The need to renovate your home is occasioned by many factors. It is common for homeowners to renovate their homes to improve comfort, boost curb appeal, or increase the selling price. Regardless of your reasons, planning a renovation project isn’t simple. You should have a detailed timeline of activities, a predetermined budget, and adequate funding.

Nonetheless, it is not uncommon for homeowners to realize they’ve made one or several costly mistakes amidst their renovation. Remodeling mistakes often cause project delays, extra expenses, and stress. That said, you should watch out for the following renovation mistakes:




1. Choosing the Wrong Contractor

While this may seem obvious, the biggest mistake you can make is hiring the wrong contractor for the job. Home improvement projects should be top-notch, especially if you intend to sell your home. As such, you should choose the right renovation contractor from these top architecture firms for guaranteed results.

One common mistake homeowners make when choosing a contractor is going for the contractor with the cheapest bid. You should go through multiple bids before choosing a renovation contractor. You should evaluate the contractor’s experience, previous work, and reviews. Don’t let their quotations guide your decision-making. Choosing the lowest bid isn’t always the best option.

You should also verify that the contractor is licensed and insured, can follow design specifications, and is reputable.

2. Ignoring Your Home’s Condition

Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t understand the effects of their renovation proposals. For starters, you should evaluate to determine if your home’s infrastructure can support your renovation goals. If your home isn’t strong structurally, extensive renovations can cause significant complications that can lead to project cancellation or overruns. You should inspect your home and evaluate its condition before renovating. Pay close attention to the following features:

● Faulty plumbing fixtures: You should inspect your home’s plumbing system for faulty fixtures, loose fittings, and leaky pipes. Ignoring them during renovation may force you to stop or redo the entire project later.

● Presence of cracks: Cracks on internal or external walls are signs of serious problems. This might indicate weakened structural integrity or moisture issues.

● Pest and termite infestation: You should inspect your home for pest and termite infestation before renovations. Otherwise, you might uncover areas that have severely been damaged by pests, forcing you to halt the renovation process.

● Electrical and wiring issues: Inspect your home for wire gauges, uninsulated wires, switchboards, and other electrical components for safety.

The list above isn’t exhaustive. You should hire home inspection experts to evaluate your home before renovation.

3. Ignoring the Projects’ Return on Investment

You should prioritize your renovation project’s return on investment, especially if you intend to list your home for sale later. Not all renovation projects are equal. Some remodels fetch a higher selling price, while others won’t increase your property value much. That said, you should avoid remodels such as installing trendy lights, textured wallpaper, and carpeting.

As a rule, prioritize renovations that maximize your home’s resale value. Ideally, you should stick to minimal patterns and neutral colors. For instance, if you are working on remodeling your kitchen, don’t install colorful custom tiling. While it might suit your taste, it might turn off potential buyers. If you are specifically remodeling your home for sale, you should prioritize garage door replacements, minor kitchen remodels, and vinyl siding upgrades.

4. Ignoring Home Renovation Permits

Most homeowners think they don’t need building permits and licenses to complete their renovation projects. While small fixes, such as repainting, don’t necessarily need permits from local governments, significant renovation projects, like bathrooms or kitchens, require official permits.

Surprisingly, most people presume bathroom renovations don’t need permits because of their small size. However, bathroom remodeling requires that you update the plumbing, electrical, and structural changes, which usually need a permit. Your renovation contractor should help you obtain the necessary permits. Ignoring permits will attract fines or force project closure.

5. Trying to DIY too much

The notion by homeowners that they can undertake most remodeling projects is unrealistic. Ideally, DIYing your renovation can save money, but you should know your limits. While you can work on low-risk projects yourself, you should consider hiring a professional. You shouldn’t attempt remodeling projects if you:

● Don’t have the necessary tools or equipment: Home remodeling projects require several tools. Avoid DIYing the project if you don’t have demolition tools, safety equipment, and other advanced tools.

● Don’t have the skills: Watching home renovation TV shows and YouTube videos don’t count. Some renovation projects require more expertise than others. Unless you can demolish, frame, install insulation and drywall, and work on electrical and plumbing systems, don’t attempt to renovate your home.

Remodeling your home can be dangerous, and millions of DIY remodelers often end up hospitalized. You should be wary of the inherent risks that come with wiring, heavy lifting, and demolitions.

Endnote

Renovating your home to improve functionality or curb appeal is certainly exciting. However, being a major project, many things can go wrong. You should have a master plan, hire professionals, don’t over-customize, and have a budget.