Danielle Demerino here. Also known as Danielle in the City. I am a Toronto Realtor and my partner and I have taken on our third home renovation project. I started a blog series to help my followers get an idea of the renovation process from A-Z. If you are looking for a home in the Greater Toronto Area, give me a call. Whether you are looking for something that is a project or turnkey, I specialize in the Toronto real estate market.

If you have decided to take on a renovation project, this piece of advice will not only save you time, but money as well.  Plan out the project before you start. Establishing a renovation vision is a crucial part of the project. If you go into a home renovation without a plan, expect to waste money along the way. Creating a vision doesn’t mean you need to carve everything in stone from the get go, but some type of plan will help you run a smoother project and give you a better final product! What is key to starting your renovation plan you might ask? A vision board.

How to create a vision board?

A vision board is basically a summary of how you want the renovation final product to not only look, but how you want to feel in the space. The vision board should do the following:

1. Determine the desired look of the home renovation
2. Determine how you want to feel when in your home
3. Help you stick to the plan throughout the process

This is where you can start asking yourself questions about what you want to accomplish in this space. Is your kitchen going to be for entertaining? Do you need to consider children? Do you want to feel zen in the space? Is it about functionality? All these types of questions will start running through your mind as you start putting together a vision.

Note: if your renovation plan is taking on only a certain part of the house, it is important that you do your best to maintain a consistent theme throughout the house. If you have already renovated other areas of the house that are not fitting into the vision, look at what you can do to the other space that doesn’t involve renovation. For example: updating throw pillow or blankets in a room to continue the flow of colours or a theme. The idea of the vision board should help you maintain some type of consistency when coming up with your new vision and other rooms in the house that have been previously renovated.

Here is a list of questions that you can get started asking yourself before creating your vision board:

1. What is the reason for your renovation?
2. What is wrong with the current space?
3. Who will be living in the space?
4. How will the residents benefit most from the room?
5. What are the must haves in the renovation?
6. How do you want the room to make you feel?
7. Have you seen a space that gives you that feeling?
8. What would make the space most functional?
9. What can be used in the renovation to save money?

Are you having a hard time answering these questions or getting your vision board started? Don’t be alarmed, we’ve all been there. Let me introduce you to a handy little tool called Pinterest! Do yourself a favour and get on it.

Go and search terms such as design styles, home decor styles, etc. If you are looking for particular styles to search, try these:

• Farmhouse
• Rustic
• Mid-century modern
• Boho
• Industrial
• Minimalist
• Traditional
• Contemporary
• Transitional

Once you feel inspired by a style, research, research, research. Take some time to research by the different rooms and styles throughout the house. This will allow you to visualize how you can tie all of the rooms int he house together, especially if you are only renovating one space. See how you can pull that design throughout the house.

Whether you decide on creating a digital vision board or a hard copy, this is up to you. Whatever suits you we suggest you use. If you would like some pointers on how to create a digital visual board, check out the video below.

Here are some questions that you should ask yourself when creating your vision board:

1. Determine your renovation style. Example: Farmhouse.
2. Write how you want to feel when in your space.
3. Select some of the most inspirational images that you have come across that match that style and feeling that you are looking to achieve. You can do this through Pinterest, Google, Instagram, magazines, etc.
4. Pin them onto your board whether it be digital or a hard copy.

OK great! You have now started your renovation vision and can refer back to this throughout the process. Remember this vision board has moving parts. You can continue to grow the board throughout your project. This is simply a guide to get you started. Stay tuned for our next blog. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call 416-728-5401.