Home remodeling is a significant endeavor that can change the appearance of your home and give it more character. However, everyone who’s ever undertaken a home renovation can tell you how stressful and challenging it can be. If you rush it or skip an important part when planning, you risk making serious mistakes that are difficult to correct. So, if you’re planning a home renovation, check out these most common home renovation mistakes and learn how to avoid them.
Rushing The Job
If you love watching home improvement shows, you probably think it’s normal to completely remodel or build a new home in a week. The reality is much different. You have to plan each project to the smallest details and be flexible enough to deal with unexpected challenges as they pop up. You also have to consider the size of the project before you start. Even if you’re planning a smaller remodel in NYC, you should plan it to last at least a few months. That’s so much better than rushing to meet the deadlines, making mistakes, and then having to prolong the project in order to correct the mistakes you otherwise wouldn’t have made.
Poor Planning
This is ideally one of the services provided by your contractor. If you decide to handle it yourself, make sure you understand how much time each phase of the renovation job will take. Regardless of who makes the schedule, it must be a precise timeline that contains all significant milestones and deadlines. Your master calendar will also help you figure out when you’ll need new materials, fittings, and appliances on-site. In the event of permitting or other delays, you must be prepared to adjust your timeline and keep the project on schedule.
Forgetting To Budget for The Project
One of the most common home renovation mistakes is simply avoiding settling on a specific budget. However, even if you do decide on a final budget eventually, keep in mind that you might need more. It’s a good idea to have about 10-20% of funds available than the initial estimate. Best case scenario, you end up under the budget and get to use the extra money somewhere else!
Choosing Cheap Materials
When it comes to the budget, another mistake many people make is opting for cheaper materials rather than more durable ones. This is especially common when you’ve already exceeded the budget on another project and are trying to balance it out by choosing the cheapest option available. However, in cases like these, cheap options can turn out to be very expensive. For example, if you choose a cheaper material for your kitchen countertops, you may have to spend a lot more money cleaning and maintaining those countertops than you would otherwise.
Choosing The First Contractor You Come Across
Another common home renovation mistake is hiring the first contractor you find without vetting them properly. New York City is full of contractors, but not all of them will do a good job. If you’re considering an extensive home renovation, make sure you give yourself enough time to do your homework on those contractors. First, before meeting them, check their reviews. Ask for testimonials from their previous clients to make sure they did a good job. Moreover, make a list of questions to ask each contractor or designer you meet, and keep track of the answers they give you. For example, don’t forget to ask them if their company is licensed and insured.
Not Getting A Permit You Need
When you’re doing a home remodel in NYC, one mistake you absolutely must avoid is not getting the permits you need for such a project. Even if it saves you time or money, not getting the permits you are legally obligated to have can lead to a slew of issues and delays. If you don’t secure it, the local government may refuse to let you continue with your remodeling project. Even worse, they can order it to be stopped or demolished for safety reasons.
However, keep in mind that not all renovations require a permit. There are many home renovations you can do without obtaining licenses or permits, such as painting walls or woodwork and installing bookshelves.
Trying To DIY Too Much
Painting walls, putting up wallpaper, and even some light wood staining or finishing are all jobs that are ideal for a DIY enthusiast. And DIY-ing is a fantastic method to save money and cut your renovation expenditure in half. However, there are some jobs that should be left to the pros. For example, large-scale projects, such as structural improvements, electrical, or plumbing, are time-consuming and possibly hazardous jobs you shouldn’t attempt to DIY. If not done correctly, they might lead to bigger, more expensive problems on your property. Instead, it’s a much better option to pay professionals to do the job properly.
Jumping On The Latest Trends
Some homeowners have the habit of using home renovation to make their homes fit the latest trends. They often do this without contemplating whether or not the notion would work with their home. Aesthetics is all they have in mind instead of usefulness and practicality. They choose pieces and features that are in style rather than choosing something timeless. This is a huge mistake because, most often, those trendy remodeling ideas go out of style very quickly. Then you end up with a home that’s not practical and is no longer fashionable.
Final Thoughts
So much can go wrong during a home renovation. You can easily underestimate how much time or money you need for a particular project, you might hire a subpar contractor, and they can both ruin the entire project. When planning an NYC home remodel, it’s crucial to have all of these most common home renovation mistakes in mind. That way, you’ll be able to stop yourself from making the same mistakes. With all this in mind, you can focus more on sticking to the schedule while being flexible and adapting to changes that are undoubtedly going to come.
Author Bio:
Elise Wilder is an experienced copywriter with special interest in interior design and home improvement. She’s always wanted to design and build her own home. Currently, she’s working at CapitalCity Movers, and lives in New York with her partner and their dog.