Stop Making These 5 Common Mistakes When Planning a Major Home Renovation
Mistake 1: Undefined $$ Budget
You need to know how much you can spend on the design and construction of your home. Keep in mind that these two numbers will never be the same, so decide on how much you can afford to spend on the improvement of your house and define your limit.
You are not negotiating the price at this stage of the process! This is a stage that define your budget and financial limits.
Openly discussing your budget with the designer at the beginning of the project ensures that you can find out if what you are after is achievable. Also, a professional designer can make recommendations on where to cut back based on your priorities.
Mistake 2 : Not forming a renovation team
While architects and designers know the building costs, they usually underestimate them by 50-300%. This is a huge amount of money that you need to find. The solution to this problem is quite simple: involve the builder at the design stage.
So, by involving a builder at the design stage, you can design your home’s new look to be both practical and within your budget. For example, a builder can offer you good advice on how to save money by, for example, using natural light rather than adding an expensive skylight.
So, you have to start forming a renovation team at the design stage.
Mistake 3 : Not setting a deadline
Do you need to have your major renovation completely finished by a certain deadline? If you have a fixed deadline, share this with your builder before you start the design process.
The construction process can take anywhere from 3 months to 12 months, depending on the design and the number of approvals required. A professional builder will be able to provide a timeline once the initial design has been completed. This will enable you to visualize how long all process take.
Mistake 4 : Not having a plan for your living situation
Depending on the size and complexity of the renovation, it could be necessary to move out of your home while construction is taking place. If you want to live in the house while renovations take place, be prepared for noise during the day.
Areas under construction need to be completely evacuated. It will become a construction site with tightly controlled access by your builder. Agree on the frequency and times when you will be permitted to enter the site with builder team.
Mistake 5 : Not deciding on your selections
While it may appear that you have plenty of time before signing a building contract, there’s no guarantee that the same selection decisions will be available in the future. For example, installing tile floors in your kitchen requires considerable lead time, so it’s important to select tiles during the initial planning phase of your renovation project. So, every selection decision has the potential to delay your project.
Keep a record of your spending choices in an excel spreadsheet to avoid getting carried away with purchases. Facing endless opportunities to invest in making your home better, it’s easy to spend too much money. Making changes to your selections after signing a building contract can incur delays as new orders have to be placed and delivery times may impact the construction schedule.
