Sebastian Clovis' 9 Golden Rules For Reno Rookies

<p>Exhibit A: Ben was a city planner who didn&#39;t plan. When Sebastian arrived, Ben had started renovations on his basement 16 years prior, and his wife Pat was fed up with living in limbo.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/16+year+wait/video.html?v=2498324485&amp;p=2&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;16 Year Wait&quot; online</a></p>

<p>Don&#39;t use the rooms you are still renovating. Living in the rooms you haven&#39;t finished renovating impedes the progress of your work because you trick yourself into thinking the space is habitable. You will never end up with a finished product this way. By moving all of your furniture and belongings out of the room, it encourages you to see the renovations through to their completion.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Kristine wanted a fully renovated kitchen, but her husband Sam was only giving it shoddy, short term fixes. With a baby girl on the way, Kristine and Sam needed a functional kitchen before becoming a family of three.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/mr+fix+it/video.html?v=2498324587&amp;p=2&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Mr. Fix It&quot; online</a></p>

<p>You don&#39;t have to sacrifice quality for speed. To get a job done as quickly as possible, keep a steady work flow but take your time during the execution, paying attention to detail (such as using a level to ensure your angles are crisp). Give yourself an appropriate allotment of time for a renovation project, complete with a schedule with some check points, and stick to that schedule. This way you can avoid mistakes that will cost you more time and money down the line.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Lea and Jake bit off way more than they could chew when they gutted their basement to do a mould removal by themselves. They needed professional help long before Sebastian stepped onto the scene.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/trench+troubles/video.html?v=2502975773&amp;p=2&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Trench Troubles&quot; online</a></p>

<p>While the term Do It Yourself does imply independence, sometimes the fine tuning parts of a DIY project require some help from a professional. When it comes to the more specialized issues, such as mould removal or plumbing and electrical, do not hesitate to call in a skilled technician. Just because you&#39;ve enlisted the help of a specialist does not mean you can&#39;t take the credit for the renovation. Getting a pro to tackle the things you know are way over your head will make the difference between a proper and safe reno and a messy, hazardous one.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Melissa and Tom hired a professional crew to renovate their 100-year-old home. They thought they could do their two daughters&#39; rooms themselves, but they are unsure of how to go about renovating while preserving the character of their century home.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/girls+just+wanna+have+rooms/video.html?v=2505111876&amp;p=2&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Girls Just Wanna Have Rooms&quot; online</a></p>

<p>You don&#39;t have to totally destroy the character of your home in order to update and renovate. It is more complicated than a standard construction job because often times a historical home will need a lot of rewiring and reinsulating. Also, there is a character that needs to be maintained in order to have continuity throughout the whole house. First isolate the elements that need to be echoed in each room, such as the trim style, the lighting and the classic furniture pieces, then work to preserve these elements while updating the framework. Try to use as many of the old materials as possible by repurposing them in new ways. Stick to these tips and Instead of knocking down cobwebs with a blow torch, you will be breathing new life into an old classic.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Lesley and Pete have been confined to sleeping in their guest bedroom because of Pete&#39;s perfectionism-driven procrastination. His nit-picking ways have put a major halt on their progress with the master and ensuite renovations.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/perfectionist+pete/video.html?v=2512693641&amp;p=2&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Perfectionist Pete&quot; online</a></p>

<p>Just as rushing things can tend to result in a flawed and sloppy job, taking your sweet time by being overly fussy about the smallest details can also hinder a job. While there is nothing wrong with dotting your &#39;i&#39;s and crossing your &#39;t&#39;s, re-dotting and re-crossing and de-constructing and re-building will run you ragged both in terms of patience and budget. Allow yourself to loosen up a bit so you can get into a work rhythm. If you are still doubting yourself because of your rookie status, give yourself one ore two practice tries, then execute. It&#39;s better to get into a groove then be constantly rethinking and reevaluating your steps.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Amanda was still waiting for the finished basement playroom that Luis promised her three years ago. Luis&#39; corner-cutting and penny-pinching habits have put a dead halt to progress.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/luis+legacy/video.html?v=2512691306&amp;p=2&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Luis&#39; Legacy&quot; online</a></p>

<p>While it is smart to look for deals, you have to think of practicality. Doing it yourself doesn&#39;t mean you should base all your design decisions on what will cost the least amount of money. Contrarily, because you are doing it yourself and saving on commissioning costs, you can justify investing in higher quality materials. Investing in your home will increase its value so you are actually lining your own pockets by splurging for quality.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Jody and Matt were a happy couple who couldn&#39;t agree on what to do with their backyard. While Matt wanted a &quot;jaw-dropping&quot; luxury escape, Jody wanted a more elegant and understated aesthetic that wouldn&#39;t weigh as heavy on their wallets.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/backyard+bargain/video.html?v=2519134079&amp;p=1&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Backyard Bargain&quot; online</a></p>

<p>Embarking on a renovation together can put a serious strain on your relationship if you don&#39;t see eye to eye. In order to move forward, you have to be willing to compromise. Even if you think your two ideas are too different to ever come together in one project, there is always a middle ground. Sometimes getting a third opinon can help with incorporating both ideas into a brand new vision that you can both agree on and be excited about.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Alli and Court began renovations on their kitchen years ago. They got a little carried away with demolition, gutting the kitchen before deciding on how to rebuild it. They were left with hazardous holes in the floor and exposed wiring all over.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/demo+duo/video.html?v=2520060542&amp;p=1&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;Demo Duo&quot; online</a></p>

<p>While you may be a little trigger- (or sledgehammer-) happy when you first decide to renovate, you should fight the urge to go Tasmanian Devil on the room until you have a clear-cut plan in place. If you don&#39;t have a blueprint for how you are going to build back up what you tear down, you will end up living in a disaster zone for a lot longer than you have to.</p>

<p>Exhibit A: Tracey was really hammering out a name for herself as a DIY disaster-monger. Her husband Scott was getting sick of bailing her out of all the improperly executed projects and things came to the breaking point when renovations on their son&#39;s bedroom became ridiculous.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hgtv.ca/tacklemyreno/video/season+1/true+blue+rookie/video.html?v=2528371267&amp;p=1&amp;s=dd#tacklemyreno/video/season+1">Watch &quot;True Blue Rookie&quot; online</a></p>

<p>While you may have all the ambition in the world and the best of intentions for a project, the bottom line is: if you don&#39;t know how to do it right, it won&#39;t turn out right. Take the time before beginning a renovation to educate yourself. Take some tips from the pro&#39;s, do your research, and practice before setting hammer to nail.</p>