The challenge of renovating your home is huge. It is one of the biggest investments of your life and will likely be one that you have to live with for the rest of your life. With the temptation of diving headlong into it, many new homeowners end up making costly mistakes. Here a few commonly made mistakes that you can try to avoid during your own home renovation project.
The right time for renovation
The urge to start working on your home as soon as you set foot in it is one of the biggest rookie mistakes of new homeowners. Let the new home grow on you for a while. Once it is lived in and you are familiar with every nook and cranny, you will have a much better idea of what exactly you need to improve.
Do not rush the contractor for a design
Of course, you are in a hurry to get it over and done with. But allow enough time for your contractor to come up with the best design. And also allow them enough time to get it done perfectly. The wisest thing is to add a couple of weeks to the expected date of completion to allow for unforeseen circumstances that may impact the work.
Avoid going by a sudden new trend in home design
You see a stunning design in a magazine. It is so new and unconventional that you fall in love with it. But think about a year or two later. Will you still be in love with it? It is safer to experiment within an aesthetic that you are comfortable with than to go for something that is a breakout trend of the moment.
Be direct and honest with your contractor
Do not perfectly understand a design? Speak up! You don’t have to pretend to understand anything if you don’t. Keep asking questions until you are perfectly clear on what you are getting into. This will avoid the delays and additional costs of having to change a design midway.
Throw money at the right things
A designer sofa might seem like a must-have in your sparkling new home. But the fact is, the best quality needs to be where you most touch and handle something on a daily basis – like doorknobs and faucets. These may not scream to your guests that you have spent good money on them but you will thank yourself for low maintenance costs and longevity.
Try to break up the work into manageable phases
For anyone on a budget, trying to renovate everything at once is one of the biggest mistakes. Go room by room, starting with the living room or kitchen. Get it done to your satisfaction. The experience will also give you pointers on how to save time and money when you start work in other areas.
Save yourself a lot of headaches by keeping these factors in mind. We wish you happy times in your brand-new home!
