The “Ideal Renovation” Triangle: How Applicable Is It in Real Life?

Quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively – these are the three sides of the triangle of the perfect renovation. Is it always equilateral, or does one side significantly exceed expectations? Let’s see how applicable this model is in real life.

Not everything and not at once

As experience shows, out of the three sides of the ideal renovation, you can realistically choose only two. This gives us the following combinations:

• Quickly and inexpensively. The quality is not flawless.
• Quickly and efficiently. Don’t expect it to be cheap.
• Inexpensively and efficiently. Be prepared for the renovation to last at least six months.
• Expensively and efficiently. Any whim for your money, but an expensive renovation involves long preparation, exclusive goods, and meticulous work.

Let’s consider what influences each of these sides.

The time is affected by:

• The scope of work
• The speed of execution
• The speed of purchasing and delivering materials

The expenses are affected by:

• The number of workers hired
• The deadlines (the faster, the more expensive)
• The materials that are purchased and used

The quality is affected by:

• The responsibility of the contractors
• The quality of materials
• The speed of execution

Everything is so closely connected that no matter how we turn our triangle, it’s impossible to achieve perfectly equal sides. However, you can get as close as possible to them. Here are 7 tips:

1. When making a budget, save wisely—on decorative elements, textiles, furniture. Do not save on main finishing materials, pipes, or electrical work.
2. Assess your capabilities. Perhaps you can do some jobs yourself on weekends and only hire workers where professionals are needed.
3. Select reliable and reasonably priced products for your renovation. Choose trusted manufacturers and familiar materials. Listen to feedback from friends.
4. Replace expensive natural materials with economical alternatives. They are just as beautiful and practical. Don’t go beyond your budget for the sake of natural wood panels or marble flooring.
5. Look for unconventional solutions to make your interior interesting without costly investments. For example, contrasting grout between simple tiles in the bathroom can make the room much more appealing.
6. To uniquely decorate a room’s interior, you don’t necessarily need to order expensive photo wallpapers or hire a craftsman for textured surfaces. You can use minimal artistic skills and apply a stencil drawing on the wall yourself.
7. You don’t have to buy exclusive items in expensive salons. You can successfully restore an old sofa by changing the upholstery and repainting the frame. All exclusive decorative details can easily be made by yourself or ordered from hand-made artisans.

Your best helpers in organizing a renovation are planning, analysis, and willingness to compromise with time, quality, and costs. When a reasonable balance is maintained, you will achieve if not a perfect then certainly a proper renovation whose results will not disappoint you.