One rarely hears about a smooth home renovation project. Such projects are always marked with their fair share of stress. The stress factor I talk about begins with a feeling of being uprooted from the normal life schedule. Imagine: The kitchen furniture comes into the living room and the bathroom becomes a hostile space full of dust and dirt. There is the added stress of overcapitalizing; something that bothers homeowners right from the midway of the project up to the phase of completion.
Common home renovation mistakes
While complete smoothness cannot be expected from a home improvement undertaking, averting possible mistakes can help you be on a stronger footing. Let us consider a few oft-recurring mistakes.
What is the exact kind of renovation you need?
Many of us are swayed emotionally during the phase of renovation. The goal, ideally, is to keep asking oneself if it is the “right kind of renovation for me?”. Adding a dumb-waiter or a spiral staircase may not be the improvement you are looking for but are any way forced to undertake. May be a cosmetic addition like a swimming pool is farthest from your requirement and it is a structural improvement like a “bedroom addition” that you need.
So unless you predefine what your need is, you will never make it successfully through a renovation module. Of course, if you are putting your house on resale immediately after the renovation, what you need to keep in mind is the inclination of the target buyers of your demographic and not your personal inclination.
Error of overcapitalising
Sometimes due to our emotional prejudices and at other times because of the contractors’ fault, we tend to overcapitalise. It gives a stiff beating to our pocket. When budget for renovation crosses the amount of renovation loan we have procured, we have to pay out of our pocket and those extra dollars can be really tough on us. Such overcapitalising also brings down our profit margin during resale. For those whose first intention to renovate is borne out of a need to resell, reduced profit margin can spell crisis.
Renovation should flow seamlessly with the existing home decor
If we do not renovate with care, our renovation or extension project may not flow seamlessly with the existing home. Renovation should be such that it beautifully adds to the homogeneity of your home. If a well-renovated bathroom/kitchen does not connect with the aesthetic of the rest of the home then the essential purpose of renovation takes a dip.