For home improvement projects in Victoria, whether it’s adding a suite in Saanich, renovating a kitchen in Oak Bay, or building an addition in Gordon Head, we always start with understanding the why and the what for your renovation. When we know the motivations for your decision, we can create an informed strategy and establish a realistic home renovation budget. This insight gives us the ability to prioritize what’s right for you and what’s possible for your home. We then build a detailed home renovation project plan before the work begins.
When planning a home renovation in Victoria, whether it’s adding space for your growing family or updating a living area to fit your current reality, there are three essential components: the plan, the design, and the home renovation budget. These three factors need to work together to ensure the final result sits in the middle of the Venn diagram of your dream renovation.
At MAC Renovations, our project management team supports the home renovation planning process and creates a detailed home renovation project plan before construction begins.
“We’ll usually start with the target investment from the homeowner,” explained Srdjo Djurkovic, project leader at MAC Renovations. “If that’s within an appropriate range, we’ll start working on the actual costs to bring their needs and wants to life. This includes the soft costs, like the architects, engineers, and interior designers who work together to inform the new construction. By having a target investment locked down, we have a good idea about the best way to allocate the budget. For example, we know the heavy lifting might be around $150–$200k on a home addition. If the total established budget is $300k, we know that leaves us around $100k for finishes, which can vary significantly: tiling can be $3 per square foot or $30. And then, if it looks like we’ll have leftover budget, we find ways for the homeowners to have some of the features they’d deemed optional.”
Working with a local team of professionals can help you stay informed about the various requirements for home renovations in Victoria. In some municipalities, pulling a permit for exterior home upgrades, such as digging new storm drain laterals or building an addition, generates a need to move away from the homeowner’s septic system and connect to the municipal sewer system. In other municipalities, we might need to tie into new storm drains or other public services as part of the renovation process. These requirements need to be reflected in the project’s scope and home renovation project plan.
Today’s home renovations are much more involved because homes now provide much more than was initially intended for them. As municipalities add more services, the costs associated with connecting to those services also increase. Adding a new bathroom or upgrading a kitchen might trigger a waterline upgrade, which could be a 30-foot run through gravel and topsoil or a 250-foot run under pavers and hardscaping across a nicely groomed property. This can quickly turn a $25,000 bathroom upgrade into a $45,000 investment, making these costs important to consider in your home renovation budget.
Electrical is also a significant concern as people use more power in their homes. Today’s standard 200-amp service can be quickly maxed out by adding a new induction stove that needs 60 amps, a new heat pump that needs another 50 amps, and a 40-amp circuit for your new EV charger. That’s 75% of your electrical capacity in just three items.
Hazardous materials remediation also plays a role in the total cost of a home renovation project. Asbestos, mould, vermiculite, lead paint, and other unhealthy materials are common in older homes. While MAC includes a contingency plan for these situations, uncovering these concerns can significantly affect the project timeline and financial commitment. A contingency is an important part of how to budget for a home renovation, especially when working with an older property.
These costs can be particularly difficult for a small project because remediation represents a much larger percentage of the overall investment. Mobilization, air monitoring, and third-party testing are often required, and these service costs do not generally increase for larger projects.
As part of pre-construction planning, once the initial design work and scope are determined and the project appears feasible, we will often send a carpenter to the home to open selected walls and investigate the home’s history. This helps us understand its layers before construction is planned, revealing hidden hazards and previous building practices. For some projects, this is the deciding factor between completing a renovation or not. In most cases, our team can find a creative solution to achieve the project goals.
One of the major benefits of choosing a design-build team for your home renovation is the synergy and balance that happen when everyone is on the same page. During home renovation planning, our professional design team works with you to plan the space, select materials, create 3D renderings, and stage and decorate the space once construction is complete.
Our designers understand local building codes and the principles of design. They work directly with the construction crews and gain insight from the trades to ensure the final space is everything it should be.
When it comes to finishes, the design team knows how to optimize your home renovation budget while creating the look you’re dreaming of. They’ll help you choose materials that will last, identify where it makes sense to splurge, and find suitable budget-friendly alternatives where you can save.
“Since you’re already here…” This phrase has the potential to significantly affect your financial investment and project timeline.
“There are two types of scope creep,” explained Srdjo. “The first is the unforeseen that might come up, like a layer of asbestos-laden drywall behind the visible drywall. There’s no way we could see that, especially in older homes. That’s why we build a contingency plan for the project.
“The other issue, client-driven scope creep, is more manageable but can be much harder on the budget. We’re very good at what we do, so when our clients see the progress happening, they’ll sometimes think of other things they’d like to have done, like adding new pot lights, scraping the ceiling, or refitting a bathroom.
“And while we can do anything, this kind of change always impacts the schedule. The trades we work with have limited availability, so we need to work with them to get everything done according to the home renovation project plan. For example, a plumber might be available to refit a bathroom, but are the tilers available to complete the new work?
“This is why it’s crucial for us to fully understand the reasons behind your renovation so we can build a plan that gives you what you need now and for the future. We aim to minimize the time we’re on-site for your project so you can get back to living in your new space as soon as possible. People like to see us start a new project, but they love to see us go once everything is done.”
One of the best ways to keep your project on budget is to invest time at the front end and plan the entire process with the MAC team. Thorough pre-construction planning helps identify materials, decisions, and potential risks before work begins.
“We emphasize taking more time in the planning component to ensure all of the materials are picked in advance,” explained Srdjo. “This helps us avoid design-on-the-fly, which inevitably leads to scope creep. When you rush the plan, things you didn’t notice early on can pop up in the middle of construction, and that’s when time and costs can escalate.
“It’s best to complete most of the decisions and construction plan upfront. This means planning, investigation, demo work, and productive meetings with the designers to iron out all of the selections and identify potential lead-time risks. During COVID, for example, we saw 24-week delivery windows on cabinetry that used to take eight to ten weeks.”
For home renovations in Victoria, the budget, design, and plan are tightly connected, and changes to one area can affect the others. Our project management team helps you identify what’s required, what’s desired, and what would be nice to have before creating a detailed home renovation project plan.
Our designers develop a vision that matches your lifestyle and taste, while our construction crews bring that plan to life. Together, these teams help keep your design decisions, project scope, and home renovation budget aligned from the beginning.
MAC Reno takes the time to investigate each project, understand what you want done, and identify what the home may require. Investing time at the front end can lead to a smoother project and help you return to enjoying your updated space sooner.
When you’re ready to explore the possibilities for your home, give us a call.
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