Having your home remodeled can be incredibly exciting.
After all, what’s better than having the opportunity to mold your living space into the beautiful humble abode that you’ve been dreaming about for years?
Even with the challenges that come with home remodeling, like choosing a service such as home remodeling in Boulder, or that pesky money thing, there’s a lot to be excited about.
To make sure that your home remodel goes as planned, let’s take a look at a few things you should know before getting started.
Know What NOT to Do
A lot goes into even the smallest of remodeling projects. Because of this, there’s also a lot that can go wrong with these projects.
For this reason, it’s imperative that you understand what not to do when remodeling your home.
Some of the more obvious things that you’ll want to avoid include:
- Not hiring a contractor just because they’re a friend or family member that needs work
- Not underestimating the cost issues of rehabbing your house
- Not doing-it-yourself unless you know what you’re doing
- Not underestimating the amount of time that it will take
- Not forgetting to think about local regulations and codes
By understanding what not to do, you’ll be much more prepared for how the project will play out.
And, as with anything, preparation is the key to making it all work. There are quite a few people who think that winging it is fine, and whilst some can survive on that, not everyone is able to. So take a moment to stop and think about what you really need, from dust sheets to looking up how to get dumpsters delivered to you to clear away the debris, all of it is beneficial.
Photo by immo RENOVATION on Unsplash
Even if you don’t plan on selling your home in the near future, there’s no telling when that plan will change; whether by choice or otherwise.
Because of this, it’s important that you consider the impact that your remodel will have on your home’s value.
Things like energy efficiency, kitchen space, and the durability and longevity of the materials used will all be important to future buyers.
That means they should also be important to you.
Know That Taking Shortcuts is a Really, Really Bad Idea
As you continue in the process of preparing for your home remodel, the estimated cost is inevitably going to grow much faster and higher than you’d like.
When this happens, many homeowners quickly look for ways that they can significantly lower the costs.
They think things like:
- “Maybe we can hire a cheaper contractor.”
- “Maybe we can use less expensive materials.”
- “Maybe we can just do some of it now and wait until next year to finish it.”
And while it’s natural to want to lower your costs as much as possible, many of the ways that homeowners do this end up costing them far more down the road.
For example, deciding to do a flagpole installation by yourself or with a cheap contractor could end up with the pole having poor foundation support. One windy day later and the flagpole has fallen and sliced your roof in two!
Instead of looking for quick fixes to your budget problems, consider possibilities like government incentives, cash-out refinancing, or home-equity loans.
Whatever you do, don’t take shortcuts with your home remodel. It’s that simple.
Conclusion
If you want to make your home remodel exciting, and more importantly successful, preparation is critical.
By understanding the concepts listed above, you’ll be more prepared to make sure your remodeling project turns out just the way you want it to.
Good luck!
52 Comments
thanks for the great tips.. this will surely come in handy when i want to remodel my house in the future… i am not thinking of doing any remodeling yet anytime soon though but will also share this with my friend who is….
Thanks! I sure hope this helps you when it is time to remodel your home 🙂
Personally, I think remodeling your home is a tedious and expensive move. I mean, remodeling just my room is very tiring. These are actually great tips. You have to make sure that everything is right in place in terms of money, time and labor.
It sure is! That is why it does require careful planning to make sure everything, including your budget and other resources, as well as your energy, is in order.
These tips are really practical ones but often neglected. I am glad you have come up with this to remind those who would want to renovate or refurbish.
I particularly appreciate the taking no shortcuts. I have been there. And I have seen the consequences.
I sure hope these tips help especially those who are in the process of renovation their homes.
This post is just too timely as we’re remodelling our kitchen. Actually, it’s the cost that always set the course, if I may say, coz all things when in use often degrade easily. However, costly doesn’t always follows as high quality. Looking for reliable suppliers and contractors are just one of the major things that need to be considered in this activity. All in all, it’s really a major project that will require our “inner manager” persona. Haha. Thanks for sharing, Vix!
I cannot agree with you more. You’re welcome! 🙂
Great post! I’ve actually been wanting to renovate my room! Starting small so that if it turns into a disaster it will be much easier to fix hehehe 😛
Yes, it is also very wise to start small whenever you do home remodeling. It will also be much less stressful.
Very practical advice. The very first line – do not employ out of compassion is so right. I have suffered enough for being emotional in such things.
Although it might be nice to hire someone just to get them a job, in the end, it is still wise to hire someone for their competence, right?
This is very helpful! One of my mistakes when we had our house construction 4 years ago was to hire a contractor because he is a kumpare. We ended up splurging quite a big about of money on materials and designs that does not meet our taste and requirements because he would insists on convincing us that this is better than that and so on. I am not really satisfied and up until now i do some remodelling by hiring other foreman whom we can trust and it just made all the difference. We do the remodelling one at a time. I just cry over those expenses we had before that were really unnecessary and a waste of resources, just because 🙁
Sometimes hiring someone out of “pakikisama” does not always yield positive results, no? 🙁 He would’ve atleast given you the liberty to choose whichever design or products you want in your home 🙁
I think this do’s and don’ts are all very helpful in remodeling the house or even just a simple room. I agree that sometimes its not just the cost that matters but of course, the quality 😉
Yes, sometimes you can remodel for good quality without breaking the bank. I guess it also pays to be creative and resourceful! 🙂
These are really good insights. We are planning on remodeling our house soon and these tips helps a lot.
