Most experts recommend renovating your home every 15 or 20 years. However, this can largely depend on how well you have maintained your property over the years. Since renovation isn’t something you do every day, most people have no idea how to approach the entire process. Thankfully, we’ve put together a guide for some common mistakes to avoid when renovating your home.

1.  Going with the first contractor you find

The average person usually doesn’t know too many contractors who can take on a project as large and important as renovating a home. Therefore, finding the right people for the job can be a serious endeavor unto itself. Major home renovations can end up costing quite a lot of money, and, understandably, most people will want to save a few bucks where they can. However, going with the cheapest available option is almost certainly going to be the wrong call. If the cost of the contractor seems too good to be true, it probably is. To prevent contractor fraud, you should do your due diligence and look them up online. Get referrals from friends or family who recently renovated their home, so you know you are dealing with someone reliable.

Here are a few additional measures you can take to make sure you are working with reliable experts:

• Ask for their work experience. Contractors who claim to have experience but have been working for less than five years are an immediate red flag. Certain shady businesses will change their name and re-register every few years. Your best bet is to look them up yourself and find out how long they have been in business. 
• Check their BBB record. The Better Business Bureau holds the records for accredited businesses, which you can freely inspect. You can also see if there have been any official complaints against the business.
• Examine their website. Do they have customer reviews and testimonials you can look up? How about a physical address where you can visit them? If the business is trying to avoid scheduling a meeting in their offices, it could mean that they are running some sort of scam. Of course, you can give them the benefit of the doubt and ask to reschedule to a more convenient time for them.
• How will payment work? If they tell you they only deal in cash, or if they give you a fixed price without going into details needed for an accurate estimate, you might want to find another contractor.

2.  Having unrealistic expectations

A full home renovation is probably going to cost more money than you think. Of course, this will depend on the current state of your home and what improvements you want to add. If money is tight, you can look into bank/financing programs for home improvements. However, one of the most common mistakes to avoid when renovating your home is setting the budget too low and sticking to it at all costs. That kind of thinking will force you to cut corners in the wrong places. Although there is nothing wrong with trying to save money, if you set your initial expectations unrealistically, you may be in for a few unpleasant surprises. Things won’t always work out the way you want them to, so you should try to be realistic and flexible with your capabilities and limitations.

3.  Doing things yourself

While we are on the topic of saving money, some people decide to handle a part of the remodeling work themselves. Unless you are a skilled craftsman and have access to all the right tools, approaching home improvement as a DIY project can end up costing you a lot of time and money you don’t have. It’s often far cheaper and faster to hire someone with experience to do the job reliably and even give you a warranty. This is particularly true for the most important things like the roofing and siding to your home. The exterior of your home, especially the roof, is the first line of defense your house has against the elements.

4.  Not factoring in unexpected expenses

If you haven’t been maintaining your home regularly over the years, you might not have the best idea of what kind of expenses you will be facing. What’s worse is that significant renovations can reveal issues with your home that you previously weren’t aware of. Things like water damage and hidden mold can cause your renovation expenses to skyrocket. Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom. You can check your insurance policy to see if it covers some of the repairs.

It’s best to be prepared and have a contingency fund in place. Most contractors advise setting aside around 15% on top of your total budget. The emergency fund will let the renovations continue even if you hit an unexpected hurdle. If you don’t end up needing it, you can just put the money back into your savings.

5.  Focusing on renovations with a bad ROI

When some people imagine renovating their home, they picture form over function. They imagine their house decked out with all the latest features and appliances. However, not all of the renovations in your home will have an equal return on your initial investment. Appliances will age out and break down over time, and some home improvements that are considered trendy today may seriously date your home in just a few years’ time. Investing a lot of money into expensive frills is one of the most common mistakes to avoid when renovating your home.

You should always try to focus most of your renovating budget on home improvements that have a good return on investment and increase the resale value of your home. The roof, kitchen, and bathroom all have a good ROI, and you should consider them top priorities when renovating your home.

6.  Living in the home while renovations are ongoing

Some people don’t even think about this issue until it’s too late to organize appropriate accommodations. If you choose to stay on the property while the renovations are ongoing, you need to consider the following:

• You will be living on an active construction site. This will surely have an impact on your quality of life. You will be forced to move from room to room to make way for the workers.
• The contractor will probably charge you more. Most contractors have lower rates for homes that are empty. Moving out can save you money.
• This will extend the duration of the work. Since the contractor will have to schedule the work around your daily routine, you can expect the renovations to last much longer than they would if the home was vacant.

If moving out isn’t an option, there are still a few steps you can take. Renting storage space can be of help by making your home less cluttered. Pack away most of your possessions in short-term storage units and make room for the workers to do their job.

7.  Neglecting the exterior of your home

Sometimes people try to cut corners and neglect certain areas of the house when it’s time to renovate. Unfortunately, this approach can decrease the value of your home, not to mention that your curbside appeal will also suffer. The exterior of your house is the first thing people will see, and if your front door is old and due for replacing – visitors might feel reluctant to enter. Additionally, old doors can fail to close properly and cause air leaks, which will only increase your heating bills. The same can be said for the siding and roof of your home, which can cause significant structural damage to your entire home unless you regularly maintain them.

8.  Not planning on time

Keep in mind that contractors are very busy right now. Shortages in material and labor, supply chain issues, getting building permits written, and even working on replacing aging trucks all contribute to a prolonged construction process. Two years ago, their suppliers/manufacturers were typically fully stocked. However, many materials are harder to come by today, and certain colors, styles, or products have to be ordered months in advance. Adding to the problem is the fact that thousands of tornado-destroyed homes and office buildings will require the materials necessary to replace them. Luckily, if you make the deal 6-9 months in advance, you improve your chances of the work being done on your preferred schedule.

In conclusion

Planning a home renovation can be exhausting and hard, but at the end of the day, it’s well worth it. When everything is said and done, your home will look fantastic and be protected for years to come. What’s important is that you are aware of the common mistakes to avoid when renovating your home, and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches and stress.