Whether you’re looking to renovate or remodel your home and price it to sell or just looking to renovate your home and enjoy it for years to come, the last thing you want to do is make some serious renovation mistakes. I see a lot of renovated homes that have wasted money and materials on projects that just don’t matter or are not a good investment. If you’re doing some research before a renovation or remodeling project here are 10 renovation mistakes to avoid.
Miss measurement.
Miss measuring is probably one of the biggest mistakes ever. If you’re redoing your kitchen cabinets or countertops, miss measuring can cost you thousands of dollars and lots of time in reordering. You have to measure for everything including your refrigerator, oven, oven or stove hood, dishwasher, and sink. By having a professional do all of the measurings it is their responsibility to get it right, which means it won’t cost you any more if they mess up.
Choosing the cheapest contractor.
The lowest bid for a job is not always the best. Some contractors will just give a cheap quote in order to get the job and then cut corners or install low-quality products. Make sure you know all the costs involved before finalizing your contractor.
Setting a low budget.
Obviously, or going to need a budget in order to do a remodeling project but lowballing your budget means you’ll probably be cutting corners yourself at some point. One thing often leads to another so even if you have a $10,000 budget to redo a bathroom, set aside extra funds in case you find mold, damaged the wall, or have an issue with electrical or plumbing.
Only going with granite.
Granite countertops are not all the rage as they were just 10 years ago. Quartz, laminate, butcher block, plate steel, and non-granite options are becoming more and more popular and their cheaper and more durable in the long run. Don’t limit yourself to just granite.
More: How High-End Should you Go When Remodeling?
Stuck in the current layout.
“If you’re remodeling a bathroom you may be stuck on where all the fixtures are currently but don’t be afraid to change the layout of a bathroom. Chances are there’s water and pipes in every wall of the bathroom so if you need to swap where the toilet is for where the bathtub is now, it may not be as big of a project as you think.” – CondoSales.com
Getting stuck on hardwood floors.
Hardwood floors are very popular and durable for the long haul but it may not be exactly what works for your home. Pet nails can damage hardwood very quickly and you can get chips and gouges in them very easy. For busy houses, single board laminate will have a high-end look of hardwood but be much more durable.
Going too trendy in the kitchen.
The more dramatic your kitchen is the quicker it will usually go out of style so it’s important to find something that’s timeless and durable for the long run whether it’s your appliances, countertops, backsplash, or floors.
More: Does Zillow accurately estimate your home’s value?
Cutting corners on things you can’t see.
Energy-efficient windows, preventing molding by using different insulation and materials in a bathroom or having under mount lighting and in-floor heating are things that you probably can’t see but are important nonetheless.
Ignoring a floor drain.
Did you know that it is required by code in most areas to have a floor drain in a laundry room yet many people omit it. If the washing machine hose ever breaks it will flood the house and a floor drain can direct the water away into the homes main drain system. And if it’s installed improperly you could have suds coming up your pipes in your kitchen or bathroom.
Not getting extra flooring.
It’s important to buy about 10% to 20% extra flooring for cuts, breakage, and just having extra pieces should something go wrong during the installation. Most retailers will let you return unopened boxes for a refund if you get stuck with too much.
Related: 8 Easy Ways to Declutter a Kitchen
If you’re planning on remodeling your home in order to sell give me a call. I can offer some tips and suggestions on getting the most return on your investment for particular remodels especially for Seattle buyers around the area. I know what buyers are looking for and the more you can customize the remodel to today’s buyers the quicker the home will sell and for more profit. Article adapted from Source
