Building or renovating a home is a HUGE undertaking! I’ve shared some of my own top pieces of advice for your home build or reno, but there is SO much more we can all learn from others!

I have gathered some GREAT advice from eight of my AMAZING Instagram friends who have been in the trenches … i.e. they’ve survived their own home build(s) or renovations! I feel SO honored that these creative women shared such helpful and thoughtful tips that I can pass on to YOU!

What surprised me is that not a single person shared duplicate advice! This goes to show that putting multiple heads together can reap some great results!

You MUST read these FABULOUS home build and renovation tips (in each woman’s own words) to help your home build or reno process go more smoothly! 

ADVICE FOR YOUR HOME BUILD OR RENO PROJECT

MEREDITH / MEREDITH RODDAY DESIGN

“Good things take time so have patience. And do it right the first time – you’ll be much happier in the long run and won’t end up wanting to redo it later!

If something is wrong, fix it while you’re in the construction process. It’s a pain but it will be a lot harder and more expensive to fix after everything is completed.” – Meredith

You might enjoy reading The Top 9 Things I Wish I had Known Before Building a House.

SONJA / JS LIFE AND STYLE

“Don’t move in until it’s absolutely completed. We moved in too early and it was hard for the trades to access the house when they wanted to because we were already in it.

It took much longer this way. Just be patient and wait for everything to be done. A couple extra weeks of waiting to finalize things could save you months of trying to schedule things in.” – Sonja

You might enjoy reading 5 Considerations for Creating a Custom Floor Plan.

ASHLEY / CURLS AND CASHMERE

“Don’t expect it to turn out exactly like you had envisioned. Budgets can be blown in a matter of weeks or days with boring items like dirt work and excavation (like ours was). I had to roll  with the punches and totally change the design plan on items like backsplashes, tile, wall coverings, and hardware to save money. 

Don’t be rigid or you will hate building a custom home. Have fun and know it will turn out beautifully!” – Ashley

You might enjoy reading 8 Crucial Tips for your First-Time Home Build.

 ERIN / THE SUNNY SIDE UP BLOG

Erin has a fabulous blog post about the ten most important things she learned during her home build. You can read it HERE.

“You’ll make mistakes! While some things do work out, just know that there are going to be a lot of mistakes made. There just are! There is no way to build a perfect house with everything going smoothly during the building process.

Building a house involves a lot of people and a lot of changing and moving parts. Know that you aren’t going to get everything exactly as you want it. Some things will be a miss and you just have to move on.

That being said, other things will unexpectedly turn out a lot better than planned! Some of my favorite details in my house are things that weren’t even planned in the beginning.” – Erin

You might enjoy reading 4 Things I Would Definitely Change if I Built Again.

ERIN / MY TEXAS HOUSE

Erin shared her top three pieces of advice when building a home:

1. Try to stay away from finishes that would be considered super trendy. Classic finishes (like subway tile) are the way to go and won’t make your home ever look dated.
2. When on a tight budget, upgrade the items that are hard to upgrade later (like tile, flooring, etc.)
3. And last but not least, when in doubt, add more windows!! You’ll never be saying later, “I wish there was LESS natural light in here.” I so wish we would’ve added more windows in all of our bedrooms. 

You might enjoy reading 8 Savvy Ways to Stay on Budget When Building a House.

CARISSA / CC AND MIKE CREATIVE

“Hello from CC and Mike!  We are so honored that our friend Carrie asked us to be a part of this blog post.

As for our advice on tips for renovating a home, here it is: BE YOURSELF!  I know, that’s probably not what you expected to hear but that’s my advice!  With this world that is inundated with Pinterest and Instagram and YouTube and blogs, it’s so easy to lose yourself in other people’s style. Who are you? What do you like? What makes your heart go pitter patter? For me, that is bold colors, leopard print, gold light fixtures, patterned tile, eclectic decor and black and white!

When I first started our Instagram account I fell into the comparison trap at times — looking to what other people were doing in their homes with all white and neutral color pallates or shiplap and farmhouse decor.  I started to question myself, to think I needed to adapt to other people’s style.  Then I finally realized —No, I just need to be myself! Now, I have embraced my design style and I have learned that being myself when decorating, renovating, or building is so important!  I have to be true to what I love.

So, looking at Pinterest and blogs and Instagram for inspiration is great.  But make sure you are staying true to yourself during the design process. The only way to create true design cohesiveness in your renovation project or in your own home, is to know who you are and be yourself.  Choose finishes and selections that are true to your design style and not someone else’s.  BE YOURSELF and you will end up loving the end result!!” – Carissa

You might enjoy reading Custom vs. Stock Floor Plan: 5 Important Considerations.

TAMARA / PROVIDENT HOME DESIGN

“Right now, I am in the thick of the custom home building process. The biggest piece of advice I have so far is to plan and design your home as specifically as you can as soon as you can. While you are waiting for permits is the perfect time to start taking each room one by one and deciding the furniture layout and what lighting you will need as well as vanity selections.

Personally, from dig date to framing being done took less than two months and once framing is done, you will need to have already made important decisions such as: where you want the outlets or sconces (which is dependent on furniture layout), kitchen and bathroom choices, vanity and island colors, etc.

Creating moodboards on Pinterest for each room and making specific selections early on will help the building process be less stressful and enable you to truly create a home you will be sure to love!” – Tamara

You might enjoy reading Building or Renovating: 12 Unexpected Budget-Friendly Home Upgrades

NINA / NINA CECILIA

“If someone is considering building a house, I highly recommend researching different builders. Ask around for other people’s opinions that have built before and have experienced building with a contractor you’re considering for your house.

Someone might have a beautiful home, but was their experience good? Communication is key … especially if it’s your first time going through the building process. I’ve personally experienced this before and have heard similar stories from others where they would say, ‘If I built again, I wouldn’t use this builder’.”  – Nina

CONCLUSION

How great are these pieces of advice for your home build or reno?! Many of these I had never even thought of before! I’m here to arm you with the most information possible before (or during) your home build, so I hope these tips help!

Make sure to visit all of my friends’ blogs and Instagram feeds (see photo captions for links to their sites). You will NOT be disappointed when you see their gorgeous homes, and their even more beautiful personalities shine through!

Also, be sure to download my *FREE* Custom Home Build Prep Guide and learn the 5 crucial steps to prepare for a home build with less stress, more confidence, and without blowing your budget!