7 COMMON RENOVATION MISTAKES

Renovations, DIY projects? Are you fully prepared? Seven common overlooked items when renovation any space!

THE F WORD (FINANCES)

Finances should be the first thing that comes to mind when renovating. This will give your contractor and designer a base to go on where to spend money such as space planning & moving plumbing for the main skeleton of your renovation. For the designer this will help them with finish selection for the overall design package. Keep part of your budget off to the side for hidden surprises so it doesn't become a financial burden. When planning your finances think of when you might need access to your finances and always have a contingency; we recommend 5-10% depending on the project.

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RENO INSURANCE, DO YOU HAVE IT?

Renovation insurance is something that most homeowners don’t know they have to get before starting a project. Whether you’ve hired someone, or choose to do the work yourself, you need to contact your insurance company to make sure that whoever is doing the work is covered. It’s the best precaution. It’s also worth looking into your contractor and asking if their hired tradespeople are insured as well. As the homeowner you have the rights to look at someone’s insurance, tickets, and WCB (workers compensation board) standing with WorkSafeBC.

EMOTION

Don’t underestimate the impact of a renovation on your emotions. Whether you’re dealing with the ups and downs of a reno on your own or as a family, it is sure to become an overwhelming process at a one point. Designers and constructors should be “dead-inside” (as in, they should not make any decisions based off their emotion and instead base them off of facts such as durability, function, timeline, and budget). If you as the homeowner can take a step back, take a few breaths and look at the overall picture: remember the tile that you fell in love with? A change might be in order to fulfill the best design layout. A product is back ordered and won’t arrive in time? A revision in the specification may be in order. But sometimes this means you will come in ahead in budget and timeline if you don’t base these decisions on emotions. Trust me, I fall in to this all the time. That’s the hard truth.

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LIVE THROUGH THE RENOVATION OR NOT?

Will you be living through, or staying elsewhere for the duration of the renovation? Are you able to stay with family or friends? Or will you have to cost out other accommodation options? This is important to consider before starting your renovation. Think about your children’s schedule, your dog’s wellbeing and stress levels. Most of the time living through a large renovation can slow down the project and add costs to the overall budget. Take in to account renting and additional housing costs in to your overall preliminary budget.

FURNITURE

Will you be keeping your existing furniture once the renovation is completed, or will you have to source new furniture? Does your current furniture fit into the new design, or does it now feel out of place? This is where it is important to communicate with your designer, and whether or not we will be refurnishing.

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COMPROMISE

Compromise is inevitable when renovating and is key to getting to the finishing line successfully. Meeting your partner in he middle when it comes to finishes and fixtures can make all the difference. When thinking of a compromise make sure to make these decisions bases on facts and not emotion. Consider things such as durability, budget, and the overall outcome of the project.

SURPRISES

Expect the unexpected. Asbestos, copper piping, old electrical to name a few. These are all things hidden behind walls that will likely need updating. A good design professional and contractor will experience most of these items. They take these risks into account with the initial site findings, and then during a second review or “trade day” where the contractor takes the proposed design and has all the trades (electricians, plumbers, demolition teams) review the outcomes and the pieces needed to to be placed together and work well. It’s like a good ol’ Lego set.