We currently live in a do-it-yourself world. With helpful tools made easily available at hardware stores and do-it-yourself instructions saturating the internet, anyone can perform almost any task without the assistance of professionals.
Do-it-yourself projects offer the incentive of a lower budgets and a sense of self-satisfaction at the end of the project. They can be a challenge, however. People take on that challenge every year. Many find the project to be more difficult than they anticipated. Some of these realize they made a few crucial mistakes along the way that they wish they wouldn’t have to continue to live with. They know now, but what use is that knowledge but to pass it on to other people?
The following is a list of a few of the biggest home renovation mistakes “do-it-yourselfers” commonly make, so you don’t have to trod the same path of regret that they have.
Eyes Bigger Than Your Budget
Excited homeowners attack a remodeling project like they have the strength of a VA home loan backing them up, i.e. large amounts of funds that can be paid back over time. Unfortunately for them, most home improvement projects aren’t covered under a VA home loan or conventional mortgage. These are primarily used just to purchase the property.
These home owners will attack a project without fully researching the expenses involved. Surely marble, wood, nails, and glue aren’t that expensive. You can create an island in your kitchen for next to nothing.
What they forget is that the price of creating cabinets, digging up and replacing the kitchen floor, providing base boards, and even installing an electric outlet or two can be extremely expensive.
Before you take on a home improvement project, remember that you may not have a large, flexible budget. Fully research a project you want to take on and save up to pay for it.
Gaining Permission
If you’re fixing the interior of your home, you may need a permit from your insurance company. They might not cover your work. Tell them about your plans and talk to them about what it would take to adjust your policy accordingly.
Depending on the work you do, you may need a permit from the state to complete the work. Each city, county, and state has differing building codes. Homeowners need to be sure that they receive the proper permits before starting work. Research and get your permits from the right people.
Following the Crowd
The trend today is to mismatch the colors on everything. The colors all complement each other, but they vary widely to add visual interest. The problem with this trend is that it will go out of style.
Mismatching the colors of the cabinets in your remodeled kitchen is a bad idea, because you may regret it one day. When remodeling your home, don’t follow the trends. When you remodel, stick to classy functional options that will look good (even if unique) for years to come. Remember that you have to look at it every day for the next decade or so.
History teaches us about mistakes so we don’t make them again. Take a bit of advice from the experience of those that have gone on before. Be sure you’re remodeling within your budget. Get the proper permissions before you break ground on your project. Don’t fall victim to the current trends. When you follow these pieces of advice, you end up with a better quality project you won’t regret.
Photo Credit: Stirling StoneWorks