Even if you’re not an expert in residential home design, you probably still want to be part of your home’s remodeling and construction. After all, no one knows your personal taste as well as you do! While planning out your home’s upgrade, make sure that you do not execute any of these common residential home design remodeling pitfalls:
- Making Measuring Mistakes. Imagine you just installed beautiful, new cabinetry in you new kitchen. Then, when you bring your new stainless steel appliances in, you realize the space for your refrigerator is 3 inches too small. As the saying goes, “Measure twice, cut once.”
- Hiring the Cheapest Local Handyman. If you are remodeling on a tight budget, there are good ways to save money. A bad way to save money on renovations is having a cheap contractor do the work. It’s a good idea to get estimates that include a detailed itemization from three residential remodeling services before making a choice. Low-ball estimates either may not include all of the expenses you will end up paying, or the contractor might be pulling it off for less money by cutting corners on your project.
- Being Inflexible About Building Material. Some residential home design features seem like no-brainers. Everyone likes wood floors; however, if you have pets that are going to be running on your new wood floors, they may scratch quickly and you’ll end up regretting your worn-out wood floors. Likewise, granite counters are a hot feature in kitchen remodels, but may not be worth the money. There are synthetic stone materials that look just as good, but are more durable and cost effective than granite.
- Getting Too Trendy. Home design trends come and go. As a general rule, the bolder your design, the more obvious it will be when it goes out of style. Instead, it’s a good idea to invest in a more timeless design and use accents such as art work and decor that can be easily replaced to follow the trends. This will help ensure that your remodel stays current through various trend cycles.
- Getting Too Elaborate. Keep the value of your home in mind when you plan your renovations. For example, spending $50,000 on a kitchen renovation is not a good investment if homes in your area sell for $100,000. As a rule of thumb, kitchen renovations should not exceed 25% of the home’s value and bathroom upgrades should be priced about 15% of the home’s value. Although creating a home you love to live in is important too. If you’re a home chef who has always dreamed of having a gourmet kitchen, get yourself that gourmet kitchen!
- Getting Just Enough Flooring. Flooring experts recommend ordering 20% extra material when you install new floors. If you run into breakage or unexpected issues when installing the floor, there is no guarantee that an exact match for the material you’re using will still be available. Many flooring suppliers will accept returns of unopened boxes that are not used, and having extra supplies will ensure you don’t end up with mismatched flooring if you run short.
Have you ever regretted a renovation you completed on your home? What pitfalls would you warn others to avoid? Please leave us a comment with your experience!