WE LEARNED...

THE TV SHOWS and magazines are right – take costings with a pinch of salt.

USE BUILDERS whose work you have actually seen. Don’t just choose a firm based on price, and always get fully costed quotes from the outset.

DON’T SCRIMP on getting a good architect involved with the design.

WE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND what we were getting ourselves into with the concrete construction – but then, nobody did, not even our builder. It was definitely a case of having rose-tinted glasses.

IF YOU’RE RENOVATING, but planning to extend at a later date, install services with the capacity to cope with whatever you have planned for the future.