The 7 Most Common Home Renovation Mistakes to Avoid

Preparing your home and family for a full home renovation can be a daunting task. Many push it off for years until they can no longer hold off. According to HomeAdvisor’s State of home spending in 2019 report, homeowners are spending more on their home improvements than on home maintenance. 

On average a small kitchen remodel costs around $22,000 and a small bath remodel can run you $10,000 for the labor alone. For every $1 spend on maintenance homeowners are spending $5 on home improvement. 

So, before you take on a renovation consider this list of the top renovation mistakes to avoid and how to get around them.

Mistake #1: Rushing the Job

We all can agree that TV is not real life, right? I know watching home improvement shows inspires mostly everyone that renovating is great, and easy and fast. This is the furthest from the truth. You cannot build an entire home in a week and in NYC you cannot have a completed kitchen and Bath renovation in a month. 

You have to work with your contractor and designer and allow time to plan, to do each step thoroughly, and to address the unexpected. You want to give yourself enough time and cushion it with a few extra weeks to work through anything that comes up. In the end you will have a space that is well designed and beautiful and you will have saved yourself a lot of stress.

Mistake #2: Neglecting the Team Dynamic

The sooner you assemble your team, the sooner you will have all the important information you will need to move forward with your project. Budget, drawings, timelines all this needs to be worked over and the right team will help you get it all done. 

Once you have selected your architect, designer and contractor you should get them together as soon as possible to discuss the project. Firms like MyHome Design + Remodeling are a one-stop-shop, which makes renovation life easier. 

Mistake #3: Ignoring Your Gut

Doing your homework when interviewing contractors is one of the most important steps you will take. We cannot stress enough the importance of meeting people in person. Not all business can or should be done over email, face to face is imperative when you are entrusting someone to build you a space. 

You do not have to be an expert, but you should use common sense. The contractor that promises you everything, well you know… if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. 

TIP: Meet with at least 3 contractors, feel them out. Make sure to ask all the questions you need to ask, you want to make sure you feel good about it, you are going to spend a lot of time with them during the course of your renovation.

Mistake #4: Miscommunication

Establishing the best means of communication is key. Express what your expectations are and how you expect information to shared. Do you want daily email/phone updates? What information will you receive in these updates? If a situation arises, and they will, how do you want your contractor/designer to handle it?

Building a strong rapport with your contractor will be the difference between being able to sleep at night, or sitting up stressed out about what is actually happening and how much is it going to cost. Also, all conversations should be share with everyone on the team, no side conversations or changes. This can lead to all sorts of unwanted mistakes that could end up being costly and time-consuming. 

Mistake #5: Thinking You Know Best

Again, home improvement shows are not real. Yes, they are fun to watch for inspiration but not information.  These shows only show you a portion of the project. They do not show the real deal behind the scenes work that goes into material selection and space planning. You want to make sure the items selected will perform properly as well as look good. 

Mistake #6: Forgetting to Budget

When projecting the budget it’s very important, to be honest with your contractor and designer about the amount you are interested in spending. You want to make sure you leave a little room for the unexpected challenge that can and probably will arise. 

Designers are prepared to find items within your budget. Giving them the tools they need will assist them in preparing materials for you that you like and can afford. There are so many items on the market, it can become overwhelming.

Mistake #7: Neglecting the Plan

Make sure you have a final walk-through meeting with your team and go over the plan. It needs to be in print and detailed. Every single item and detail should be accounted for in drawings, material lists, and spec sheets. This is the time to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Please remember and changes to this plan will most likely cost money and alter the timeline of your project. For instance, if you decide you want to add more electrical outlets, you will most likely have to pay additional labor and materials for this. Take the time to discuss this with your contractor and make sure to make it official on paper with cost and time so there are no surprises at the end of your project.

It’s not every day you get a chance to renovate your bathroom or kitchen and make your dream become a reality , so take into account these possible pitfalls then they can be easily be avoided. Therefore, it’s of utmost importance to find the right Manhattan contractor.

Bottom Line —

No matter what your preferences are, MyHome has the experience and expertise to provide highly innovative kitchen and bath remodeling by exceeding client’s expectations. To schedule your kitchen and bathroom remodeling in Manhattan, contact us today at 212.666.2888.