6 Major Things People Get Wrong About Renovation Planning

Getting all set up in a new home can take some time to get right and is something we should never rush. If you are getting settled into a property, there is the inevitable renovation stage that, while incredibly exciting, can result in a few common misconceptions and mistakes. If you are planning some form of renovation, you’ve got to learn from the mistakes people have made before. Let’s show you a few things that people get wrong during the important renovation preparation stage so you can navigate them.

Neglecting the Technical Issues

If there’s one thing that we can all suffer from, it’s delusions of grandeur. We all have a specific vision of what we want to achieve, but this means that we don’t give consideration to the things that lie beneath the surface. By this, we mean the plumbing, the electrics, the structural components, and everything that’s so essential to keeping your home functioning as it should. 

We can often think so much about how the property looks that we can’t achieve what we want because of structural issues or potential problems with the piping. The big issue with this is that we don’t find out what these problems really are until we start digging beneath the surface. It’s worth going around the house with someone who knows if there are signs of a slow leak or potential wiring problems, and this gives you a far better idea of what you’re in for in terms of the renovation costs, but also how long it will take.

Overlooking the Importance of a Professional Touch

It is very easy to think that, with all of the will in the world, we can achieve the house of our dreams as long as we have enough time and enthusiasm. It’s when things become technical that we can start to feel overwhelmed. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but we have to know our personal limits. 

DIY is something that we all want to try, and the feeling of doing an honest day’s work is definitely a great achievement during the renovation stage, but if we don’t use the right type of Z brackets for fastening something to a wall or which type of stainless steel ball valves are best, we have to hand over to the professionals.

Not Thinking It Through

We can rush into the renovation stage because we are impatient and want to get on with it, but if we don’t conduct thorough research, then we are definitely causing ourselves issues months, or even years down the line. Having that informed decision is critical because it helps us understand about the designs, materials, and contractors that will align our renovation ideals with our goals. We have to define these while also having a realistic budget, developing a timeline, and determining the overall scope of the work. 

Underestimating any of these components can lead to confusion, delays, and the potential for the project to overrun. We can easily let our heart rule our head, but the whole point of this stage is to get all of the mistakes out of the way so we can work at creating something that is realistic but also doesn’t cause frustration or even heartache further down the line.

Unrealistic Timeline Expectations

It is easy for us to ask a professional how long something will take, and we can all turn a blind eye to the potential problems that lurk beneath the walls, such as faulty wiring or a slow-flowing leak. Many people make the assumption that the project will be done quickly. And while we don’t know much about the renovation process, we’ve got to take it upon ourselves to have realistic expectations and build that all-important notion of flexibility into our timelines to accommodate any setbacks. A general rule of thumb is that a project could take a third longer than anticipated; however, this is not a hard and fast rule because there are so many different variables at play. For example, if you are doing the renovations yourself, but only on weekends, this means that you’ve only got 8 or 9 days a month to fix up a lot of the home. When you break down how long it takes for one task to be completed, for example, something as mind-numbingly dull as stripping wallpaper, it can feel like it takes longer because we thought we would have hit a certain stage in the renovations but have encountered setbacks due to little things, for example, tools not working or things breaking down. It’s far better to factor in a longer and more realistic expectation of how long something takes to do.

Ignoring Safety

Some people overlook it, but we all know that this can lead to accidents and injuries. Something as seemingly straightforward as hitting a nail into a piece of wood can result in one or two broken fingers if you’re not careful. 

It’s far better to make sure that you are doing everything you can safely rather than quickly, and because there is a point in the renovation where we become very frustrated that it’s not progressing as fast as it should, we then start to speed up, but this is where mistakes can happen, and someone can get hurt. 

Simple safety measures include keeping the work area clean, free of debris, securing any tools and materials, knowing how to use them properly, and, of course, using proper safety gear.

Not Considering the Future Needs

Things change, and sometimes people sometimes forget to factor in how their tastes or future requirements will alter. You need to look at how your renovation choices are going to serve you now as well as in the long term. 

Your home needs to stay functional, but it also needs to be relevant, and when people think about how complex a renovation actually is, they then make the mistake of rushing the process because they want to make the home liveable, but this only means that there will be more changes a few years down the line.

Planning any renovation is complex, but making sure that you focus on some of these areas won’t just give you an amazing home, but it will help you progress through the process with a realistic mindset.