Sadly most of my clients have dreams that are much bigger than their budgets. My design process is that once I have understood their brief and their budget I create a concept plan which meets their end goal. Once the overall concept is approved by the client I then work out how to stage it, and address each stage as a seperate job, working towards a goal. The position and usability of kitchens and bathrooms often determine the direction of the staging.

Sometimes I visit new clients who have rushed into a renovation, (usually after buying a new house), then after a few years decide to do an extension, but they have restricted their options and opportunities due to their rush, their lack of foresight, their lack of an end goal and by "saving money" by not engaging a design professional to look at the house from a holistic point of view. Occasionally they decide the best way forward is to actually undo the work they had completed previously, which is the most expensive way to renovate.

Best of luck with your planning and staging,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

Thanks for that insight, I am probably at the other end of those examples, intimidated by project galleries that so fundamentally change the look of a place it might as well have been a knock down/rebuild. I merely want to change the way the house works to fit my purpose & tastes. The most significant construction/alteration, converting the sliding glass door & adjacent window into bifold, leading onto a more expansive alfresco/outdoor room with a higher ceiling than the current patio. Many changes though will be a re-arrangement of built-ins & cosmetics. 'Concept Plan' & 'Staging', thanks for the lingo.