5 Remodeling Mistakes That Home Improvement Newbies Make | nauman ramzan

If you’ve been thinking about doing a bit of remodeling, you’re not alone. In fact, in many ways, it can be a really smart thing to do because remodeling tends to “upgrade” your house which can result in the property value of your home going up.

However, if this is going to be your first time taking on a remodeling project, before you call a local contractor or pull out your tools, we wanted to share with you some of the remodeling mistakes that newbies have been known to make. If you are careful not to make these, we’re confident that you’ll end up with just the kind of results that you were looking for:

Doing too many things at once. We can totally understand why you might be excited about renovating your kitchen, changing your bathroom or pulling up all of the carpeting on your floors. But if you’ve never done any of these things before, it’s best to take on one project at a time. Not only can doing too many things at once end up costing you more money than you planned but based on the extensiveness of the project, it can take up a lot of time too.

Not sticking to the budget. There are a lot of us who have made the mistake of thinking that so long as we have credit cards, we don’t really need to be detailed when it comes to budgeting for certain home projects. But remember that credit cards are not “free money”. They are loans that come with interest. That’s why it’s important to do as much research as possible beforehand when it comes to factoring how much your home improvement projects will cost, whether you are hiring a contractor or you’re planning to do the work yourself. Otherwise, you could end up spending 2-3 times more than you actually can afford.

Choosing the wrong contractor. If you do have the kind of remodeling project that requires using a contractor, do not go with the first one that you see in your phone book or online. It’s best to use someone who has been highly referred by an individual you trust (and has a completed project that you’ve seen and like). If you can’t go on referral, interview no less than 3-5 individuals and request to see their portfolio and several referrals too. That will help you to select a contractor that is reputable.

Taking on overwhelming DIY projects. Thanks to websites like BHG, DIY Improvement, http://www.buildgreenatlantic.org/ and even YouTube, there are all kinds of remodeling projects that you can do on your own. But try and be realistic about what you can handle and what you can’t. While putting in a new kitchen sink is probably something that you can do yourself, building a walk-in closet will probably require a professional.

Not getting a permit. When it’s time to replace your furnace , you might want to get a fireplace put into your living room. But if it’s going to end up meaning that you will have to add onto your home, you will probably need to get a permit. Being that some remodeling projects require permits while others don’t, it’s a good idea to read about them before getting started. For more information on building, put “building permits” along with your city and state in the search field.