Avoiding the Home Renovation Traps

Avoiding the Home Renovation Traps
Avoiding the Home Renovation TrapsSo you are planning to renovate your home. Amazing idea, your home value would increase and you’d get a good return on your investment.

Avoiding the Home Renovation TrapsSo you are planning to renovate your home. Amazing idea, your home value would increase and you’d get a good return on your investment. But you get to reap in the benefits, only if you proceed with care and ensure the essentials beforehand. Home renovation is an expensive and complicated project with a plethora of challenges along the way. And dealing with these challenges is harder than encountering the ones in a new construction, where you have all the room to do whatever you want. With an existing home, that isn’t the case, and one thing or another may limit your options or require you to be extra careful. Not to forget the costs that can rise up steeply, if you loosen the reins.So what can you do? How can you play it safe? What are the biggest traps, and how can they be avoided so that your home renovation project turns out to be successful? Watch out for common home renovation traps, ignoring which can cause your project to fail, force you to overspend or reduce the expected returns.Avoiding the Home Renovation TrapsControlling costs poorly We’ve already had some talks about costs and overspending, but let’s delve into the details. You’ve finalised everything and now have a detailed costs estimate. Work has begun, and then you suddenly realise that you want different tiles for the kitchen or maybe an extra piece of furniture in the den. Forget all these new ideas because late changes can spiral your budget out of control.Keep one thing in mind; the total costs are usually 10% to 20% more than the estimated numbers. And this is without you making any significant changes. So, if you deviate too much from what you planned, you are bound to overspend.Our suggestion is not to go for anything too exclusive, too lavish or unnecessary. And if you can, go for repairs rather than replacements, provided the product under consideration still has some life left.Order lesser materials than required Yes, you shouldn’t buy anything if you won’t need or use it. But that also doesn’t mean that you order few materials, and cause unnecessary delays when you reorder them later, only because you fell short of the supplies. Generally, most of the raw materials are available in standard sizes or packs, so you’ll have to round up the number of items needed for bricks, blocks, tiles, installation and the like.Going with the cheapest remodeling firmWhile cutting down costs is important, it also doesn’t mean that you go with the cheapest remodelling agency you come across. Compare prices, make sure you are getting a good value for your money, but still a lower rate firm always the best – especially, if they are offering prices a lot lower than market average. This is a sign that they will compensate costs some other way by either using cheap material or missing out come kind of details.Using wrong materials A home renovation agency can guide you better about this, but in general terms, use materials which are compatible with the way your house is build. If your property is old, then use mortars, plasters and renders for the walls, instead of modern cement. Similarly, if you use modern paints, natural evaporation may be blocked.Doing it yourselfIt’s amazing if you are talented and have too many skills, but home renovation isn’t where you should be trying them out. So, don’t overestimate your abilities and start carrying out renovations all on your own. Remember this is a complex project, and you need professional help to get it done correctly and timely.Ignoring the proportionsWhen renovating, most of you tend to focus on the final outcome, without paying any attention to how those changes would affect the overall appearance. So, keep everything in proportion, integrating both the old and renovated elements together.Hurrying throughThe general approach to a home renovation project is with the due date in mind. And so, a lot of you don’t devote enough time to planning. Planning home renovation is extensive, and you need to ensure you are getting all the details right. So, start well beforehand, and give it enough time.Generally, home renovation projects take 10% time more than what you initially estimate.How can you avoid the traps?Plan… and plan well in advance! A detailed plan is a premier for a successful home renovation that stays within the budget and finishes on time. Plan all the details, estimate costs to the smallest level possible, and assign a timeline for each renovation aspect accordingly.Get it all in writingAvoiding the Home Renovation TrapsWhat terms have your home renovation agency and you agreed upon? How much time will the project take? What is in scope and what is out of scope? How will changes be dealt with? Get all of this in writing.Also, decide the costs and intervals at which you will be making payments.Don’t ignore creeping issues Issues are going to creep up that you never expected when you bring down the walls or tear apart the floor, particularly if your property is old. Deal with all of them before finishing up with the renovation task. Right, this will incur costs, but don’t forget that electrical and plumbing issues can lead to so many more problems, so you will actually be saving time and money in the longer term.Never opt for unlicensed tradesSome home renovation projects can be taken care of by any reliable contractor. But some of them are specialized, and should only be completed by licensed professionals. These include plumbing, electrical works, HVAC and asbestos removal.Secure permitsPermits ensure protection and safety. Have all necessary approvals so that your property meets the required building costs. Also make sure that your chosen contractor has them. Good luck with your remodelling project! We hope you stay clear of the traps.

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