During your home improvement process, you will go through every possible emotion that a human can feel. The thought of finally getting the updated, renovated house of your dreams makes you feel happy, excited, and content.
While on the other hand, the hard process of remodeling makes you feel anxious, frustrated, tired, and even angry. Not everyone can buy a new house; most people opt for house improvement instead. People renovate their house to increase its selling or rental value or to elevate their living experience. And any mistakes, even minor ones, can halt the home improvement process.
If you do not take each step strategically, your mistakes can slow down the process. Here are six mistakes that could hinder your home improvement process that you must avoid.
- Not Looking After Your Stuff
A home improvement process takes place at your home, of course, which is also the place that is fully loaded with all your stuff and belongings. During the renovation, many threats to your things slow down the renovation process.
As contractors and workers come daily to your house for work purposes, your belongings are not that safe. Similarly, so much dust, paint splashes, wood shavings, and whatnot during remodeling destroy your furniture.
Also, the stuff is a hindrance for workers as they can’t work smoothly with free open space. Moving things from one room to another will take a lot of time, and any damages will cost you money, too.
You should put your things in storage. Search for storage units in your area. For example, if you live in Bonney Lake, Washington, Google “storage Bonney Lake” and a lot of options will pop up. You can store your stuff in a storage unit where they provide 24 hours of access and security.
- Not Hiring a Contractor
The most common mistake people make is not hiring a reputable contractor. And some do not hire a contractor at all. Even if you think you’re a DIY expert, you cannot risk your and your family’s life, as any minor mistake can cause serious damage. It is always preferable to hire a contractor.
Not hiring a contractor can be dangerous, and till the time you realize this, after repeatedly making mistakes, a lot of time gets wasted. If you are doing a small project, you can hire local plumbers, electricians, etc.
But in case of an extensive project, hire the best contractor. You can ask friends or family for recommendations or search online. Ask the contractor to provide references and pictures of past work. Contact their references and past clients and hire the contractor with the best job score. Good contractors give post-service benefits too.
- Using Incorrect Measurements
Accurate measurements are the key to a successful home remodel. Measurements are important in each category, from custom-made items to new installations to buying furniture. When you decide you want to add a kitchen island or replace the old cabinets, you need correct measurements of everything. Even the screws you buy must be of accurate size.
When you go to a hardware store, you might not find things according to your requirement. You can get them adjusted right away at the shop. This is less painful than buying stuff too long or too short and then adjusting it in the middle of the process. Sometimes you even have to redo the entire thing. All this costs time and money.
Similarly, if you are planning to get new furniture, know the size that will fit perfectly and still leave some free space around to move easily for when you need to change the decoration, etc. Keep the written measurements with you, so you don’t fall in love with a sofa set bigger than the available space.
- Underestimating Safety Risks
Homeowners either ignore this element or leave it in the hands of contractors or workers. This can lead to dangerous results. As the homeowner, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of yourself, your family, and all the workers that are working on your project.
Discuss safety measures with everyone, crew, and family to avoid accidents and hindrances. Provide them with proper safety gear like goggles, gloves, boots, and more. There are chances of injuries, so also discuss earlier with your contractor what to do in case any such situation occurs.
- Ignoring Structural Issues
Suppose your house is relatively old, and you often face some structural issues like electricity, plumbing, gas pipelines, or sewage problems. In that case, it is the best time to get these things fixed during a remodeling project. Some people ignore these things and not only regret them later but have to pay extra, too.
If you design the world’s trendiest house, but the structural issues are still there, then you have built your palace on a very weak basis that can shake anytime. These are the things you have to fix. Sooner or later, you will need to do it, which will cost more and harm the beautiful things you installed in the renovation.
- Preferring Style over Functionality
You might be desperate to have the home makeover of your dreams you found on Pinterest, but you need to understand what is applicable according to the structure of your house. You need to be practical and open to suggestions. If you go too overboard with extra trendy designs, it will take a lot of time to get the needed products; their deliveries might get delayed.
It will take more time to install something that does not compliment your original house structure. Plus, later, it might become completely useless, and you will probably get it replaced again. Thus, costing you time and money and slowing the process. You should consider long-term goals. Focus more on functionality than style.
You should avoid making mistakes that cause hindrances to your home improvement process. Mistakes lead to several obstacles that increase the time spent on the process and also increase the costs. You have to pay for not only the process but also for fixing the mistakes. Thus, you are not in a position to afford any mistakes. Look at this list of six mistakes people usually make, so you can avoid them and enjoy a smooth home improvement process.