or vision boards to help bring color schemes and different material options together when it comes to the decoration. You may even want to think about what job you want to tackle first, thinking about doing all the messier work first before any of the cosmetic changes take place in other areas of your home.

Step #6: Get the necessary quotes and talk timescales

You might also want to start thinking about quotes and speaking to experts to tackle some of the jobs that realistically you can’t do yourself. It is always going to be advisable to have experts such as plumber or electricians to take care of those details in your home, so that you know things are done professionally. However, bringing a project together won’t be easy, so getting quotes and talking timescales and when jobs can be started is essential to ensure that you project manage it all properly.

Step #7: Have a buffer with your budget

It is essential that you have some form of a buffer in place so that you can have a contingency plan if something goes wrong. Often when work starts, you can begin to uncover other things you hadn’t accounted for, and this is when the extra funds could come in handy. Not having a buffer in place could end up delaying your whole project.

Step #8: Try and remain patient

Finally, try and remain as patient as possible throughout the home renovations. It is easy to feel frustrated and also try and hurry a job along, but you will also want it done properly and to have the best possible result at the end. Good things come to those that wait. While delays may happen, expecting that things won’t go to plan can serve you in good stead.

Good luck if you are deciding to take on some renovation plans next year. Don’t forget to check back in and let us know how it goes!