Planning a remodel ? ward off these common and costly remodeling mistakes with these expert tips .
Nathan Kirkman / Better Homes & Gardens
With so many potential remodeling pitfall , it ’s saucy to ascertain from the mistakes of project past . live what not to do when you take on a remodel will help you make the most of your fourth dimension and money , and ensure that your undertaking does n’t end up on the trash cumulus . To make it prosperous for you , we ’ve compiled a inclination of the seven most common — and costly — remodeling mistakes .
Credit:Nathan Kirkman / Better Homes & Gardens
We talk to several homeowner and remodeling pros to learn their best tips from the fault they ’ve fancy over and over again ( or made themselves ! ) .
1. Rushing Into Your Project
" Develop a good plan , price it , then work it , " says Klaus Herring , President of Rapid Restoration in Santa Fe , New Mexico . " If you conceive through your labor and you fuck what you ’re looking to do , that ’s half the battle .
" When we go into a project , for example , we make a site sojourn first to get a tactile property for what our node wants . Then we germinate a design and plan that is revised sometimes three or four times . By the end of the revisal mental process , we have a project that is well put together , address perceivable eventualities , and will accommodate the unforeseen events that are inevitable in a remodel . "
2. Choosing the First Contractor You Interview
Take your time . Get several play . turn back each potential contractile organ ’s references , and determine with your local Better Business Bureau to see if the contractor has ever been reported as being unethical . Make certain insurance insurance coverage is in place : Every contractor should have business liability insurance policy , and every subcontractor working for that contractile organ should be covered under workers ' compensation insurance policy . ensure that if the contractor is job employment , those companies are insure . A declarer may carry insurance , but the party that ’s really doing the employment might not .
observe a contractor who fit your personality and is open to communicating . search for one who will sit down with you , lay out his or her programme of attack , write it into a declaration , show you the breakdown of labor and material ( or the flat pace ) , then have you contract the contract before the piece of work starts .
3. Creating an Unrealistic Budget
By " unrealistic , " we entail a budget that does n’t provide for squirm room . Generally speaking , you should calculate your budget , then increase it by 20 percent . That should be your budget . The 20 percentage shock will provide some peace of mind when the demolition of your kitchen paries bring out rot in your incumbrance - bearing he-man , or when it becomes light that an entire wall needs rewiring .
4. Being Overly Frugal
" Do n’t get take back up bythe penny - vellicate idea - set , " says homeowner and do - it - yourself remodeler Philip Bovenkamp of Bellingham , Washington . " Take vinyl radical flooring : It ’s cheaper than ceramic roofing tile , but it is n’t that much tawdry . And if you choose tile , the ruined product will really localize your house apart from the typical spec house in suburban area . That being said , do n’t be foolish when thinking about harness a ambitious project . If something is beyond your skill horizontal surface , do n’t taste to save money by doing it yourself;hire a professional . "
5. Paying More for Building Materials Than You Need To
There are myriadways to cut down your materials costs , says Don Payne , a builder and remodeler in Concrete , Washington . " If you ’re not rushed for fourth dimension , it pays to keep your oculus peeled for the materials you need at garage sales , estate sales , moving sales , flea market place , etc . , " he says . " you could getmaterials from salvage stores , friends , and concern familiar . I ’ve even developed relationship with drywall companies who give me damaged dry wall sheets because it ’s loud than paying a dump to take it . And it does n’t have to look cobbled together . If your contractor is at all competent , the ruined product will expect every bit as practiced as if you had bought brand - new materials . "
6. Making Your Home Clash With the Neighborhood
A sure style to off relationships with your neighbors and potentially harm your home ’s resale value isto convert your home plate ’s size or facadeso it counterpoint sharply with the lineament of other homes in your neighborhood . If you live in an area filled with bungalow , Cape Cods , or other traditional styles , for example , reckon before you transmute your home into a contemporary pattern statement . Likewise , carefully consider any additionsso they do n’t sweep over the houses that border or face up your abode . It ’s a thing of context , says Michael Lander , school principal of the Lander Group in Minneapolis . " If you ’re in an survive neighborhood that ’s seldom a assembly for drastic statements of individual taste , do your best to make your home portmanteau into its surround , " he says .
7. Changing Your Mind — A Lot
Once your project has begun , try your best to stick with your programme , says James Harris , universal contractile organ with Cedar Mountain Construction in Forest Grove , Oregon . " If you do n’t , it can get expensive in a hurry , " he says . " We do walk - throughs with our clients before we hang drywall , because far too often we get people who vary their head after the dry wall is up . Usually the alteration require rupture out the drywall and starting over , and that ’s money that does n’t have to be spent . "
Harris has noticed that guest do n’t change their minds in a vacuum . " We get a bunch of people who permit themselves be persuaded by their architect , a subcontractor , or a mob fellow member to commute something that they later on rue , " he says . " There need to be a sure horizontal surface of deposit to one ’s guns . "
