Renovations can come with a variety of unwelcome surprises, from unexpected expenses to timeline delays, but lucky for us, designer Angie Hranowsky has figured out what it takes to ensure the process goes smoothly. Practice makes perfect—the decorator has plenty of home remodels under her belt, including the beautiful transformation of a Charleston family house. When we spoke to her about that project, she offered her sage advice on what to do before the renovation even begins. Read on for three of Hranowsky's top tips.
Plan ahead
"I try to really nail down as much as I can in the beginning. Once we had a layout for the kitchen and we had a budget from the contractor that we all agreed upon, I had pretty much everything picked out up front. The same thing with the bathroom. I come to the meeting with all the materials: This is what the walls are going to be, this is the design of the tub, these are what the plumbing fixtures are going to be."
Give your budget a second look
"When a contractor gives us a budget, I go through it and go back to them and say, 'This is what you put in for the lighting, but that's actually not realistic,' or 'I think you're going to need to allow more money for these items here.' Look at the budget and be thoughtful about it."
Go (window) shopping
"Shop around, see what lighting costs—overhead lighting, sconces for the bathroom. What does tile cost? Get an idea of what you like, then look at the budget and think, Is this realistic or do we need to change some of this? What can we save on, where can we move some money over to?"
