Why the Best Time to Plan a Renovation Is Before Christmas
Most people start to plan a renovation over the summer break. There’s time to walk around the house, notice what isn’t working, and talk about what could be better. Then February arrives, and so does everyone else’s enquiry.
If you’re hoping to build in 2027, the planning you do in the next few weeks can make a real difference to when you start.
What it takes to plan a renovation
A renovation has more stages than most people expect. Before a builder can start on site, a project usually goes through several steps:
- Design. Working out the brief, testing layouts and settling on a direction.
- Documentation. Turning the design into drawings a council and builder can work from.
- Approvals. A planning permit if one is needed, then a building permit. In Melbourne, some councils take around six months for a planning permit, particularly where a Heritage Overlay applies.
- Pricing. Getting quotes and choosing a builder.
Each stage depends on the one before it. A few weeks gained at the start is carried all the way through.
The new year rush is real
January and February are when many homeowners decide to get going. Designers, consultants and builders all get busier at the same time, and councils see more applications.
Starting before Christmas means your early design work is done while others are still deciding. You go into the new year with something real to respond to, rather than a blank page.
The holidays are good thinking time
If you have a first set of plans before the break, the holidays become useful. You can live in the house with the options in mind. You’ll notice how the morning light falls in the kitchen, where everyone ends up at night, and what the family really needs.
That kind of feedback is hard to get any other way, and it makes the next stage of design faster and more confident.
You don’t need to have everything worked out
Many people hold off because they feel they need a clear plan or a fixed budget first. In our experience, a focused early design stage is what gives you that clarity.
Seeing two different layouts for your own home helps you understand what’s possible, what matters most to you, and where the budget is likely to go. It’s a much better starting point for decisions than a list of ideas.
A focused first step
This is why we offer The Concept Starter, a simple way to plan a renovation before the break. We meet to talk through your brief, then prepare two floor plan options for your home in four weeks, for a fixed fee.
It’s designed for renovations, extensions and heritage homes, and gives you a clear direction to take into 2027.
We’re taking a small number of places before Christmas. If you’d like one, enquire by Friday 20 November.
Melbourne Residential Planning Guide
The key things worth understanding before you begin: planning overlays, the renovate vs rebuild decision, budget reality and why early advice matters. Enter your email and we’ll send you a copy.