12 minute read
Renovating – Where to Spend & Where to Save
Sadie Pizzey
Sadie Pizzey Interiors is a full-service design firm based in Guildford. SP Interiors works on both residential and commercial projects and has recently been shortlisted for The International Design and Architecture Awards. Sadie designs with practical knowledge gained from extensive renovation experience. Her exceptional organisation and project management skills mean she keeps projects running to time and budget, developing innovative schemes and beautiful spaces to inspire clients. Sadie’s philosophy is: “We need our homes to be our battery chargers, to help us re-build and recover from everything that life throws at us. Designing spaces that embrace this, will dramatically improve our quality of life”.
STARTING A PROJECT
Taking on a renovation project in your home can be incredibly daunting and overwhelming. It’s a huge cost and you really can’t afford to get it wrong! Most clients come to us because they know their existing or new home isn’t working for them, but they don’t know what changes to make to get the most out of their home. I always tell clients that they don’t need to work out the space (that’s my job) but creating a list of what you want and why you want the changes really illuminates what not to do.
The first thing you need to know about running a successful renovation project, is you either need to invest your time to do a project well or you need to invest your money in using the experts to manage it for you. I’ve seen so many projects where clients have assumed they can do it all themselves, but with juggling working and
family life, the project spirals out of control! Rushed decisions are made, which result in disappointing spaces, spiralling budgets and a never-ending, end date!
BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER
Renovation usually equals some sort of an extension, but actually bigger isn’t always better. With the cost of extending being at an all-time high, around £2200 per square metre, you really want to check the space isn’t already there in your existing house.
This is why the list will be your friend, because taking that first step to work out what and why you want these changes helps to narrow down the right changes to make to your home!
For example, a recent client came to me because although
their kitchen was a good size, the living zone felt cramped with no circulation space or floorspace for the client to workout. My client fully intended to extend the already long kitchen to create this extra space. Actually, from determining what was important to my client and how she liked to enjoy the space, gave us the tools to create a layout that worked perfectly for her without spending thousands of pounds adding extra sqm. From our chats we discovered my client didn’t enjoy sitting at a dining table and actually preferred being sat up at a kitchen island with girlfriends before relaxing to a sofa area. A radical change of the L shape kitchen to a long island with dining station, allowed us to increase the lounge area and add some incredibly cool interior elements to make the room come alive. A much better use of space and a far more cost-effective option than extending! Projects cost a lot of money and it is human instinct to think “the more I do the more I will save”! Well, if you are a renovating pro, have excellent knowledge of construction and design, then I’m not going to disagree with you. If you’re not, then handing over the project to the professionals is the sensible thing to do.
THE ARCHITECT
So now you’re thinking what experts? Firstly, if you are going to extend your home and you know (from going through the list of what you want out of the space) that this is a definite, then SURREYROCKS | ISSUE 11 105
an architect is your starting point. This is where being clear and knowing why you are doing this project will make your time with your architect as efficient as possible. Don’t underestimate the time it takes from conception to planning permission being granted. Your clarity early on will also help you determine the right architect for you.
THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Lots of clients assume that the architect manages all the necessary construction drawings, but actually once planning is agreed it is a structural engineer that will work out all the necessary structural calculations and details. Often your architect will have a preferred engineer they like to work with, that’s fine but you still must interview them yourselves. Determine what work they will carry out, their fees, how they will liaise with your architect and mostly importantly a timeline. I have seen so many projects come to a halt because an engineer the client hasn’t even met has not prioritised their project, has not understood the cost constraints and priorities and has added a huge amount of unnecessary cost to a project. There are so many excellent engineers out there, so find the right one, build a relationship with them and be clear with them.
THE INTERIOR DESIGNER
Next up is finding an interior designer. If you aren’t extending your property and want to work with the space you already have in your home, then working with an interior designer from start to finish is invaluable. Even on extensions we favour partnering with an architect early on (before planning is submitted). Architects are fantastic at getting you the most amount of space possible and working with light and clever architectural additions to transform your home. We are fantastic interior space planners. We look at the space carved out for an open plan kitchen and delve into the full floor plan. This often results in windows, doors, roof lights and walls shifting to determine the best layout for how you want to live in the home. We also develop lighting, electrical and heating plans early on so that as we space plan each area of your home, we can also plan for how to light each zone and make it come alive. Our heating plan means we help you zone your heating, so that you can be as economical with your layout as possible. We also develop very detailed ‘Interior Scopes of Work’ for our clients. This allows contractors to create detailed quotes for you, instead of rough estimations that run out of control as the project develops. This also means once your chosen contractor starts, everything has a spec and is costed, which results in a much quicker build. And then we are of course known for all the pretty stuff that we source and bring into your home!
