As we head towards the festive period, this is for many of us an opportunity to spend quality time with the family in the home relaxing and enjoying the space that our home provides us. Why not use this opportunity to chat with your family about what works and what doesn’t work so well in your home and look at the bigger picture? As we approach the start of yet another brand-new year so many of us set new year resolutions and for many this may be a plan for renovation work on the home, or you may even be planning a move or building a brand-new home or simply moving to pastures new! So now is the time to take action… brainstorm ideas by the fire place to ‘spark’ new ideas with your family members, grab a pencil and blank sheet of paper to doodle ideas and concepts!

Our friendly team here at Inhabitat Design Studios truly understand the pitfalls and frustrations and so we have lovingly put together a handy planning pack to help evaluate the key steps for project planning which broken down cover the following 6 steps for success:

✅ How to avoid the main problem of not going over budget and time!

✅ Reviewing the project road map to identify your location on this journey

✅ A very simple ‘do-it-yourself’ guide to the costings for building work

✅ Asking the pertinent questions in finding your perfect-fit Architect!

✅ Exploring your project options in creating the right design brief

✅ Finally knowing when you are ready to move to the design phase!

#1 Do your research! Gather information and play with ideas! You can research widely simply through visiting shows and exhibitions, looking at magazines, doing a ‘google’ search and having a look at the projects online across a variety of Architect’s websites.

#2 Understand the Journey! It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the full design process which we layout in our project planning pack ? from the research phase through to final documentation!

#3 Take a close look at your finances! Financial costings are crucial – know and understand your figures. Ask yourself “how much will my project cost”? Understanding and estimating correctly is fundamental to any project large or small!

#4 Importance of finding a Trusted Partner! Put your trust into the right Architect that really and truly understands your specific needs! The way to do this is to ask the right questions and understand that this is an important relationship as you are trusting your cherished home with this person! Remember it isn’t just bricks and mortar we are talking about here, it is trust in the knowledge that your hopes and dreams can be brought to life! It is truly a lifetime investment and we are confident that our planning pack will bring this to life in more detail.

#5 Explore your project needs and options, our planning pack lays out in black and white what notes you need to make on the all-important and pertinent questions that YOU need to ask.

#6 Knowing when you are ready! Finally, it is crucial you know when it is time to move to the design phase and our project planning pack provides a handy and valuable readiness slider scale for assessing how ready you are to move to the design phase.

Team Inhabitat understands how difficult it is when planning on house renovations, extensions or a brand-new house so that is why we have created some valuable free resources in order to help you see the wood for the trees! Click here to access our project planning pack.

Our 2023 gift to you is simply an invitation to join us at the studio to chat through your ideas over a cup of coffee; our ‘Inhabitat design consultation’ is informal but constructive. If you book your slot with us before the end of January, we will happily offer you a 10% discount off your ‘Needs and Options Review’ document as the next step in your journey. It is that simple and all you have to do is ask, we are only a phone call or a click of a button away!

Email sandra@inhabitat-architects.co.uk or call the office 01753 424270