If you are a new home owner then you are probably compiling a list of things that you want to do to your home and if you have lived in your home for a while there may be some projects that you need to do because of general maintenance and livability.
No matter your situation there are tons of mistakes that home owners make when trying to get projects completed. Hopefully this guide will help you avoid a few of them.
10) Picking Mismatched Items for your remodel because you didn’t take time to visualize your whole project. There are two ways this can happen either you are piecemealing the project over an extended time or you are rushing to get something done with whatever you can find right now. The planning stage of every project should be many times longer than the actual execution and this is true in every profession not just home remodeling.
9) Making too many Change Orders – This can really extend the time and push up the cost of your project and as in the previous problem its all about planning. Change Orders in the middle of a project should be limited to things that neither you or your contractor could contemplate such as needing to do framing and mold remediation after you pull out a bathtub. That can be expected in some cases but you shouldn’t be changing wall colors or cabinet wood type.
8) Trying to completed large projects while you live in the home. This is something many people try to get away with and in some cases it is possible but if you have children or sick family members you really need to plan to vacate the home during the demolition stage and until the home is safe to be in.
7) Relying on Professionals to do the work that you could do yourself. This is often overlooked in every project. There are many things that you don’t need to have your contractor deal with. If you are buying appliances from a big box store it normally includes basic install. If you are remodeling your kitchen you can take a weekend to remove the cabinets yourself. If you need basic painting done you can do this for the cost of materials. Other jobs are based on your skill level but if you subtract all that you can do from the budget and only hire an electrician to move outlets and a plumber to move pipes and a countertop company to do the stone install after you install the cabinets then the costs can be reduced dramatically.
6) Completing a project that actually lowers the value of your home. I have seen this happen a few times. People want to expand their master bedroom into a smaller child’s room and they turn a 4 bedroom into a 3 bedroom house. I knew one family that put vinyl siding over a beautiful two story real stone home because they got the hard sell from the company and couldn’t resist. There was nothing wrong with the stone and the home looked cheap and ugly after the job was done. Painting Hardwood Cabinets is a perfect example. Paint Grade Cabinets are basically garbage and any hardwood cabinet is much more valuable. You would only paint them if they were seriously damaged and painting is saving them. Even if you aren’t planning on selling right away you have to consider the value of your home and will your project improve or take away from it.
5) Not getting permits or hiring contractors that work without getting permits. In some states and locations you don’t need permits for most work however in other locations you could end up having to get permits for just about any work done in or around your home. I have even seen cities that require permits to trim trees on your own property. Get a permit if your work requires it or you could be left with a lot of problems after the work is done.
4) Paying Contractors before the work is completed. In almost every case you should never pay your contractor for labor before its completed and if you pay for special order materials that can not be bought off the shelf then you should make sure that your contract says you pay on delivery and you own those materials outright even if the contract is canceled at any time during completion. Never prepay a contractor because if you don’t pay they have the ability to get the money from you and if you do pay you can’t force them to show up and do the work.
3) Moving into your new home before completing necessary work. This is similar to trying to live in your home while you complete a big project but it differs because if your new home is empty it is the best time to complete a large remodel or even just repaint all your rooms. Once you are in you won’t want to go through with moving things and you will delay and delay until frustration sets in and you won’t enjoy your new home.
2) Hiring a Friend or Relative that is a Contractor – In theory you would think that hiring someone that is close to you is a good idea because they aren’t going to lie to you about the project and push your price up. In reality unless you can really trust this person you may find that they push your work to the side to work on customer projects or that you get in fights over the workmanship. It can be a good thing but be very careful about it.
1) Getting into Extended Debt just because you want to decorate your home. There are projects that must be completed because they are needed for the function of your home. This might be replacing a furnace, New front steps, replacing a stair banister or repairing your roof. On the other hand things like stone countertops, Appliances that cost thousands of dollars each… these things are a luxury not a necessity and if it means placing a second on your house that eats all of your investment or using other forms of credit or eating into your retirement or other savings you should really take a moment, stop and consider what you are contemplating before you get in too deep. If your project costs more than 10 percent of what your home is worth you need to ask yourself is it necessary and will it add much more value than its cost. You should love the home you live in but you shouldn’t have to put yourself and your family in jeopardy while trying to attain perfection.
Final Note
This is not the complete list of problems that you might have when completing a project but most of these problems have one main factor. The amount of time that you put into your project before the work begins. Whether it is choosing the right contractor or doing most of the work yourself or just making sure that all of the odds and ends you want forced into that tiny half bath will look right when its all done.
If the job you are doing is not necessary or an emergency repair then you should have the time to plan and fully educate yourself on all of the steps necessary to complete the job. Maybe you can’t polish marble countertop or install 2000 square feet of hardwood flooring but you should know all of the steps and fully understand the cost and time it takes to do it.
Do your research and things will always come out better.