Planning for your house renovation project is no easy feat. You have to plan your budget, think about what you want to do with the house and decide if you want to get an interior designer involved. Not to mention the renovation process can take some time to complete as well. To make things easier for you, we’ve come up with a list of things that you should avoid when renovating a home.
Congratulations on the new house! Now that you’ve gotten a hold of your keys, it’s time renovate your home. Whether you’re thinking of doing it yourself or hiring a professional interior designer or renovation contractor, you should make sure that you do it right. House renovation project is not cheap and the last thing you want is a mismatch paint colour in the living room. Not to mention, fixing the mistakes cost time and effort too!
To help you make this whole renovation process a breeze, here are some of the most common home renovation mistakes every homeowner should avoid.
1. Underestimate power points
Here’s something you should take note of before you start renovating – plan your electrical outlet. It might even take a few times to learn from this mistake. To avoid buying and placing too many extension cords at home, take some time to think about where you’d like to be able to have easy access to electricity in your new home and talk to your renovation contractor about it.
2. Not thinking about window coverings
Anyone in the process of costing up window coverings for the first time is probably quickly discovering just how expensive they can be. It’s not because they come with an inflated mark-up. It’s simply the cost of time, labour and materials but for some reason, we tend not to give these things the value they deserve.
It’s not something you want to have to fork out for at the end of a home renovation when you’ve already spent more than you budgeted for, so the best thing you can do is build the cost of curtains or blinds into the cost of the build.
It’s also smart to get your window furnishings specialist in to discuss your desires at the framing stage, that way you can allow for things like recessed curtain tracks.
3. Second-guess your aesthetic
Remember this, you’re going to live here for the rest of your life (or at least a good 10 years) so it’s important to know how you want your home to look like. If you’ve made up your mind on a layout or a colour scheme, don’t let anyone sway your decision or second-guess your decision.
Of course, you can always change it up in later dates, but that’s going to cost you money. A lot of money. So don’t make decision based on fear or intimidation or you’ll end up regretting it. Stick it to your guns! The only person you should answer to in your own home design and decorating is yourself.
4. Underestimate the value of a lighting plan
Lighting is also another important aspect to consider when you’re planning for your house renovation. Most people only thought about how and what kind of lighting fixtures they want, but not so much on the lighting plan. While it’s not a major faux pas, you might end up having too much overhead lighting and not enough task or mood lighting. Another tip: make sure all your lights are dimmable so that you can just your lighting to your needs and desires whenever. If you’re unsure how what kind of lighting you should go for, consult an interior designer or better yet, read up on it.
This article was originally published as Expert tips: Five things to never do when renovating by realestate.com.au written by Carlene Duffy.