How to Find a Good Renovation Project

renovating a house
(Image credit: Simon Maxwell)

Assessing a home for renovation is not always easy. There are lots of reasons why people decide to renovate a house — from making a profit to putting their own stamp on a property.  Whatever the motivation, the original house – that is, the one you are buying – is key. Choose badly and all subsequent work could well be in vain. 

The magic ingredient for the perfect renovation project is potential. However, assessing potential from the hundreds of thousands of properties for sale each year isn’t as easy as you might otherwise think.

Michael Holmes

Michael is Homebuilding & Renovating's Director of Content, Vice Chair of the self build industry body, the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA), presenter of multiple property TV shows and author of Renovating for Profit (Ebury). He also runs an architectural and interior design practice, offering design and project management services. He is one of the country's leading property experts and has undertaken over 30 building projects including two self-builds and the renovation of a Grade-II listed farmhouse. 


Michael has presented over 150 property shows for BBC, ITV1, Channel 5, UK TV Style, and Discovery RealTime, including I Own Britain's Best Home; Don't Move Improve; Trading Up; Good Bid, Good Buy; Build, Buy or Restore?; How to Build A House; and Hard Sell.


Michael is also a regular expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows. He has written for leading British newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, Daily Express and The Independent and has appeared on news programmes such as BBC Breakfast.