How to avoid renovating pitfalls

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the bees are buzzing. It must be spring!

It's likely that you will also be hearing the sound of people doing some DIY gardening and building too, with statistics from the Westpac Renovation Report showing that the number of Australians doing home renovations on an annual basis surged 147 per cent in the four years to 2014.

It's clear that Aussies enjoy rolling their sleeves up and getting their hands dirty, but what are the potential pitfalls of DIY renovations and how can you avoid them?

Renovating misdemeanours

We've seen it plenty of times on The Block, where contestants' budgets are blown into small, indigestible pieces. Unfortunately, this scenario isn't just limited to reality television, as a 2013 survey from the Commonwealth Bank found that the average home renovation exceeds the planned amount by nearly $3,000.

As they say, time is money, and this is certainly true in everyday home improvements, as according to the report they generally take around 58 per cent longer than initially thought.

Finally, two out of three respondents reported having to make compromises on their renovation because they ran out of cash. There's almost more drama than what's on TV!

How to avoid the pitfalls

When asked what piece of advice they would give to people looking to renovate, the most popular tip from the interviewees of the Commonwealth Bank study was to ensure that your project includes "detailed budget planning and tracking".

Before you strap on your builder's belt and begin your refurbishments, pop into your local Kennards Hire store to make an enquiry. We can offer a competitive quote on all the tools and machinery you require, including generators, trash pumps and Bobcat hire. This will allow you to draw up a thorough measure of how much it's going to cost you.

All going well, you'll stick to your budget without a hitch, all making for boring television, though excellent DIY!