i generally plan to do far less than i believe i can afford, so it works fine not to have a budget.

We do our best to stay in budget with our clients, but they love what they see and usually choose extras and add ons!

I have a budget to stick to, plus an extra 20% for surprise disasters.

I set a budget then plan for 1/3 more. If I'm within the 1/3, I consider that within budget

It is easy to go over.

we just finished a huge house renovation and, like most people, we had a limited budget, so that meant we had to stick to it. I did calculate an extra 15% for unpredictables, or to shuffle around with the different components of the renovation. We certainly needed that extra safety net. We got some surprises when doing an extension, as the floor underneath wasn't exactly as in the drawings, so that meant extra work and costs. Also, we decided to go for a floor that was 4 times more expensive than the originally planned. That meant we had to do concessions and restrict budget even more in other things, like shopping for standard kitchen cabinets instead of all custom-made. Overall, I'm very pleased that we were able to do everything we wanted within budget. But it's very tempting to go over budget when you see all the fabulous options out there for materials and finishings... Sticking to budget requires having very clear the priorities and the time to shop around and find best prices, you can save a lot that way.

Budj.. what? What's that?

I enthusiastically started to "clean" to paint my daughters' house for my retired husband & I to move into. SURPRISE! We discovered a tree had made a hole in the roof. How did I discover this? I watched it rain here in Kansas for a whole week, INTO one of the rooms. We pulled up the carpet & pad...& of course the beautifully, pristine wood floor is ruined. Since the house was built in 1900 & made of clay bricks, we had to remove all the plaster covering the bricks on 3 walls. After a new $15,000 roof was done (which blew the budget right there), we had to put furring strips screwed into the mortar, rigid board insulation, & 1/4" drywall (which I am in the process of trying to do myself) I did the ceramic tile floor in the bathroom myself. My ex-son-in-law helped put up the tile on the wall, replaced the tub & toilet & prepped the vanity for the new sink. I have been buying materials & supplies a little at a time & it seems to be working out well. Now if I can just find some competent help, I'd be good to go. It's already been 10 months...good thing we have a place to live now. But, even with all the frustration...I LOVE the renovating process...but,I think, at 68 yrs old, it's not as easy as my mind wants me to believe it is. lol

Not really a budget, per sae, but I will buy/do something depending on how much money I have at that moment and how much it costs and whether or not it would be worth the cost

I never have a budget. Not that I have an unlimited budget at all, just that I always try to spend as little as possible!

It's so easy to go over budget, no matter what one's intentions. The most dangerous phrase to utter during a renovation is "well, while we're at it..."

I am in the middle of my second renovation and I don't really think "budget". Id rather get what I want, even if I have to do it in stages. That way I will never feel that I didn't get what I wanted. Having said that, it doesn't mean I get Thermodor or Ice Box appliances in my kitchen but I do get the higher end of the middle priced. Looking at a cooktop now and will probably go with a Bosch or maybe GE Profile. Its not like I will change them within the next 30 years so I want something good. Doing my kitchen the way I want means waiting to renovate my bathrooms until next year.

I'll let you know when I have money to renovate. Right now, I'd settle for new flooring and new countertops.

everything we have ever done as far as remolding goes cost more than we planned - but we plan on that!

My dad was a builder who did renovations when building was slow. He taught me how to make good thorough cost lists and then for big jobs add 25% for thing to go wrong.. My husband and I have renovated 5 homes in the years we've been married and, you know, he was about right. Something always goes wrong and a $500 cosmetic fix turns into a $5000 rotted underneath-tear it down to the joist and replace some of those. On the few occasions something like that doesn't happen on the way, there is always some nicer fixtures or flooring you can't live without as the project nears its end.

Some things can be done in phases, but don't tear it out until you know you can afford to put it back. I have friends who have been living with a kitchen renovation for 2 and a half year because they got all ambitious and tore out the cabinets and then had a financial setback and are still waiting to replace them all.

My husband and I do lots of research before we start a project such as pricing things and making a budget. It's fun to find good deals and spend less.

Hmm. Budget. Well yes, we do have a budget. We are currently renovating our home and it seems we will be slightly over budget (7%-10%) once finished. We have a fiscally-minded GC that has kept us on track. If he wasn't we would be much more over budget (thanks to my uncanny ability to gravitate towards the more expensive finishes).

I never go way over-budget, but if I see something little that could really add to the whole project, or an odd job that needs to be done, I always ask my contractors to add it. If they are already there with all their tools, it just makes more sense to keep them working rather than wait for years (or never) until I have saved the money to do that extra job.

It's easy to go over the budget, if the job is done perfect it's all worth it

you all agreed???

We have done extensive remodeling on our 1890's farm house over the past 23 years. We have always started out with a budget, but because it is an old farm house, there have always been things that came up that we didn't plan for. I am happy to say that our home is exactly the way we want it to be.

We pretty much stayed on our budget for our kitchen reno, with the exception of appliances. I came upon some rare bargains too good to pass up, so we spent money we hadn't planned on, but no regrets. Worked out for best, by far.

Personally? Never! But we do take a clients budget into careful consideration when working on selections at our showroom.

It is super important to have a contingency when you start your project to help with surprises that aid in budget overages. However, before you even call an architect you should do a little number crunching of your own. This will help you be realistic about your budget to begin with, and save you thousands on architectural fees so you can use that money for the fun stuff. I recently wrote an article on this. Feel free to take a look. http://www.waschastudios.com/new-blog/budget -Stephanie

I prepare a detailed list of all items/work to be priced then get quotes. I obtain quotes from all potential contractors then go with most qualified contractor at the lowest price. However, normally during the course of the project I either request additional work or purchase additional items or there is an unexpected expense. Normally I try to keep within budget but usually do go over.

Just like Sally Poplin said "Some couples go over their budgets very carefully every month; others just go over them."

I agree with "River City"... it's harder when it's a personal project, but for a client we do our best to stay within budget.

I research & guess-itmate the costs & time. Then...I multiply both cost & time by 3. If I come in under the x3 numbers...all is well in the land. I also do the same thing for projects that go to&from the "man-cave"... that really helps keeping all things well in the land." *grin*

I have found the problem is when you make one decision that you think is not too bad..it dominoes into an escalation of running over budget. It's like improving one minor thing in a room and suddenly everything jumps out as shabby or needing an update.

We just redid our kitchen, DIY style, set a budget, and completed it $300 under! Woohoo!

I go over budget while planning on purpose, then see where I can cut down on the cost, and it usually comes down considerably.

contractors never stick to estimates. not. ever.! but, if i am 100% in control....as in DIY, then yes...i stick to budget!

We have not paid for renovation except for the supplies my husband and I need to do it ourselves.

I don't have a choice I'm running out of money.

Contractor gave us a cost, never suggested our choices were not in his cost estimate. When he finished he gave us a bill that was close to half again his original estimate.

lesson to be learned, choose your contractor carefully!