Budget Wrangles

Budget is a concern for everyone. So it is important to fix the amount you are willing to spend first. But if you have renovated your home before, then you would know from experience that you usually exceed the budget.

Ashwin Dias, who renovated his home two years ago, says, "We decided on a budget of Rs.2 lakhs but when we calculated the expense later, we had overshot the budget by Rs.1.2 lakhs."

Karen, Ashwin's wife explains, "I believe that you really shouldn't compromise when it comes to your home. It is not like you do it up everyday. I insisted that we wouldn't be stingy and Ashwin eventually caved in."

Designer Demands

Giving into your wife's demands isn't nearly as bad as allowing your interior designer a free reign.

If you want to hire an interior designer, costs will definitely increase. Nevertheless, here are some things that will help you deal with your designer.

• Firstly, ask him to draw out a plan and show it to you. Don't be afraid to make him redo it ten times. You are paying for it; so get your money's worth.
  
  
• Fix a budget with your designer and make sure he sticks to it.
  
  
• The designer will come up with bright ideas. It is up to you to tell him whether you want them or not. Don't be pressurised into agreeing.

TV Tantrums

One of the greatest bones of contention when it comes to setting up the home for the first time is 'where should the TV go?'

Natasha Nagwekar, a housewife, says, "When we were doing up our home I thought it was a great idea to have the TV in the bedroom but my husband thought otherwise. So we opted for a TV trolley instead of a special space in our wall unit. This way we can watch TV in the living room and in the bedroom."

Kiddie Conflicts

If your kids share a room and each one wants different things, help them compromise.

Aarti Shah shares, "My girls wanted completely different things for their room. I was getting fed up and even thought about just doing it my way."

Finally, after much debating, Aarti's husband came up with a plan. Their daughter Alisha who is 6 years chose a yellow and purple colour scheme and Bhavna who is 10 years picked all the furniture and accessories to match.

Well, that is what family is all about. Accommodate each one's ideas and then resolve the situation in such a way that everyone is happy.