How to Renovate or Extend Your Home: A Complete Step by Step Guide
Thinking about a home renovation or extension?
If you’re thinking about renovating or extending your home, it’s completely normal to feel excited, it’s the beginning of something new. It’s also just as normal to feel unsure about where to start.
For most homeowners, renovating isn’t something you do often. With so many decisions to make like budget, design, timelines, approvals, it can quickly feel overwhelming.
Over the years, we’ve found that homeowners considering a renovation or extension tend to have many of the same initial questions. Understanding these early on helps bring clarity, reduce uncertainty, and make the entire process feel far more manageable.
Here are some of the most common questions we’re asked
- Where do we start?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- Do I need plans, permits, or council approval?
- Can we live in the house during the renovation?
- How do I choose the right builder?
At Build Right, we specialise in home renovations and extensions in Christchurch. We decided to create a clear, step by step process that gives you confidence from the very beginning, right through to a well planned build that you’ll love!
Rex Director & Founder | Sam Project Manager
Step 1: Free In-Home Consultation
Your Renovation Journey Starts With a Free In-Home Consultation
Every successful renovation begins with a clear understanding of your home, your lifestyle, and your vision.
That’s why at Build Right Homes, we start with a free in-home consultation. We meet with you in your space, take the time to listen, and explore what you’d like to achieve. Seeing your home firsthand allows us to better understand its layout, structure, potential, and any challenges that may need to be considered.
We strongly believe first impressions matter, and that starts with us. We send experienced, specialised professionals who can walk you through the possibilities, offer practical guidance, and answer your questions with honesty and clarity.
This is also your opportunity to get a feel for us as a company. Renovating or extending your home is a big decision, and choosing the right builder is just as important as the design itself. Our goal is to ensure you feel comfortable, informed, and confident from the very beginning.
During the consultation, we’ll talk through:
- How you currently use the space
- What isn’t working for you and your family
- How you’d love your home to look and feel once renovated
- Practical ideas and smart options to achieve the best possible outcome within your budget
We’ll also provide early insights into feasibility, potential costs, timelines, and next steps — so you leave the meeting with clarity, not confusion.
This first step is relaxed, informative, and obligation-free. It’s simply about understanding your goals and helping you explore what’s possible.
Because when we truly understand your home and your vision, we can help you build it right.
Step 2: Free Basic Concept Plan
Following your in-home consultation, our team prepares a complimentary basic concept plan tailored to your home and your goals.
This initial concept illustrates the proposed new layout and shows how the spaces will connect and function together. It’s designed to give you a clear visual direction — not just ideas on paper, but a practical layout that reflects how you want to live in your home.
At this stage, we focus on:
- Improving flow and functionality
- Maximising natural light and space
- Creating better connections between living areas
- Ensuring the design aligns with your budget and lifestyle
The purpose of the concept plan is to help you see the potential before committing to detailed architectural drawings and engineering. It allows you to explore possibilities with confidence and make informed decisions about the next steps.
We believe clarity is key. By presenting a well-thought-out concept early in the process, you can visualise the transformation and feel confident that the design direction is right for you and your family.
From there, we guide you through the detailed design, approvals, and construction process — step by step.
Step 3: Initial Proposal + Estimate (Bank-Ready)
Alongside your concept plan, we provide a detailed initial proposal and estimate — giving you a practical and realistic starting point for your project.
This isn’t a vague ballpark figure or a rough guess. It’s a carefully considered budget range based on the proposed scope of works, site conditions, and our experience delivering similar renovations and extensions.
We clearly outline:
- The proposed scope of works
- Key inclusions and assumptions
- Allowances where required
- A realistic budget range aligned with your design direction
Our goal is to provide transparency from the beginning, so you can make confident and informed decisions.
Importantly, this estimate is structured to be something you can confidently take to your lender or broker. It allows you to:
- Have an informed conversation with your bank
- Understand affordability and borrowing capacity
- Plan your finance with greater certainty
- Move forward with clarity — not uncertainty
We believe early financial clarity prevents disappointment later. By aligning design ideas with realistic budgets from the outset, we help ensure your project is both achievable and well-planned.
From there, once you’re comfortable with the direction and budget range, we move into the detailed design and fixed pricing phase.
Step 4: Preliminary Design (Fixed Price)
Once your finance is approved and you’re ready to move forward, we progress into the Preliminary Design stage.
This is where your project begins to take real shape.
During this phase, we properly develop your concept into a structured set of drawings that allow you to move ahead with clarity and confidence. These drawings form the foundation for the next stages of design, approvals, and pricing.
Your Preliminary Design package typically includes:
- Site Plan – Showing how the proposed works sit on your property
- Floor Plan – Detailed layout of the new and existing spaces
- Roof Plan – Outlining roof structure and configuration
- Elevations – External views to show how your home will look once complete
This stage is critical. It refines the vision, aligns the layout with structural considerations, and addresses key design decisions early — reducing unknowns and costly changes later.
By investing in a thorough preliminary design, we ensure your renovation or extension is built on a strong, well-considered foundation before moving into detailed documentation and final pricing.