THE PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR
The choice of principle contractor is also a really important one. I have run many projects where I have managed all the separate trades required for each component of the project separately. It is hard work, and I can do it because I have experience. I do not advise any working homeowner to take this route, if you don’t know what you’re doing, the project spirals out of control, the budget is thrown out the window and it never gets finished. A principal contractor is a vital expert for a renovation and choosing the right one is so important. It is important to try and get recommendations from friends, neighbours and find out why they liked them, see their work and then put together a list of questions to ask them. Find out how they schedule their builds, ask to see a build schedule and a timeline for how long they think your project will take. Make sure they tender from a package ideally put together by your architect and or interior designer (depending on whether you are making structural changes), outlining all construction drawings, structural calculations, building materials and steel, lighting, electrical, heating plans, elevation drawings and the full spec of all interior elements.
SUB CONTRACTORS
It is common that your principal contractor may not manage a full interior fit out. That’s where turning to your interior designer is invaluable, good designers will have their own preferred team of joiners, kitchen fabricators, stone manufacturers, window treatment fabricators, tilers, decorators and the list goes on. We work very closely with our preferred sub-contractors and we are constantly on site managing on the interior changes. By having a clear scope of work at the start for your principal contractor, you will know what area of the interiors they won’t be covering, leaving you plenty of time to work with your designer to fill in the gaps.
A FEW RENOVATING GEMS
Determining your budget at the start is vital, when clients don’t determine their budgets, we work with them to put together a priority list of working out where to invest the money and where to use clever designs to save. Here are a few areas to decide on the build (just to get you going)! Glass, if you are extending is having huge panels of sliding/folding doors important to you? Or would you be just as happy with some sets of smaller French doors? Do you want to fully open every space as steel is incredibly expensive, the more you add the more you spend! Both might be at the top of the priority list, now you know this is where you want to invest and now you have to look for areas that aren’t as important to you.
Interior wise here are a couple of areas to be clear on early on. Flooring, options from a cheaper patterned tile, the more expensive herringbone oak to the very expensive but beautiful micro-cement, it’s a big area to cover, is it a top priority? Is there some floor to keep? Or is this a top priority area, after all it’s easier to swap out your furniture than your floor! Joinery, I love bespoke joinery, it looks incredible, it’s a way to bring in decorative lighting, as well as creating something that works practically and makes my clients lives easier. Bespoke kitchens fall under this category, when we design bespoke kitchens, every element is completely bespoke for my client. Perfect lit up drink’s cabinets, that hideaway that comes alive at party time, breakfast cupboards where each component is fabricated to fit every kitchen appliance and item and islands that are curved and finished in incredible finishes such as liquid metal or patinated copper. However, all this is expensive, you decide is this important to you or not, don’t waste time and design time going down this road if you are happy with an off the shelf kitchen and online furniture.
THE TAKEAWAY
Projects take time and money, but if you spend time early on being clear what you want from your home, what’s important, your budget and where you want to spend the money, then you’re giving yourself the best possible start. Invest in the right professionals and let their experience guide you and save you time and money in all the right places.
If you would like more about working with us, then visit us at sadiepizzeyinteriors.com or email us at info@sadiepizzeyinteriors.com
OXTED
We are delighted you have found us and sincerely hope that you are persuaded to visit one of our five beautiful venues. Our ethos has always been a simple one - to offer delicious food in stylish but cosy surroundings and to make your experience a relaxing and special one. The food we serve is always cooked fresh on the premises and, where possible, we use local ingredients and suppliers. Our dedicated staff and professional management team will do everything possible to make your experience a memorable one - be it for business, pleasure or just to pass the time. Whether you visit for a quick sandwich in the bar, a traditional afternoon tea on linen-clad tables, or an exquisite candle-lit three course dinner, the attention to detail is the same. Our venues are often busy, particularly at weekends and Bank Holidays, so advance booking for larger parties is advisable. We hope you too will make The Grumpy Mole your special place. 01737 353 529 Our Head Office Location Inn on the Green, The Grumpy Mole, Dorking Road, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 5RX
020 8394 2000 cheam@thegrumpymole.co.uk EPSOM
01737 353529 tadworth@thegrumpymole.co.uk
We are delighted you have found us and sincerely hope that you are persuaded to visit one of our five beautiful venues. Our ethos has always been a simple one - to offer delicious food in stylish but cosy surroundings and to make your experience a relaxing and special one. The food we serve is always cooked fresh on the premises and, where possible, we use local ingredients and suppliers. Our dedicated staff and professional management team will do everything possible to make your experience a memorable one - be it for business, pleasure or just to pass the time. Whether you visit for a quick sandwich in the bar, a traditional afternoon tea on linen-clad tables, or an exquisite candle-lit three course dinner, the attention to detail is the same. Our venues are often busy, particularly at weekends and Bank Holidays, so advance booking for larger parties is advisable. We hope you too will make The Grumpy Mole your special place. Our Head Office Location Inn on the Green, The Grumpy Mole, Dorking Road, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 5RX www.thegrumpymole.co.uk
