8 Scariest Renovation Mistakes

Renovating your home is no simple feat. There are a lot of details and for most, it’s foreign territory and can be downright scary. These are some most common mistakes to look out for.

1.  Measurements

It’s easy to get these wrong. The old saying “measure twice cut once” exists for a reason. Maybe you misread the tape or measured from the wrong place. Check and double check your measurements before making any cuts or placing any orders. Check out our docs site if you need help finding out where to take your measurements from.

2.  Cheap Materials/Labor

Often times we get fooled by a price tag. It is easy to gravitate towards the lowest price tag. Renovating a home is expensive and any places you can save seems like a saving grace. But you should be wary. If you find a price tag that is significantly lower than expected, do your research. A material can be half as expensive but only last a quarter of the time. Likewise with labor. Don’t go with the lowest bid just because that is what's best for your budget. It could end up taking quite as long and costing you more in the end. Look for work you like, recommendations from people you know, and go with a contractor that you are comfortable with. Your contractor will be with you for a while and it’s important that you can communicate well with each other, bonus points if you like each other. You can also be tempted to not get the materials or items you want because they are too expensive. Be creative. See if you can make room in your budget for items that really inspire you.

3.  Trendy Choices

Building products go through trends the same as clothing. Don’t pick the sparse white Swedish style if that’s not really what you want. Chances are something else will be all the rage in a year or two.

4.  Gutting Everything

To renovate your home you may not need to make as many changes as you think. See what you can do to keep what you have in place. The more you take out the more you will have to re create. This can be bad news for your budget.

5.  Mold + Other Surprises

The opposite of going too far. Often times when you break down a wall or tear one thing apart you uncover some unexpected surprises such as mold. This is common in any and all renovation projects. Your best bet is to prepare for it and save room in your budget for the unexpected.

6.  Budget

Setting a budget is important. Know what you want to spend and layout out the details accordingly. Leave space in your budget for mistakes and surprises. You’ll be happy you did when they show up. And even happier if they don’t.

7.  Storing

Oftentimes we want to buy everything all at once, but if the timeline of your project doesn’t match up then you are left with storing a lot of valuable materials. If you don't have the proper space to store them, they can become damaged or out of square before they ever get used.

8.  Paint

There are different kinds of paint for all different uses. Make sure you are using the right one for the job at hand. Putting interior pain on you decking is really just going to be a waste of time and money.