Equal parts excitement and equal parts stress. That’s home renovation defined for you in simple terms. Home renovation can be a time-consuming project, almost the equivalent of buying a home all over again. But that stress can be reduced, and your home remodelling exercise can prove to be an enjoyable affair; that which leads to family bonding and is worth all the time, effort, and money invested. Learn from others’ mistakes, a wise man is supposed to have said. Here are five mistakes that can be best avoided while renovating your home.
Going the DIY way
As intriguing as those interior design blogs look, don’t let them fool you into believing that a major home renovation project is something you can undertake on your own. It’s best to convey what you want from your home to experts, as they are skilled at understanding your space, your needs, and the most practical ways in which the two can be brought together. The DIY way is popular in countries like the US, but the concept is yet to catch on in India fully.
Not investing in quality
We have all been there. Searching for value deals. Trying to get the best price for anything. India is a price-conscious nation. But try not to give price more importance over quality. From hiring a contractor who gives the cheapest quote to getting fooled into purchasing second-grade material as a ‘bargain buy’, skimping on spending is only going to increase your overall budget, not to mention the increased project timeline and tensions. Learn to differentiate between cheap and inexpensive, since mistakes too come at a cost.
Disregarding the basics
A living room that is a conversation starter among your guests is the dream, but will that momentary happiness be able to compensate for a kitchen with improper storage space or a bathroom with malfunctioning plumbing?
Focus on functional spaces first when it comes to remodelling so that those who live in the house can do so comfortably, without begrudging your happiness when you collect compliments for your stylish living room.
Focusing on trends
Every blog, Instagram post or magazine issue seems to tell you the ‘it’ interior trend of the season. However, renovating your home on the basis of a trend is only going to lower the resale value of your property, as time passes by. Trends come and go, so make it a point to invest in classics while paying homage to your favourite trends in the form of add-ons that don’t cost a bomb to change.
Miscalculating the budget
Overspending while remodelling is a mistake homeowners tend to make very often. To avoid the same, start with a figure in mind. Once you have a final idea of the changes you want to incorporate, segregate the changes into essential and non-essential.
Calculate the estimated expenditure on the essentials, with an added amount of 10% to 15% for any miscellaneous charges you might incur during the exercise. Once the essentials are covered within the figure you had initially decided upon, you are free to spend the remaining amount on non-essentials like those exotic handwoven Egyptian cotton sateen bedsheets.
A shoddy job can not only affect the market value of your property negatively, but also prove to be a health hazard, so remodel with your priorities in the right place.
