Home renovations are some of the most stressful and expensive projects a person can undertake, and easily avoidable mistakes are a huge factor in that. Such mistakes can quickly eat up a person’s budget and feel like massive setbacks in the moments.
Some of these mistakes are simple slips of the mind whilst others are errors in judgement, but regardless they pile onto the stress that a home renovation brings with it. With that in mind, The Shutter Store UK’s interior expert Lisa O’Hanlon has devised some advice on how to avoid big mistakes which could cause your dream home to become a nightmare project.
Not consulting neighbours
It’s an easy thing to slip your mind when undertaking work on the house, of course you likely think on to apologise for any disturbance from the noise but in terms of shared aspects of terraced houses this requires input from the person with whom you have them in common with. For example, any work done to a shared wall requires written consent within 14 days of the work commencing, otherwise a party wall agreement will be needed which can take upwards of three months to be processed, delaying your dream home from being furnished to completion.
Style over substance
Unsurprisingly social media is a huge influence in home renovations. It’s an amazing place to find inspiration for smaller DIY projects as well as creating a mood board for larger ones such as new kitchens or bathrooms, however these aesthetic choices should never come at the expense of a useable and safe result. With 71% of homeowners born between 1997 and 2007 as well as 67% of homeowners born 1981-1996 using social media as not just inspiration but as guides on how to complete renovations themselves it’s important to be realistic as to the practicality and safety of these projects, and whether the money you save in doing it yourself is worth the risk that comes alongside that which doesn’t come with a professional contractor.
Unrealistic Budgets
Being realistic with a budget is tough, no matter how much you plan to only spend a certain amount of money, inevitably extra costs come out of the woodwork. Whether it be from things going wrong, extra materials being needed or just something slipping your mind when budgeting these can end up growing into bigger issues, especially when you’re running out of both time and money. It’s recommended to have a “safety net” of 10-20% of your budget tacked onto the final figure to give you some flexibility when it comes to your budget.
This number of course depends on everyone’s financial position, with some wanting to have a bigger safety net and others needing to have a smaller one, but ensuring that it’s in place is an easy way to ensure that there’s less stress when you’re coming to the end of a project and if the money doesn’t wind up being spent then it was still worth having to alleviate some stress.
Following trends blindly
It’s natural to want a home that fits with the times, but the tides of change come quick with all trends, but particularly ones relating to interior design. Home renovations are expensive and lengthy endeavours and without any guarantee that your home will still be trendy by the time it’s completed it’s a gamble. By choosing a versatile colour pallet you allow yourself to be flexible with trends, adapting the space to fit any which catch your eye in the future.
This is especially important in kitchens and bathrooms where tiles are in use, tiles can easily be repainted to fit a new colour scheme however they’re expensive to replace entirely so straying from a neutral toned option is risky when a coat of paint can entirely transform the space and be easily switched out for another colour when needed.
Energy efficiency
Another thing which likely doesn’t come to mind immediately when planning a home renovation is the efficiency of your home. Treating retrofits such as high–quality insulation and improving ventilation may not seem as exciting as more superficial elements, however they have a myriad of benefits. The obvious of course is that they make your home much more energy efficient, and as a result lower your heating costs down the road. Beyond just saving you money they can actually earn you money, increasing your home’s value by anywhere from 14% to 37% depending on the area.
The increase in value alone makes it a worthwhile investment in the long run, but even if this is a home you’d never dream of selling it allows for a cosier winter while keeping costs low.
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