One of the most exciting things that you can do when you purchase a home is to renovate it so that it truly matches you and your style. Nevertheless, it can be a challenge to turn your ideas from concepts to actual results.

Here are three things that you can do to make sure that the amazing ideas you have for your house can be implemented at a reasonable cost:

Find the original plans

If your house was built recently, talk with the previous owners and/or the builder to see if you can examine the original blueprints. This will help you to know why certain things went where they did. If you go ahead without this initial piece of discovery, you could find that you've knocked down a wall to put a closet right where your HVAC and plumbing conduits are. These are extremely expensive to move and can cause your small renovation project to quickly balloon in cost. 

There are occasions where you can't find or get access to the original house plans. When this happens, you can use different tools to take a look inside your walls. Rent a portable X-Ray or ultrasound machine so that you can see through the sheet-rock and wood before taking out a wall.

While it can be a little expensive, the cost is far less than if you were to find major electrical or water lines that had to be rerouted.

Work with an interior designer

Once you have a feel for what your house looks like inside the walls, find an interior designer who can work with you to create the new and amazing space you have in mind. As they start creating designs, talk with them about what you'd like to see changed and give them feedback so they can know they're going in the right direction. They can often overcome some of the things that may seem like obstacles in creating your perfect living space.

Hire a great general contractor

The most important step is to hire a great general contractor who can translate your dreams into reality. Once you have a list of contractors, narrow it down by asking them to show you some of their work. See if they can give you some references so that you can follow up and make sure that their clients are still satisfied with the work they performed.

Once you have your list of references, make sure that you call them to get a feel for how these contractors work. This is extremely important so that you can know that you will be able to work well with them. Some great questions you can ask to get a feel for how well you will work with them are as follows:

• Does this contractor have specific people that they work with, or are they open to suggestions from me?
• Does this contractor prefer to do their job without ongoing feedback, or do they prefer constant feedback during the course of a project?
• When this contractor gets feedback, what is their reaction to it? If they push back on my opinions, do they help find a middle ground between us, or do they insist on their way?
• Was this contractor finished on time and on budget?
• Did you ever feel pressured to spend more?
• Did they offer helpful suggestions on how your original plan could be better?

As you take these steps, you'll be able to truly transform your home into the oasis you always dreamed of.