Renovating your home is always a bit of an adventure.
Fun and exciting but also filled with a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety, there are different obstacles and pitfalls you’ll want to avoid while you are renovating your home for sure.
Below we map out a handful of things you want to think about before you jump into the deep end of any remodeling project.
Whether you’re just looking to redo the back bathroom or totally overhaul your kitchen these tips and tricks will serve you well!
Let’s jump right in.
1. Poor Your Renovation Plans in Concrete
It’s easy to get swept up in the fun and excitement of planning a remodel – especially when there are so many gorgeous pictures, videos, and tutorials to comb through online.
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At the same time, nothing is going to slow down your progress more (especially in the early stages of a remodel) than having an ill-defined or “fuzzy” plan for your remodel.
Instead of having a dozen or more pictures set up as an “inspiration board” to inform your decisions you’ll want to get as concrete about how you want your remodel to end up as possible before any work begins.
Pick your colors, figure out where you want everything positioned, choose the elements of your remodel in advance, and really sketch out everything from top to bottom before you begin work.
This will help you hit the ground running and will carry you through the sticky situations that every remodel inevitably brings to the table.
2. Run Your Numbers
The next big piece of the puzzle to pulling off a successful remodel is figuring out how much this construction project is going to cost.
This is another big part of why it is so critical that you have a concrete plan of action for your remodel in place before you begin.
With a firm idea of how everything’s going to end up you’ll be able to generate much more accurate estimates, find the right contractors to help you bring your dream remodel into reality, and figure out exactly how much material you’re going to need as well.
With a fuzzy idea your be running with nothing more than ballpark figures – figures that always balloon (usually more than you expect) almost straight out of the gate.
Get your concept and budget dialed in before you begin and your lemonade a lot of the headache and hassle most first-time renovators get overwhelmed by.
3. DIY, Contracted Job, or Something In Between?
Even the smallest of renovation projects is going to be very involved, with a lot of moving pieces, a lot of materials, and a lot of milestones that need to be hit.
Some people are confident with all kinds of power tools in their hands and love the idea of diving into a DIY project.
Other homeowners are a little more reticent and want to turn over the job to legitimate professionals, recognizing that the job will get done faster but it’s also going to cost more money.
And then you have some homeowners that sits squarely in the middle.
These kinds of homeowners love to tinker and toy with different DIY aspects, never biting off more than they can chew, and outsourcing the “heavy lifting” of renovation to professionals while doing the more DIY aspects themselves.
You’ll want to figure out where you sit on this spectrum ASAP so that you know how to best approach every phase of your remodel right from day one to the finishing of your punchlist.
4. Trial Run Your Color and Material Choices
While the general plan and layout for your new remodel will be (mostly) fixed fast and permanent, with minor adjustments are available only after work begins, your color and material choices can change on the fly at pretty much any point in time.
This is a bit of a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it’s nice to know that you have the flexibility to change your mind about how you want your remodel to look as you see it develop.
On the other hand, though, it’s not hard to waste a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of expensive materials as you adjust on the fly – especially if you’re making substantial changes to your plans later in the project.
It’s better to trial run the colors and materials you’re going to be working with as soon as possible.
Get your hands on paint samples, carpet samples, and other material samples as early in the remodel as are able to.
But those samples in the space as it is constructed, looking at how the light and space plays with those elements so that you know how to best move forward.
Paint is the least expensive of the materials that you’ll be able to tinker and toy with.
Don’t be shy about trying different shades, different colors, and different brands until you find something you really like.
5. Always (ALWAYS) Research Your Contractor Team
The number one mistake that homeowners make when they hire contractors to knock out a remodeling project for them is not doing enough research and due diligence.
It’s not enough to get a thumbs up recommendation from a neighbor when you’re talking about spending thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of dollars on your home.
Sure, you’ll want to use that recommendation to inform your decision-making moving forward – but you’re also going to want to do plenty of your own research and due diligence, too.
We are talking about looking into the status of the contractor license or any professionals you are hiring, confirming that there’s a certificate of insurance (for general liability and worker’s comp, at a minimum), that they are bonded and certified by any licensing agencies, and that the reputation in the industry is impeccable.
The internet is going to be your best friend when it comes time to enact this research out.
Take your time. You need to find the right experts to help or you’ll end up making very costly mistakes for sure.
Keep the tips and tricks we highlighted above the mind when tackling a remodeling project and you should be good to go making your dream renovation a reality without a lot of extra effort at all!