Choosing to renovate your home is a huge commitment and takes considerable time, money, and energy to get right. It’s not going to be an entirely smooth process, but preparing for the worst and ensuring you have a long list of backup plans will make your renovation easier. Whilst many may want to get stuck in and start right away, there’s much to consider and a lot of people to have various conversations with.
Today, we’re looking into some of the biggest home renovation mistakes you could make and what you must do to avoid them.
Not Planning Enough
Renovating your home is an exciting time. You’re filled with ideas, visiting interior design stores every weekend, and scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration at every opportunity. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement and dive in straight away, but you must spend significant time planning.
If you don’t plan in advance, you may face problems you didn’t know existed until further down the line. Whether it’s forgetting to size up skirting boards or not checking the expenses of removing walls, each problem you face due to poor planning will cost you time and money.
To avoid this, sit down with who you’re completing your home renovation with, and discuss everything. Break it up room by room and examine precisely what you want and how you need to get there. What measurements do you need? Will you need an electrician? What type of wood do you want for your cut string staircase?
Using Cheap Materials
Renovating a home is a substantial financial commitment; understandably, you will be trying to budget. However, whilst budgeting is expected, you shouldn’t cut corners regarding the quality of your materials. If you choose cheap materials, not only will this show in the overall look of your finished project, but things are more likely to break and become damaged, meaning you’ll have to spend money on repairs and replacements later on.
Instead, consider shopping around and waiting for sales. All hardware stores will have slightly different prices so take the time to compare materials at a range of different places and, simultaneously, look out for seasonal and flash sales. This way, you can get the quality you need at a lower price.
Changing Your Mind Too Many Times
Unless you have a clear vision, you will likely change your mind about your renovation plans at various stages of the project, whether for aesthetic or functional reasons. For example, it might be that you’re altering plans due to new information, such as discovering a wall is load-bearing and deciding not to remove it. However, changing your mind too often significantly delays the process and frustrates everyone involved.
Try to stick with your original plan as much as possible and only alter it if necessary.
Choosing Unreputable Contractors
One of the biggest home renovation mistakes people make is choosing unreliable contractors. This can cause serious issues, such as time delays, miscommunication, missing or damaged materials, and above all else, a lack of safety.
As bespoke joiners in Manchester with over 30 years of experience, we have plenty of knowledge and expertise in various practices, such as staircase manufacturing. Choosing a company like ours will ensure you’re in safe hands from start to finish as we will listen to your plans and provide our advice to guarantee you incredible results.
Skipping Safety Precautions
If you’re completing any DIY projects, ensuring you have the proper PPE should be at the forefront of your work. Get whoever is working on the project goggles, ear defenders, safety gloves, knee pads and anything else they require to work safely. If the correct project isn’t worn during any DIY, it could result in severe injury and some cases, be fatal.
In addition, ensure you research your project thoroughly before getting stuck in. Whilst DIY can be fun and a great way to practice your skills, it’s essential that you know what you need to do to complete the job safely before you get started.
If after the research you believe it’s too big of a job to do alone, there’s no shame in contacting the professionals, as this will ensure the work is completed safely.
Going With the Easy Options
We understand that a home renovation is a daunting process, and it might seem like the sensible option to choose the easy route; however, we’re here to tell you that that’s not always right. Our team aren’t shy of crazy and out-of-the-box ideas and is always up for a challenge, so if you have been turned away for having unrealistic goals, we’re here for you.
Here at Darcy Joinery, we’re incredibly experienced in dealing with home renovations and can provide you with our help at every stage of your journey with us. So whether you’re looking for stairs, doors, windows, or period mouldings, we’re here to ensure everything goes as planned and you’re thrilled with the results.
Contact our team today to get started.