Where do I start to renovate my house?

Start with a survey, not a sledgehammer. Before you plan kitchens or pick paint colours, you need to know what the house actually needs: damp, roof condition, wiring age, any movement in the structure. Fix those after you have decorated and you end up decorating twice. In the ex-rental flats and 1930s houses we take on, the honest first job is nearly always the unglamorous one.

Second, write two lists: must-haves and nice-to-haves. Be strict about which is which, because the budget will force the question eventually, and it is better you answer it than the money.

Third, set the budget with a contingency, at least 10 per cent on an older property. As a planning figure, a whole-house renovation starts from £1,200 per square metre. We survey the property first, then give a fixed written quote, and the price we quote is the price you pay, so you are not carrying open-ended risk on top of the contingency.

Then sort the paperwork. Structural alterations need building control sign-off. Extensions and some external changes may need planning permission. Flats often need freeholder consent, which catches people out in places like Clapham and Balham. Only when scope, budget and approvals are pinned down should you get builders pricing the job, because quotes are only comparable against a fixed scope. How the work then runs on site is its own question, but the order never changes: essentials first, finishes last.