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- Latter-Day Divine Designs
Remodeling and Renovation Mistakes to Avoid When You Buy a House
It’s so exciting when you buy a new house! Whether it’s your very first home or not, the anticipation of new, even it’s an older home that’s new to you, brings visions of remodeling nirvana. Knock out this wall…move that stove…. maybe a bay window perhaps? As they say nowadays: “Slow your roll!”. While you want to make your new house the home you want to live in, there are a few remodeling and renovation mistakes to avoid when you buy a house. Read on to learn more.
You didn’t create a budget
Remodeling is the adult version of a kid in a candy store. Sure, you may start by thinking you’ll just change up a few things in the kitchen, but it’s a slippery slope of “I want” that can only be controlled by having a budget. Creating a budget will help create a solid plan so you have a very good idea what is involved in the remodel, and what it will cost; a good way to avoid “scope creep” where services change and shift, and costs usually rise as a result. If you create a budget then run across a MUST have or a “oh no, I didn’t plan for that” moment, you have the opportunity to look at your budget and perhaps reallocate expenditures versus simply increasing costs.
You didn’t work with a design professional
Unless you’re a design professional yourself, it’s a very good idea to hire one to help with renovating a new house. Why work with a design professional? They can save you time and money. They can help project manage a large remodeling project. They can present you with style options you may not have considered. They can often get you materials, accessories and furniture at their industry cost. They will make your life easier by making sure all aspects of the renovation are done correctly the first time. It’s a no-brainer to hire a professional for any remodeling you do. Its budget line item must!
You never lived in the house before you started renovations
We get it. It’s so much easier to do major renovations before you move into a house. No muss, no fuss, no mess. But hear us out. If you’re doing major remodeling, let’s say a kitchen, how can you truly determine what’s going to work if you’ve never cooked in the kitchen? You want your kitchen to be beautiful and functional. First, what kind of kitchen do you want? An eat-in kitchen? One built for entertaining? The ability to accommodate your mad baking skills? Consider how you currently use your kitchen and what would make your life easier and more functional. Maybe it’s adding or expanding an island. Perhaps it’s additional storage or the absolute must-have double oven. Where should these items be and what’s the overall flow of the kitchen area to best suit that? And what about storage? Unless you’re completely tearing down the kitchen and recreating the form, function, flow and footprint from scratch, perhaps a short test drive around the kitchen will help you remodel more effectively.
Not sticking with the plan
A design professional is going to help you not only create a budget, but they’ll create a functional plan overall and avoid renovation mistakes. Sure, there will be surprises along the way, but overall, you need to stick to a plan. Not doing so is not only costly but can sometimes results in a mismatched design that doesn’t flow. A patchwork of add-ons can really undermine the style of a remodel overall. Make a plan, stick to the plan.
Other new home buyer mistakes
Here are a few more mistakes that new home buyers make when they remodel or renovate their new home:
Not creating a timeline
Not checking references of workers and designers doing the remodel
Not understanding measurements and scale (if you have a design professional, you’re covered here)
Splurging unnecessarily
Going cheap on foundational items like appliances
Buying a new home is thrilling! Make sure your bliss remains after all the dust settles by working with an interior designer to make the process easier and avoid renovation mistakes. Enjoy our new home!