Glad to be of help. Good luck on your house remodeling project! 🙂
House remodeling is costly, so those who wanted to do this should make sure they have enough money to finish the work.
I definitely agree!
Great tips! I need this. 🙂 We’re planning to invest on a bare or semi-finished home this year and this will come in handy when fixing the interior.
Very timely! Wanted to DIY a cupboard for the kitchen but the husband and I have no experience in carpentry hahaha. Better ask an expert to make it foe us.
I’m a frugal person, but not in things that will last long or that will be used for a long period of time like a house. I try to make sure I use good quality materials as possible because there’s a reason why they are respected of being durable in the first place. It’ll cost more if you pick a low-quality material that won’t last. =) Thank you for this. I’m a DIY person but I don’t dare remodel my house exactly because of these reasons, although I’m tempted to. haha But I know that it could do worse than improve. haha
Thanks for the tips. Although we’re far from remodelling our house, since this was built only 3 yrs.ago the tips can also be implied on our project for our 2nd house at Nuvali, Sta. Rosa (our retirement house, I guess) Ipon mode muna at this time =)
One day when we have our own tiny home, I’ll review this post. It’s helpful and informative. Crossing my fingers that it will happen soon 🙂 🙂
*review- I mean I will read this post again 🙂 🙂
Yes, even super minor renovations aren’t cheap. We’re in the process naman of replacing appliances na over a decade old na. Magastos. XD
We are planning of some minor repair and restructuring of the house, thanks for the tips. It’s true, DYI-ING IS ALWAYS A NICE IDEA.
Agreed. You cannot underestimate the cost is the most important one. My brother had to pay an additional 1M to their estimated cost of building their house kasi the contractor made a decision to add a wing (to better the construction).
I’m planning to do expansion naman with our house in the province and yes I’m guilty of thinking about DIYs knowing hat I’m not great at that. But I’m glad i had a chance to think things through and not rush things kasi im a bit excited as well.
Yes!! Dapat tlga pag isipan lahat! From the smallest to the biggest things na kailangan! Yay! What more for us we are planning to build our own house soon@ haahaa
Yes, it entails careful planning. Good luck on building your own house! 🙂
Don’t take shortcuts. Indeed! Not that I have an actual experience of it but it makes a lot of sense. I should remember all of these when the times comes that we’ll need remodelling.
i know right
being a contructor myself
mas mahirap pag kamag anak ang client
dami issues
hahahaha
So true! Haha! Mas madaming issues, right?
I agree with the third one! I believe that the developer of our previous home, which we had to give up and ask for a refund, hired a cheaper contractor who used cheaper materials. That’s why the building had big cracks on the ground floor and it really terrified us as we are living on the 3rd floor and I have a toddler. And I am currently pregnant! Right now, we’re only renting a townhouse but the peace of mind is priceless. We do look forward to buying our own lot and have our home built on it. It will take time but I know it will happen eventually. These tips are going to be helpful in the future! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
That’s utterly scary! Contractors and developers ought to be responsible enough to make sure the quality of the houses they build! 🙁 Yes, claim it! It will happen soon!
Oh how I’d love to remodel the house we live in now. Unfortunately it’s not ours to remodel. Haha! But these are really great tips we’d be able to use for our future house.
We are in the same boat! Haha! Looking forward to remodeling our own houses in the very near future! 🙂
I’d rather hire a stranger who’s really good with his field than a friend. Mahirap na, your lives depend on your home.
Yes, I agree. Better be safe than sorry, right?
Thanks for these very timely tips! My sister is planning to remodel our parents’ home, so these will come in handy.
You’re welcome! Good luck on your house remodeling! 🙂
I do believe in planning before doing such undertakings and your tips are helpful.
Indeed! 🙂
Great tips! We are currently fixing our house now and these tips are really handy 🙂
You’re welcome! Good luck on your house renovation. 🙂
You bet you are right. Done major repairs/repaint on the home exterior and ceilings and oh boy it was very stressful. Changed contractors 3 times and the time frame extended for just a month to nearly 3 months. Just imagine the cost ballooned into something unexpected without careful planning. This has delayed for my home interior remodeling which I intend to do this 1st quarter of the year. Wish me luck tho. 😎 😎
Yes, remodeling the home can really be time-consuming, expensive, and stressful. That is why it needs careful planning as much as possible. Good luck on your home interior plans for this year, I am sure you are going to nail it! 🙂
I’ll remember your tips when we get to have our home constructed we hope in the near future!
We are building our house and we’re now finalizing the costs, materials, etc. Ang gastos, ang daming unexpected expenses.
Wow, congratulations on your new home! Yes, very expensive. This is the reason why you also need careful planning. 🙂