Anyone who has ever undertaken a renovation or has at least researched what exactly happens during home renovation will know that costs can and often do spiral. And they spiral fast. And genuinely, it’s not always the fault of the work being too expensive or the costs of materials soaring. Although these are genuine reasons, it’s the small mistakes people overlook or don’t realise they’re making that increase costs.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some mistakes you need to avoid when you’re planning your next home renovation.
Starting Work Before Plans Are Finalised
This is the single most expensive mistake in any renovation. If you’re getting plans drawn up and you start before everything is finished and finalised, you’ll be making these decisions under pressure, and when you’re under pressure, mistakes occur; it’s that simple.
You need to make sure all decisions have been thought through and confirmed, things like window positions, kitchen layout, structural opening sizes, etc., before you do any work at all. This means your builders or indeed yourself can price accordingly, get the right measurements and know exactly what needs to be done prior to anything starting.
Choosing Materials After Trades
When the plasterer finishes on a Friday, and your tiler starts on Monday, you need the tiles in the property by Friday at the latest. If the trades don’t have the materials they need, they can’t work, which causes delays and drives up costs. Plus, you avoid last-minute, rushed decisions that often don’t end well and can lead to regret down the line.
So when you’re organising your trades, you need everything delivered so they can get work started before it is their turn to take over.
Skipping Structural Surveys
If you have an older home, you need a structural engineer’s survey report, especially for pre-1970s homes. The last thing you want is to discover mid-build that you’ve just removed a load-bearing wall or that the floor joists are undersized for the new open floor layout.
And this is more important for older properties, as they often carry hidden conditions you only uncover when you bring in companies to undertake home renovations for you. This way, when you get your quote for the work, you’ll have the survey to show them, and you can adapt accordingly to avoid high costs from hidden issues.
Underestimating How Long It Will Be Uninhabitable
Here’s the thing: some families can live in the property while work is being carried out. Others can’t, or don’t want to. But even a straightforward bathroom or kitchen renovation can span six weeks or more, and you might not be able to live in the property during this time. If you plan to live at home while the work is being carried out, you need to make sure you understand how the dynamics and functionality of the home will be impacted, so mistakes aren’t made and tradespeople aren’t rushed into doing a poor job. If you’re not planning on being at home, then you need to work out costs for a longer duration than you expect to be out of your home, so you’re not running up alternative accommodation fees outside of the scope you thought you needed them for, as these add up fast.
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