The curse of the iron triangle

The saying goes that you can have it good, you can have it fast, or you can have it cheap – but you can't have all three. It's known as the iron triangle. So how do you make it bend to your wishes?

Do you want the best quality? Do you want to have it fast? Or must it be cheap? If you are to make your renovation work and – crucially – create a home you want live in, then you’ll need to place these things in order of importance. Not for nothing are they referred to as the iron triangle.

Before you panic, you can swap each of the three around, so it doesn’t mean you always have to forgo the same one. This post is about deciding which two elements you should prioritise in which room to make the most of your money, your time, and your fixtures and fittings.

1 St James’s St Mayfair, where everything was either vintage or sustainable. Image by Mark Anthony Fox

In short:

You want it good and fast? It will cost.

You want it good and cheap? It will take time.

You want it fast and cheap? It won’t be the best quality.

There is, perhaps a fourth point to be added to this triangle (I’m aware it would make it a square) and that’s sustainability. I looked into things to see why it wasn’t regularly fea…