Share your top tips and tricks- home renovation

[Hectorsmother]

Just that really, we're in the process of buying a place that needs modernising and updating. The finances means that we can't do everything at once.
Looking for advice/ any clever tips and tricks that you've have perfected.

Have a project for the entire house.
Include all all materials/specs and everything else you want in it.
It’s easier to see the end goal when you are phasing the project. Makes the whole thing look cohesive and less overwhelming. Budget the project as whole first.
This helps to understand the best way to phase things and what you want to prioritise with your budget (bathroom vs kitchen; custom made joinery vs off the shelf etc etc)

This is fantastic- thank you. We were just going to budget and do it room by room. But it does feel overwhelming and I don't do well with this sort of endless evolution.

Do the technical stuff first (plumbing, roof repairs, drainage and damp repairs).. Then do the "pretty" stuff.
Unless anything is dangerous/broken try not to touch the house for a year. Watch how the light and shadows fall across the rooms throughout the day and across the seasons. (It will also give you time to get a real idea of what you want and to save up).
When using colour try and have 60% your main colour, 30% your secondary colour and 10% accent colour. Try and use these 3 colours across the whole of a level of the house, but change the ratios (eg the main colour in the lounge is the secondary colour in the dining room).
Match paint to fabrics.rather than the other way around. (Dulux paint mixed to order is good for this). I also use the Dulux app to "virtually paint".

Thank you. There lots of valuable advice there. Given than we can't do everything at once, we will have the un-intended option to watch and wait. I also like the three colour mix for various rooms. However, the big job will be the kitchen extension and I was hoping to parallel-y remove the dated wall paper and carpets, but obviously no colour scheme has been considered thus far.

Also when you get onto actual renovations you'd be amazed at the bargains to be had with 2nd hand. People pull out whole new kitchens they've only had a year as they want a change. So it's always worth keeping an eye on Facebook marketplace for appliances, furniture, full suites, DIY materials, etc

Priorities what needs done the most or if everything is of same importance. Start with living space then bedroom etc

Imagine yourself living in the house. Go through your routine. Do you need a socket in X place so you can do your hair? Do you need good light here to do your makeup? Where do you need your router to be? How many sockets do you need if WFH ever? Sit in your new living room. Where is the tv going to be? Where are the cables for it coming in? Do you have a Christmas tree? Where are you going to plug it in (this comes up a surprising amount of times when I ask friends if there’s anything they would have done differently - they have extension cords snaking across the floor because they forgot about the tree). Do you eat in front of the tv a lot? Do you craft in front of the tv and need good lighting there?
Kitchen requires a lot of planning. How do you prep food? I found I do all my prep to the right of my hob, despite the fact I have tons more space on my island, so need more space there. What appliances do you want out? Where is the best place for your spices/pots/dinnerware/etc. Do you have a radio/alexa/tv you need to consider placement? Do you eat casually in the kitchen or separately in a dining room? I have to say that stools at a breakfast bar rarely get used unless by children. Don’t forget storage for big items like vacuum, mop//broom etc.
I wouldn’t be without my boiling water tap so highly recommend one.
And finally I really would recommend putting the laundry on the same level as your bedrooms. All you need is a deep closet. I pushed a shallow cupboard in my upstairs hallway into the spare bedroom to fit my washer/dryer with shelves above. The alcove created by doing this in the bedroom I squared off by putting a built in wardrobe there. My surveyor recommended this - best idea ever!
Oh and your garden will get wrecked so don’t even think of doing anything until you are done on the inside.

We're halfway through our reno and have currently fatigued / budgeted out 2yrs after moving in. We did the messy stuff first, plumbing/ electrics, joinery, plastering then painting. We have finished our living areas and DDs rooms so that they are comfortable.

I kept a bullet journal with plans, room / window sizes, decor ideas, to do lists. It was handy to refer back to as a project management tool. Also pinterest boards for decor ideas, stuff to buy. Also a fan of instagram for decor ideas too, (it is the new home magazine imo), found it easier to set up a new ig ac for this as to not mess up my main account algorithm.

The toughest thing is finding good value for money and reliable tradespeople. The great ones are booked up well in advance so coordinating all that can be tricky, we were able to be flexible so they could squeeze us in between their bigger jobs/ cancellations. Finding people you know with trade discounts that you can utilise at trade only places. DH's barber was a font of knowledge of good tradesmen that he used whilst flipping houses on the side, it's all about who you know sometimes.

Thank for writing out such a thoughtful response.
The house comes with oodles of storage so that is taken care of. We have two mischievous beagles so that is Christmas tree out of question!
The kitchen-dining extension is going to be the big job of the year and indeed all your suggestions about considering how we work is all excellent.
I think in parallel we are going to be doing the decorating room by room.

Start with the essentials (electrics, plumbing, insulation), then move on to visible upgrades in stages. Live in the space before committing to major changes, reuse where possible, and plan smart zones like a rénovation early, as it can quickly improve comfort and productivity without a full overhaul.