Home Remodeling Pitfalls – Interior Designs (Link Roundup)

There are a lot of home remodeling mistakes that have been committed in the past. These range from the slight errors to the downright stupid. No matter, such mistakes end up in trash heap while burning a hole in your pocket at the same time.

If you know what not to do when you are out to remodel your home then you will know how you can save on time and money. What do you think the costliest home remodeling mistakes are?

Not Taking Your Time

Go on, rush your home remodeling project and you have set out to fail. It is only through careful planning that you can come up with a battle plan of sorts for you and your contractor.

Planning also gives you the chance to inspect, perceive and find viable solutions to unforeseen events that can happen during remodeling projects. In the absence of a planning period, you just set out to do the task and then you realize, mid-project, that you have not assessed the cost, materials and other elements for your task.

Not Getting Several Bids

It is vital to choose the right contractor from the onset. It is simply wrong to hire the first name that you see on the Yellow Pages. Make time to check with the local Better Business Bureau about contractors in your area and which ones have been reported with unethical behaviors.

Take your time and get ample bids. This is one of the most effective ways that you can compare the services of contractors, side-by-side. Be sure to check on the contractor’s insurance coverage such as the business liability insurance and any workers’ compensation insurance where applicable.

Check if the contractor you hired is actually doing subcontracts. In such cases, make sure that the companies are insured. Your contractor might have insurance yet the company that will do the actual work might not.

Not Interviewing the Contractor

C’mon, you are bound to spend more time with this person so you might as well check if your personalities jive. Find someone whose personality is in line with yours and who is open to communication.

Look for an expert who is willing to spend time to break down the cost of materials and labor for you; one that would explain the contract; and one that will not ask you to sign anything until the project has actually started. 

Clashing With Neighbors

Would you want to sever relationships with your neighbors? Then an effective way is to change the façade of your residence and allow it to contrast with the character of homes in your neighborhood. If you live in an area where traditional design is the prevalent theme, then it would be wrong to suddenly go hip and set up a contemporary structure. This will not just be an eyesore but it will also lead your neighbors to wonder whether you are relentlessly out to upstage them.

Creating An Impractical Budget

Unrealistic budgets are those that do not allow for any leg room. You need to calculate the approximate amount of your budget by adding 20% to the actual labor and material costs. This 20% cushion should give you peace of mind while your living room or kitchen is being demolished and then the contractor finds out that your house actually has an old wiring system.

It is also wrong to be overly frugal. Penny-pinching is likely to get you in trouble with the contractor while you also realize later that the job is substandard. For instance, if you chose vinyl flooring instead of the costlier ceramic tiles and you expect it to last for decades then you are on the wrong footing. If you want your house to stand out and you set out to tackle a challenging design, then at least be willing to pay for it.