Renovating your home to make it more convenient and appealing can be a pleasurable experience. But, as with any major undertaking, there are many ways things that can go wrong along the way. Here are eight of the most common mistakes to avoid when renovating your home.
One of the biggest home renovation mistakes homeowners make is not properly selecting their remodeling team. If you’re planning a major home remodel, you want to make sure you spend enough time doing your due diligence. Develop a list of questions to ask each contractor or designer you speak with and take notes.
Here are some checks you must conduct before you appoint a remodeling contractor for your project.
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Experienced in your project |
Is the contractor experienced in your type of work? This is the first check you must conduct before signing the agreement. |
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Licensed and bonded |
Is the remodeling company licensed to execute this type of work? You must go for only a licensed and bonded contractor. |
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Insurance |
You can also check if the contractor carries adequate insurance or not. If the contractor has insurance it spares you from having to pay any money for injuries to the workforce on your project site |
Finding a contractor that is licensed, bonded, and insured should be considered “table stakes.” Good online reviews and maybe even a personal recommendation will get you even closer to finding the right team for your remodel. But there is one consideration that is often overlooked: personality.
Do you feel a connection with the remodeler? Do they seem to share your vision of what this renovation should look and feel like to best meet your needs? Are they good listeners?
On the other hand, consider your own personality. Do you have an engineer’s desire to examine every detail and inspect every line item, or do you just want the remodel to go smoothly and the results to be beautiful?
Do you value a designer with good listening skills who can take your ideas and turn them into a custom design that matches your vision? Do you and your partner or spouse get along with the remodeler you’re considering?
Ideally, this is one of the services that your design-build team or contractor will perform for you. But if you choose to go it alone, make sure you know how much time is needed for each step of the renovation project and the corresponding budget.
You’ll also need a plan for where to store your belongings during construction; this can be as simple or complex as you like. Whoever creates the schedule, it should be a detailed schedule that includes all major milestones and shows when each subcontractor needs to be on-site to achieve them.
Your master calendar will also help you figure out when you’ll need materials, fittings, and appliances on-site.
You also need to be able to modify your schedule and keep the project on track in the event of permits or other delays.
Permissions exist for a reason. Thinking that you can save time or money by trying to avoid getting legally required permits can cause you a lot of trouble and delay.
If you don’t get a permit, local authorities may not allow you to proceed with your renovation project and may require it to be stopped or demolished for safety reasons.
Demolition of an old house or building is a serious task and it is necessary to hire trained professionals for safety reasons.
Without doing a lot of research first, the DIY efforts can lead to injuries like broken bones, crushed fingers, burns, and more.
You may even risk starting an electrical fire or bursting a water pipe. But by far the most common demolition mistake homeowners make is ruining parts of their house that should be preserved and creating a huge mess in the process.
Homeowners often make the mistake of not considering how changes to the structure of their home will affect existing plumbing, wiring, and structural support.
Suppose you are thinking of tearing down a kitchen wall to make the space feel more open. Before you grab the jackhammer, are you sure what’s hiding behind that wall? Does the wall itself help support your second story and would tearing it down compromise the structural integrity of your home?
Your architect or interior designer is trained to give you answers about what is out of sight. He or she can advise you on changes that can be made, whether it’s modifying your floor plan or adding structural supports to achieve the open home plan you want.
A professional designer can guide you towards those changes that protect the integrity of your home and have the maximum functional and aesthetic impact for a reasonable investment.
Things like painting, laying tile, and installing flooring may be doable. But larger home projects like plumbing or electrical should always be left to the professionals.
As the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” And that’s especially true with home building products and materials. You can save a little upfront. However, the expense of upkeep will rise over time.
Cheaper products also tend to be of lower quality and won’t last as long in harsher environments like the kitchen or bathroom.
Do yourself a favor and spend as much money as you can on the best materials and supplies available. Not only will they last longer, but home improvements made with them will also look better and be of better quality for years to come.
You want to start your home renovation project now and are not interested in waiting to go through the entire selection and hiring process. Why not just jump in and act as your own general contractor (or carpenter) for the smaller things and bring in a professional later?
Well, there are several reasons why this doesn’t always end well. To begin with, it means that you will be in charge of coordinating a large number of tasks and people. And this is no easy feat for someone who is new to home renovation projects.
It also puts your timeline at risk. You’ll have less time to plan the details if you end up needing to hire a designer or contractor midway through.
We recommend hiring a designer from the beginning. Why? A professional knows how to design a master plan for your home and can tell you in what order to tackle the projects. This helps you avoid costly mistakes, like having to make major changes to a recently redone space in your home.
Transform your home into a space that works for you. At Fields Remodeling we believe that your home should be designed and built for you.
That’s why Fields Remodeling take the time to understand how you live, your needs, and your unique design perspective. Fields Remodeling will ensure that you get the most out of your new home remodel. Contact us today.
A building permit could be necessary if you are moving the load-bearing walls
An electrical permit will be mandatory to obtain if you are adding more electrical points or shifting the existing infrastructure
For executing similar changes to the plumbing lines, you will need a permit
Cosmetic renovations could take about a few days to three months
Medium-scale home remodeling work could take about a few weeks to six months.
A large-scale project could take about six months to a year.
Planning
Budgeting
Demolition
Construction
Cleanup
The goal of a remodeling project is to enhance the usability and functionality of the home. On the contrary interior designing enhances aesthetics in the dwelling space.
