Renovating a house is something that many of us have considered from time to time. When we see those property programmes and people manage to turn a run-down shell of a building into the house of their dreams the temptation to do the same thing is there of course. But it is important to realise that if you are going to take on a renovation project, although the end results can be fantastic, it is important to plan, prepare, gather as much information as you can and of course to be realistic about it.

Looking for a perfect property to renovate can usually take a long time – it is rarely something that happens quickly. What you should do if you are serious about finding a property to turn into your dream home is to make a list of the things that you actually want from your home – from a rural location to more ambitious ideas, it is important that you know the sort of thing that you are looking for before you begin, as this can help you to avoid making an expensive mistake.

Remember that you will need to apply for planning permission to do most types of work to a property. If the building is a listed building or on protected land, planning permission rules are likely to be much stricter so it is worth familiarising yourself with them before you begin so that you are not under any illusions or don’t have grand plans that will end up being rejected by the local council. Failing to get planning permission is likely to end badly, so don’t think that you can just do it and it will go unnoticed!
When it comes to the work that needs to be done on the property this is also something that you will need to carefully plan and budget for. Even if you are a dab hand at DIY some work may need to be done by professionals, both to ensure that it is safe and that it looks good. Some skills are very difficult to master so you should get in touch with people like these plasterers Cheltenham based pureplasterers.co.uk/ to get an idea of prices for these so that you can include them in your budget.