The Most Common Home Renovation Mistakes
We Renovated Over 200 Homes
Here Are The Biggest Mistakes To Avoid
Posted by Craig | Updated May, 2024 | 5 Min Read Time
At a glance
- The biggest mistake to avoid is the homeowner trying to run the project themselves
In this article, you’ll find the following:
- An explanation of why hiring a professional can save you time and money
- Common mistakes of DIY home renovation projects
The Biggest Mistake To Avoid Is The Homeowner Trying To Run The Project Themselves And Not Seeking The Help Of A Professional
Thought about renovating your home this year but don’t know where to start?
What We Have Learned Renovating Over 200 Homes
So let’s get Straight to the point here is the biggest and most COSTLY mistake we see homeowners make way too often! Are you ready for it?
Trying to run the project yourself. As much as we probably can’t do your job, there is a good chance you can’t do ours.
There is a skill and an art to running a big project such as a home renovation; the ordering of materials, management of multiple trades such as roofers, plasterers and bathroom fitters in St Albans can be stressful and time-consuming.
Mistakes made in this section can cause big delays and can soon rack up your renovation bill.Please, please and please! Hire a professional company to manage your renovation!
Here are the 3 main benefits of hiring a professional:
Lower the stress:
I know we’re talking about money here, but life is stressful at the best of times. Any stress we can save will be hugely beneficial to our mental health and our overall happiness. Can you really put a price on this?
Lower costs of materials:
it’s true, we have access to multiple trade accounts that the average joe of the public just doesn’t have. Let us use our network of suppliers and save you your hard-earned cash!
Quicker completion:
By organising the tradesmen and materials correctly we can keep your project moving swiftly! You can think of us as the orchestrator, coordinating the tradesmen like a well-organised choir.
Trivial yet costly mistakes we see more times then we would like
Poor Contractor Management:
The plasterers have just finished studding and skimming your beautiful dividing wall… then the electrician tells you he’s going to need to run cables there….
Yes we have seen this happen, and yes it does cost a fair amount to fix it.
Renovation projects have a structure and order that needs to be followed in order for the tradesmen to not get in each others way, or tear down their beautiful work.
Renovations Can Seem Like a DIY Projects But In Reality They Often Require The Assistance Of Industry Professionals In Order To Complete The Project To A High Standard.
Lack Of Budget Control
When you don’t know how much things are going to cost, it’s easy to not have enough set aside for them. A project like a renovation needs a clear budget and plan set out from the very start.
Choosing between having the hardwood flooring you’ve always wanted, or the led spotlights in your kitchen is unnecessary and can be avoided!
When you use a professional to manage your refurbishment, you will be presented with a proper financial budget, and can make the required decisions way before the project even starts.
Focusing On Aesthetics Rather Than Function.
We get it, you want your home to look beautiful… and who wouldn’t want this? You can invite friends and family round, and host them in the house you’ve always dreamed of.
But if this is the number one thought you have, when you’re presented with your renovation plans, things could easily take a turn for the worse.
A small room with not enough natural light, or a hallway that’s too narrow to pass in, will be ugly even if it is fitted with the latest gadgets and accessories.
Excessive Or Wishful Material Ordering
All your new porcelain tiles have been laid, and you love how your new kitchen flooring looks. Would you still be as happy to find out you’ve ordered a pallet too many and the supplier doesn’t offer refunds?
This can’t be a nice feeling for anyone to have. And it can just as easily go the other way when your are a few tiles short and the supplier can’t source the exact same tiles anymore as the batch has changed.
Measuring materials is hard, and mistakes can cost a pretty penny. You don’t need to be Einstein to run the equations needed, but experience is certainly necessary.
CONCLUSION
Why I may have sounded like I put alot of blame on to the customers for house renovation projects being more costly and taking longer than they should. The point I was really trying to make is that it should be left to industry professionals. Customers are not to blame for having a go, as at first it seems the cost effective method to go with.
But the reality is, like most things in life if you are not 100% sure and confident in doing the job you should speak to the professionals. CJ Smiths would be happy to assist you in your renovation project. Speak to us today!
Craig Smith
The founder of CJ Smiths Construction Company for over 14+ years and a proud citizen of St Albans City.
