Believe it or not, home renovations aren’t as straightforward as those TV stations make them seem. While these processes can come off as overwhelming, there’s no reason why your renovation shouldn’t end as a wild success. The key to achieving this is to work with a great design-build team. Renovating your home might be the first renovation you undertake, and as it’s common with many projects homeowners start for the first time, you’re prone to make some mistakes. Today’s article highlights some mistakes you cannot afford to make, even as a beginner, to ensure the best results and the chance to keep your sanity intact. If it’s your first time, this will be a helpful post to review.
1. Rushing the renovation process
The one thing all home renovation television shows have done is to make the renovation process seem like a breeze. They show the outcome after a few initial episodes, leading nay to believe that renovating a home shouldn’t take much time. Yes, this means something as seemingly simple as changing your patio doors will most likely go past a week.
Renovating a home takes a lot of time, from planning to implementation, inspections, and finally, utilization of the space. To get the highest level of quality, dedicate ample time to every stage. give every stage of renovation the respect it deserves, especially when you’re working on a massive project. Experts suggest dedicating three to six months to planning your renovation process. This is enough time to assemble the best team for the job, plan every task down to the tiniest detail, and address any unforeseen emergency or issues that may occur.
2. Working with the cheapest contractor
Sales are great, and it’s always a steal when you get some items for the lowest price during Black Friday and other special offer days, but this mentality should not be carried into construction and building renovation. There’s no guarantee that the quality attached to your lowest price option is good enough, nor does the lowest price of a professional translator to a better job being done. The way to choose contractors, for example, is to source and look at three different estimates from three companies. Be vigilant with every estimate, as contractors are known to offer low prices only to cut corners using low-quality materials. In the estimates you receive, ensure every contractor includes details about the type of product they’ll be purchasing, any element they’ll be installing, and the associated prices of relevant materials and their installation.
There are different kinds of renovations; thus, you might also have to look for additional fees such as a general contractor fee, insurance, waste removal fees, work warranties, and many more. Addressing these in the initial stages is of utmost importance, as it prevents you and your team from underestimating the renovation project.
3. Working with trends, not preferences
This is prevalent in kitchen spaces. What many homeowners forget concerning kitchens and spaces is that the bolder the space is, the quicker it tends to go out of style. You might be guilty of looking through magazines and picking the trendiest kitchen to implement.
When this style fades, you’re still left with a kitchen no one wants. This can reduce the overall value of your home drastically. To avoid this, stick to simple, minimalistic yet modern kitchens that any future buyer can build upon and won’t require extra effort to redesign. Also, avoid squeezing a kitchen island into a kitchen with insufficient space. Lastly, try not to overdo the kitchen appliances at the expense of space available.
4. Working on many rooms at once
Innovations are best done in sections instead of trying to renovate the entire house. Breaking down the renovation process is a sure way to keep you within the budget you have set. In breaking your renovations, you can opt to do it based on rooms, where you tackle one room at a time or categorize the home into major spaces and tackle each sector at a time.
Another benefit of breaking down the process into sections or rooms is that you can have a clearer view of progress, which makes the entire process less overwhelming.
5. Lowballing your budget
When creating your budget for a renovation project, try not to have fixed amounts as much as possible. To expand, home experts advise that you make room for a few surprises and emergencies that might arise within the course of the renovation. A typical example of unforeseen circumstances could be wall damage while trying to install a backsplash. While this is rare, it is highly probable and, when it occurs, will incur added costs. As per the general rule of experts, renovation project budgets should have at least 15 percent of the total project cost allocated to unforeseen expenses. The percentage might increase when renovating older homes.
6. Not considering your home’s condition
Quite often, the redesign goals of homeowners are chosen and decided upon without a full understanding of how these design proposals can affect the home’s existing structure positively or negatively. It is important to note that, no matter the kind of renovation you’re looking to implement, you need a home with an outstanding and strong structural system. Otherwise, your renovations will consume more time than necessary.
The avoidance of a home’s current condition before renovations is seen mostly with older homes that haven’t been renovated in decades. To ensure you don’t fall victim to such a situation, work hand in hand with experts. Plumbers, electricians, and contractors can help you identify the kind of water, gas, and weight support your home can accommodate and if there is a need for an upgrade.
7. Changing your mind often during the process
An indecisive homeowner is a contractor’s worst nightmare, especially when working on renovating their home. This huge mistake can cost you extra money, resources, and time. The best time to constantly change your mind is at the planning stage, where all ideas are put onto paper only. Once the actual work starts, every change you make gets harder to implement and more expensive to become a reality. This often leads to the results being substandard and less than expected. The key to abiding by this is to be precise and detailed during the planning stage. Don’t hesitate to speak up with any new idea you think of. Ask questions, change your mind if you want to, and consider all your renovation options. Once the real fieldwork begins, consider every decision you’ve made as the final, and let go of any second guesses.
8. Working without a permit
Every project requires a different kind of permit. Before you move your renovation ideas from paper to reality, ensure you have the right kind of permit for your project. Getting a permit is easier when working with a design-build company, as they handle all the necessary permits before moving to your site. If you’re not working with such a firm, the onus is to identify the right permit for your project and acquire it before any work commences. The best place to find the right permit will be at your regional or municipal office, and the best time to start the process is during your planning phase.
Renovations aren’t meant to be depressing; thus, do everything it takes for a homeowner to ensure you have the best renovation project experience by making intentional decisions. In many cases, the mistakes mentioned above can be curbed or avoided altogether when homeowners choose the right team to work with.
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