A home renovation require a lot of preparation, and planning for objectives, teams, budgets, and more is essential. If you skip any of the steps, it’s easier to make a mistake that can risk the whole project than you might think. There are some major home renovation mistakes that you should be avoiding and what you should do instead.
Home Renovation Mistakes
1. Buying Only Cheap Materials
There are plenty of ways to save money and cut costs during your renovations, including when it comes to your materials. You can source materials that aren’t being used from local building sites or find discounts.
However, you should make sure that you’re buying quality materials no matter what. If you’re only buying cheap and low-quality materials, then you’re a lot more likely to experience problems with them both during and after construction. In the worst-case scenario, your project will complete seemingly without a hitch, only for those materials to start breaking down months after, meaning you have to invest in repairs all over again.
2. Choosing the First Team That You Talk To
You are likely eager to get started, but you shouldn’t let that get in the way of making sure the project is done right. Take the time to talk to at least five or six contractors to get a feel for them. Do they communicate well with you? Do they understand your wants, and do you understand their plans to meet them?
We tend to overlook some of the small red flags when we’re trying to bring a team together right away. Take the time to interview different teams and compare and contrast what you did or did not like about them. You will be glad you took this time, and you will be more confident in the entire project.
3. Not Expecting to Go Over Budget
Making a budget for your home renovation is an essential step, of course. Even with a budget and funds, you still have to think about money, though.
Inaccurate estimates, changes in material costs, unforeseen workflow problems, and the like can all pump up the costs of the project. Make sure you have a little extra on top of the budget to help cover costs of the unforeseen and identify additional sources of funding like Buddy Loans. This way, even if things do go over budget, you can keep up with the payments so that the work doesn’t freeze entirely.
4. Not Expecting to Go Over the Schedule
No one wants to live in a home with ongoing renovations. Choosing a team of reputable contractors to help you will expedite things, but you should still avoid scheduling renovations when you have a tight schedule. Make sure you can add some time to the renovation schedule if you need it.
Otherwise, you will experience stress seeing the deadline approaching when you’re not sure everything can be completed on time. It’s also going to increase the stress the builders feel, which can make them less cooperative and force them to rush, reducing the quality of the work.
5. Not Planning For All of The Waste
If you’re doing the renovations yourself or acting as the project manager in control of a team of sub-contractors, then you can’t forget about the waste. All renovations are going to leave waste behind, and if you’re not careful, it can linger around for weeks even after the project is done.
Work to keep your home clean during the renovations by making cleaning a regular aspect of every part of the project. Look at hiring a waste removal company like Waste Connections ahead of time. If you wait until the last minute, they’re likely to be booked up by the time you need them.
6. Neglecting the Natural Character of the Home
You can modernize an older home, add space to a small space, or change the entire vibe of the property. Keep aware of the natural characteristics of the home in mind, though. Look at the fixtures that are likely to remain after your renovation is complete.
You don’t want a home that looks like it is in conflict with itself. This mistake is most often seen when updating period homes.
A good renovation preserves what works about the home already and enhances those positive characteristics. It’s typically more expensive to try and change everything about the home, too, so keeping the natural character can save you money.
7. Entrusting it All to Friends
Asking your friends to come help with painting the walls is one thing, but refrain from asking for more. It’s not likely that they are trained contractors who are licensed and insured.
If they get injured while helping you out, you will be responsible for paying for the treatment. You could come under fire to a liability claim. Not only is this going to make your friendship much harder to maintain, but it’s going to add significant costs to the project.
Those costs are more than most homeowners are equipped to deal with. Plus, the simple truth is that working with amateurs leaves you more likely to see an amateur-ish project.
Home Renovation Mistakes to Avoid
Not every aspect of your home renovation project is going to be under your control. Outside variables can affect it in many ways, so avoiding these common home renovation mistakes is essential. With the tips above, though, you can make sure that you are as prepared as is possible.
