Remodeling can be an ominous undertaking, but a fear-free renovation is possible. With proper research, planning, and professional partners, you don’t need to be afraid of what’s around the corner for your project. When you avoid these major remodeling mistakes, you’ll be able to sleep peacefully!
1. Not understanding the goals of the project
You may know you’re unsatisfied with your current kitchen or bathroom, but do you understand how you want the future room to function? If you don’t take time to set clear goals at the outset of the project, you may find that your new space doesn’t solve the problems it needed to.
For example, if you’re remodeling your kitchen, write a list of specific attributes you want, such as “More pantry storage,” or “Room for multiple people to work.” Check back on this list when you’re finalizing the floorplan, to make sure the new layout achieves these goals.
2. Underestimating the cost of the project
The renovation process involves many steps that require the work of several different kinds of professionals. The more dramatic of a change you’re looking for in your home, the larger the investment will be; however, even small projects can become expensive, depending on the materials you’d like to use and how “custom” you want your solution to be. Kitchen and bathrooms can contain hundreds of selections, and often older homes will need extra work to bring their structures up to code.
None of this is to deter anyone from taking on a remodeling project, but it is important to have a realistic understanding of how much it will cost to make your remodeling dream come true. Talking to a professional help you determine what project scope is best for your budget before you dive into the process.
At Innovative Home Renovations, we provide a thoughtful investment range from the first discovery meeting and your cost estimate will gain further precision through each step of the process, until a fixed price is reached before any building begins.
See also: Smart strategies for staying on budget during your bathroom remodel
3. Thinking DIY will save you money
It seems obvious that a do-it-yourself remodel would be cheaper than hiring professionals, but that isn’t the case in many mid- to large-scale remodeling projects. Contractors can get materials much cheaper because of trade partnerships, and they have access to many pieces of equipment and other supplies that would be staggering to buy or rent.
It’s easy to make mistakes when you lack experience in remodeling, and the cost of undoing those mistakes can be quite high. You’ll lose a lot of valuable time trying to learn tasks that professionals could do in no time.
4. Not doing enough research
When making your selections, it’s important to fully understand the materials you are choosing for your home. Materials will vary greatly in cost, durability, maintenance, and lifespan. For example, some materials will develop “patina” and start to look different as they get older, while others will be unchanged over time.
See also: How to decide between bathroom countertop materials in 2024
Research how the layout and features you’re selecting for your rooms will affect you over time. Are these features prone to become outdated quickly? You should ask yourself, “Will this layout also suit me 15 years from now?”
When you work with experts on your remodel, they can share their deep wealth of knowledge and bring to your attention the most important considerations for each design and selection decision.
5. Not pinpointing the look you want
It is extremely difficult to make decisions when you’re unsure about the overall style direction of the space. Once you identify your design style, you can use its principles to guide you toward making selections that are cohesive with one another and reflect your own personal aesthetic. Following a design style will help you choose elements that make sense with one another and tell a single story; it will save you hours of going back and forth wondering if selections will look good together.
To discover your design style, you can start by taking our Design Style Quiz. You can also browse design styles online through glossaries like this one.
See also: How to build an interior design mood board
6. Being too trendy
It can be tempting to make your new kitchen and bathroom look exactly like the ones you see at the top of your Instagram or Pinterest feed, however it’s important to not get caught up in what’s currently trending when you're designing your forever home.
Trends come and go in terms of features and looks; something that’s all the rage today might look completely outdated 8 years from now.
To prevent falling victim to fads, go for design elements that are timeless. This doesn’t mean you can’t spring for any choices that have a modern or contemporary feel, but those choices should have logic behind them and should have roots in a particular design style or historical context. Look for patterns, materials, and textures that have been used throughout time; that way you know they aren’t going away anytime soon. These elements can then be arranged in surprising or unique ways, to create a space that’s custom to you.
7. Not working with trustworthy trade partners
Each subcontractor available for a job will not produce the same quality of work, and they won’t submit the same price for a bid either. It can be difficult to decipher which company you should go with; you want to pay as little as possible for the best work you can get. However, the lowest bid does not always mean you’ll be getting the greatest value – you need to watch out for subcontractors that will do a less than stellar job.
See also: 5 questions you must ask when selecting your perfect remodeler
Design-build firms like IHR will have existing strong relationships with vetted trade partners they trust to do amazing work at the best price. Clients will have access to these strong relationships when they remodel with a design-build firm.
There's nothing to fear when you remodel with IHR
With careful preparation, many common remodeling mistakes can be avoided completely. Although you can’t plan for absolutely everything, there are many ways to set yourself up for success; one of those ways is to partner with Innovative Home Renovations. As a design-build firm in Northeast Seattle, our proven process will keep your project on schedule for a fixed price. We are committed to keeping our clients empowered, educated, and in control of their remodel, always. Talk to a project manager to get started.
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by Haley Carroll