Remodeling Without Regret: Home Makeover Mistakes to Avoid

Remodeling your home can be a great way to enhance its beauty, increase its value, and make your living space more comfortable for you and your family. But many homeowners overlook important aspects when remodeling their homes and, in the process, waste precious time and money. Before you start your next remodeling project, check out these common home makeover mistakes you can easily avoid with proper planning.

7 Common Makeover Mistakes

1. Improper Budgeting

A budget is essential for any home makeover project. But crunching numbers and coming up with a total you’re comfortable with doesn’t always cut it. It’s important to ensure your budget will cover the entire renovation project as you envisioned, plus some extra for unexpected hiccups should they arise. The best way to prepare a budget is to ensure your home remodeling contractor gives you a detailed scope of the work to be done and detailed drawings. This prevents the contractor from introducing unnecessary overhead after the project has started, keeping you in control of the cost. When everyone is on the same page, you will likely avoid costly home makeover mistakes.

2. Failing to Protect Furniture and Fixtures

Home remodeling involves various processes that can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to your furniture and fixtures. While re-designing and remodeling your home may entail replacing or rearranging the existing furniture, keeping your belongings safe and protected is important. Use protective coverings on furniture pieces or store the furniture in a secure location out of the remodeling zone.

3. Searching for a Quick Fix

There is no quick fix for home remodeling done the right way. Renovation projects require careful planning and execution to ensure that you achieve the desired results. Any attempt to cut corners or rush the renovation process typically becomes a mess. Make sure you take time to research the changes you want and need to achieve your desired result. What does it look like when done correctly? Are there different materials or style options? What does it typically cost? With a clear vision and understanding of what you have done, you can easily create a budget and timeline for your project. At DFW Improved, our project managers and designers walk with you through this process to ensure success every time.

4. Not Expecting the Unexpected

Home renovations can undoubtedly be a costly affair. Since the remodeling process often involves tearing up parts of your home, you will likely discover hidden problems you were not expecting when you first started. Some of the most common surprises include pest infestations, structural damage, water damage, and mold growth. Discovering any of these problems could mean you have an entirely new project to work on before proceeding with your initial remodeling plan. For this reason, it is important to have a knowledgeable contractor and a contingency budget to cater to such unexpected issues. Home makeover mistakes occur when these surprises are not dealt with properly upfront.

5. Choosing the Wrong Contractor

A home makeover is a major investment – it makes your home more appealing and comfortable to live in and increases its value should you ever decide to sell. Therefore, you can’t afford to choose an unqualified contractor. A wide range of factors determines the suitability of a remodeling contractor – competence, expertise, and insurance are just a few. At the very least, a qualified home remodeling contractor should be adequately insured to carry out the scope of work that your renovation project entails. Before you hire them, check out their reviews, references, before and after photos, portfolios, and videos. See what kind of experiences others have had with them. Doing your research now could help you avoid major mishaps and headaches later.

Learn More: Tips for Choosing a Remodeling Contractor

6. Lack of a Clear Vision

A lot of planning goes into home renovation projects to ensure that the results are better than you envisioned. Having a clear vision usually leads to design disasters, with many small details being overlooked. To avoid home makeover mistakes, homeowners often focus on irrelevant details that add little or no value to the overall design. Before you get started, consult your home remodeling contractor and designer. Share your vision with them, show them your Houzz and Pinterest boards, and tour their showroom to get clarity on materials and design details. Ask them to develop a detailed plan and drawings based on what you’ve shared with them and have set out to achieve. And, of course, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Constant communication with your contractor will also help you exchange ideas frequently, get advice on important things to consider, and refine the plans to fit your expectations.

7. Insufficient Planning

Many homeowners tend to forget that a home makeover means restricted movement and/or access within certain areas of the home until the project is complete – it is typically never business as usual once work begins. Depending on your work, some areas may be partly or completely inaccessible during the length of the project. It is important to plan how you will cope without having access to important areas such as your kitchen and bathrooms. Do you work from home? Are your kids homeschooled? Will you have family staying with you? If your project is too disruptive to your family, be sure to make alternative plans ahead of time. Looking at the various factors that make up your daily schedule and routine is crucial to planning ahead for a successful and stress-free remodel.