Use our DIY materials budget template to compare estimated and actual costs as you plan purchases.
Making furniture, decorating your home or renovating a room can be satisfying, creative work and often saves money. Projects can still get stuck. These seven common problems are worth planning for.
1. Keeping track of materials and tools
Missing a supply or losing track of a tool can stop work just when you're ready to get going.
List the materials, tools and safety gear you need before starting. Organise your workspace so you can find them.
2. Underestimating time and scope
A job that looks simple at first can turn out to be bigger than expected once you're working on it.
Break the project into steps and estimate how long each will take. Allow extra time for delays and techniques you need to learn.
3. Losing motivation midway
It's harder to keep going when something goes wrong or life gets busy, even if you were keen to start.
Set small goals and mark each one you finish. Progress photos can help you see how much you've done.
4. Disorganized notes and plans
When measurements are on scraps of paper and sketches are in different notebooks or apps, it's easy to lose track of them.
Choose one place for your project notes. A notebook, planning app or computer folder can all work if you keep using it.
5. Budget overruns
Tools, fixings and finishing supplies can push spending past your estimate if you leave them out of the budget.
Check prices and make a rough budget before you begin. Record what you spend and allow for purchases you haven't anticipated.
6. Forgetting where you left off
After a break, you may need to work out where you stopped before you can carry on.
Before putting the project away, note what you've finished and what to do next. That saves time when you return.
7. Not documenting the process
Without a record, it's hard to look back at how you made something or what you learned along the way.
Take photos during the work and write a short account of what you did. Reviewing it can help with future projects, and sharing the result online may give other makers ideas.