Doing a renovation yourself is exciting. It can be very rewarding to save money and admire your handiwork. Here is what not to do when it comes time to renovate.
Choosing the Wrong Room
The first thing you do not want to do when you begin to plan a renovation is to choose the wrong room to renovate. Sure you can spend all of your time, energy, and money on renovating a kid’s bedroom, but it won’t add any real resale value to the home.
Instead, focus on rooms that will enhance your life now, and up the resale value of the house later. Rooms like the kitchen and bathroom are top priority. These will be your big selling points when you list the home, and are two of the most high traffic areas now. Living rooms and basements are two other rooms that are good candidates for a renovation.
Choosing the Wrong Person
If you are looking to do a renovation completely on your own, you may need to rethink that goal. You should realistically aim to do most of the work yourself, but be ready, prepared, and willing to hire an expert when needed.
Certain tasks like electrical, plumbing, and structural changes must be completed by a licensed and experienced professional. Trying to do these changes yourself may be illegal, and could ruin your home’s ability to be insured. Instead, keep the small cosmetic changes for your “to-do” list, and leave the larger changes to the professionals. Investigate who you want to work with thoroughly and check references before you hire.
Choosing the Wrong Financial Focus
Lastly, choosing the wrong focus can deplete your budget and derail your project. Keep in mind the resale value of the home and prioritize where the budget should go. You should prioritize better appliances and accommodate by using more affordable accent pieces, instead of the other way around. Even though you should use good estimations like a ready mix concrete calculator price tool to tally your expenses, you should allow for 15 to 20 percent extra in your overall budget for unforeseen costs.
Another tip is to order slightly more than you think you will need in case of an accident, or if you need extra. For example, you can find a ready mix concrete calculator price online to help you calculate exactly how many units you will need to buy for your project.
