Renovation-It’s All About the Plan

Renovation-It’s All About the Plan

This particular project in Carlsbad, CA began in November of 2006 as my clients and I sat in a restaurant for our preliminary meeting. They had owned their tracked home for about 5 years and wanted to do a “small” renovation to make the space more family friendly. We sat there discussing their needs and how they envisioned themselves living in their space over the next 20 years.  We discussed how they wanted to take advantage of their western view of the ocean (and the accompanying sunsets) with indoor/outdoor living, and how they planned to entertain. They wanted their home to be the place for family and friends to hang out.

With their Nana door allowing indoor-outdoor living at it’s best!

Sitting there I began to draw the floor plan on a napkin.  The prize napkin went to the architect/engineer and from there the project started to roll.  The finished plan ended up being bigger and more expensive then originally anticipated, but it was what my clients wanted and they were realistic, adopting the mantra…”we don’t need to get everything done at once.”   

  • 2006 completed both the floor plan and the interior space and design plan
  • 2007 became the year of the actual construction of the shell and the basic working parts for the bathrooms and kitchen
  • 2008 we completed all the hard finish details such as lighting fixtures and some basic decor pieces
  • 2009 we began the process of finishing off the decorative details such as: faux paint for the powder room and custom painted tiles for the oven backsplash by Brenda Salazar
  • 2010 we will complete furnishing the  family room and begin on the master bedroom…and so it goes

    Living Room

    Living Room

It really is “all about having a plan”.  If you have a plan it doesn’t matter if you complete your project all at once, or do a little at a time.  The plan becomes your road map so that every time you purchase or add something to your space it feeds the end result, a beautiful and wholistic space that reflects you and you feel at home in.  A plan also gives you a “shopping list”.   Knowing exactly what you are looking for ensures that everything in your space will be something that you love and not something you settled for to finish quickly.  Before you go ahead with your project be sure to have your complete plan.  And, if you need some help, contact me at home@irene-turner.com! I’d love to work with you.

Check out the work in progress…Do you have a plan for your next project?

Comments

comments

10 Comments

  1. Viola Wheelihan 15 years ago

    I LOVE our home and seeing it like this in pictures, well, I can’t believe it’s ours! Thanks for all you’ve done so far and I look forward to finishing it up with your help!

    • Author
      Irene Turner 14 years ago

      And I am so happy that you and Mike are happy!

  2. Ann Evanston 15 years ago

    What’s amazing to me about this post Irene is that success of many things in life is about having a plan. There is a saying that goes: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you somewhere.” Most times it’s NOT where you “hoped” to end up!

    Ann Evanston Warrior-Preneur
    The Warrior is Within You

  3. Author
    Irene 15 years ago

    Isn’t that the truth Ann. Plans, creative visualizations, intentions, all help guide the way and keep the focus. Thanks for your post!

  4. Paulette Halpainy 14 years ago

    This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!

  5. Gillian Dodson 13 years ago

    True indeed, it’s all about the plan! I would also like to renovate my home sweet home. Thanks for the tips you’ve shared! Your article is very helpful!

  6. Ria Plate 13 years ago

    One of the best things in life to succeed is having the motivation to plan on things. A well plan decision leads to desirable actions that make great results in the end. By the way, home sweet home! It’s very beautiful and really looks cozy and comfortable.

Pingbacks

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  2. […] (still great returns on your investment) to historical restorations of towns and homes. Remember, it’s all about the plan when you renovate! Before/After shot from one of my projects on the Sonoma […]

  3. […] say..and more importantly my clients say, that we accomplished all this and more! It really is ALL ABOUT THE PLAN. If you have a plan, no matter if you do your project all at once, or over time, at least you know […]

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