A home renovation is something to celebrate – even if it hasn’t happened yet, and the final result is still up in the air. When you start planning a renovation, it’s a time to be excited. It’s a time to think about all the various uses for your new and renovated space, whether it’s inside or out. Homeowners look at renovations as a manifestation of their dreams – whether that dream is to live a better lifestyle, sell the home more easily (and for greater profit) on the market, or some combination of these.
But the sad truth is that so many home renovations just don’t go as planned. The project drags on much longer than anticipated. Certain mistakes are made that require careful undoing, and the project falls way behind schedule. Materials break, go missing, or become unavailable. There are a million different ways for home renovations to hit a snag – and when they hit a major snag, it can be as costly as it is frustrating.
One common problem with home renovation projects is that builders or homeowners fail to remember that a certain number of materials (especially things like flooring) will break or malfunction in some other way. Common practice amongst professionals and knowledgeable DIY homeowners is to stock at least 10% extra of vulnerable materials. Getting all of these details can be tough, especially in you’re on a budget. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but…
Many homeowners choose to skip the hassle and hire a professional to acquire the materials and perform the renovation. If you do go this route, it’s important to have a detailed cost estimate from the builder. Some are downright skilled and talented renovators, and their track records precede them. You’d think these would be the companies charging the most, but they tend to charge more competitive rates in their areas. The difference is that they have a combination of skill, experience, work ethic, and past successes. This enables them to schedule jobs more effectively, complete them on time, and leave a wider trail of happy customers who write glowing reviews about the renovations they’ve had done in their own homes.
But if you’re looking for a quality renovator, you can’t rely on reviews or prestige alone. Does the builder understand your ideas for the project? Is everything being done to answer your questions and provide you with quality information that helps you make the right decision? The best builders embody these qualities because they understand that you are a potentially satisfied customer who will add value to their business, not only by their financial patronage, but over the long term through good reviews and recommendations. The trick is, those reviews and recommendations must be genuinely earned. Therein lies the need for a contractor to perform quality work or eventually lose out to more reputable contractors who do a better job.
There are a million things that can go wrong on a DIY renovation; but if you’re hiring your renovation out, the one thing you can’t afford to get wrong is the contractor you choose.