Carolyn Burns-McCrave's top 10 House Rules renovation design tips

The Channel 7 House Rules resident design expert Carolyn Burns-McCrave recently shared her top 10 tips for any renovation. 

1. Honestly and clearly identify your needs, wants and motivation for renovating.
2. Create a master plan so that you do things in the most efficient order.
3. Hire a design professional.
4. Design it better, not bigger. It's not how much space you have but how well it functions for you and your family. 
5. Design and document everything down to the last detail so that pricing by builders is accurate. It's vital that quotes are comparing apples with apples and there's minimal guess work.
6. Work a contingency into your budget and your time frame. It will take longer and it will cost more!
7. Be patient. Wait for the right builder for you to be available. A good builder is a busy builder.
8. Communicate with everyone involved in your project. It's a full time job to constantly be in the loop but it promotes a good working relationship that will stand you in good stead when challenges arise. 
9. Keep the faith. Don't start cutting corners at the end of your project because you just want it to be over. Be as focused on what you want at the end as you were in the beginning, because all those finishing touches are what you will see when it's all done.
10. Enjoy the ride. It's important to embrace the journey of renovating by staying positive and enthusiastic - it is always worth it in the end.

Carolyn Burns-McCrave says she loves watching people develop their eye for design.

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