Home Renovation Mistakes To Avoid

As tempting as it is to immediately turn to the fun stage of picking up a color palette and choosing fixtures and fittings, if you want your renovation to go smoothly, you need to carefully think a lot of things through.

1. How To Successfully Plan Your Home Remodel

To begin with, you need to know what your end goal is. Is the reason you are innovating to increase the resale value of your property or to make it more pleasant for you to live in? The first reason implies choosing renovations with a favorable return on investment. The second is far more personal and depends on your preference as this beautification will be seen through your eyes.

Whatever is the reason you chose to renovate, you likely have an available budget for it. Although you should always leave room for unexpected costs that are bound to arise, you need to do your research and plan wisely so you can stick to your budget. Exceeding it might not seem like a big deal at first, but it can even leave you regretting you chose to remodel in the first place. Just like you need to prepare for unexpected expenses, you also need to embrace yourself for delays and time always equals money in these cases. It’s always a good idea to make a checklist of items you will need, from administrative tasks like permits all the way to paint. It’s helpful to separate the items you already have from items you will need to purchase. This will also help you factor in the time you need to obtain a permit, etc.

Speaking to someone who undertook a similar project can be beneficial to know what to expect and plan your costs realistically. Although it might seem to you that you can do plenty of things yourself, know your limits and when to ask for help of a professional. When you are looking for a contractor, references are the way to go as some people look better on paper. Seeing his or her actual prior work is even better.

The more you declutter the renovation zone, the less painful the process as well as the risk of damage. Don’t forget to protect your kids and pets which means you will need someone to take care of them while the work is getting done, along with installing safety gates. If you are staying at your home while the work is being done, plan for water and electricity outages.

Have no doubt, a renovation won’t be a picnic. But, as long as you resist the temptation of just turning off the light at the end of the day and deal with the mess on a daily basis, you won’t get overwhelmed with the process as seeing daily progress will be the motivation you need to keep going.

2. Home Renovation Mistakes To Avoid

Home renovations can take a big bite out of your budget and your time so let’s make sure you avoid making some costly mistakes.

Failing to mix and match

Although renovations don’t have to result in the same style, you need to make sure the upgrade complements the existing one as you don’t want your house to turn into a collage.

Choosing style over function

Trends change all the time. Before letting your eyes make the call, think about how will you use the space and live in it. For example, installing an expensive wall decor but skimping on flooring may not be the best decisions. Your kitchen needs to support your cooking ‘flow’ so build it in a way that it allows you to move around it and do your thing. Never underestimate the importance of safety as well. However, you should also not neglect curb appeal entirely as this will be the first things potential buyers see, in case you ever think of selling.

Buying décor too early

Buy the perfect appliances, furniture and décor only when the project is finalized not to risk ending up with stuff that does not fit.

3. Home Renovation Tips and Ideas

There are many ways to cut your costs without cutting corners with the upgrade providing you with more than a sight for sore eyes.

Make your kitchen even more efficient

We often think we need a bigger kitchen when in fact we need a more efficient one. If you can reorganize and equip your kitchen for maximum utility, there’s no need to remove walls to gain more square meters. Begin with replacing space-hogging shelves with cabinet-height pullout drawers that contain racks. Upgrade your cabinets with dividers, pull-out pot trays, and lazy Susans and you’ll be surprised what can fit in there.

Let there be light

Lighting creates a bright, welcoming, pleasant and usable environment. Before making a huge hole in your wall to make a window, you can capture light with a “tube” that slips between roof rafters and funnels sunshine down into the living space.

Look for opportunities to enhance the function or money-saving capability of your home

Ripping out an entire room may be the perfect time to add insulation to the walls or add additional light that is more energy efficient. Such home improvements will make your home more energy-efficient and cut your monthly Illuminating Company utility costs.

Takeaway

The better you prepare yourself, the more in control you will be of your renovation project. You need to consider both the short and long-term costs and gains. As long as you build in a cushion to cover the surprises, avoid some common mistakes and access your renovation strategically, you’re good to go.