A recently renovated dining room!
We’re no stranger to renovations. As a matter of fact, our team has pretty much seen it all, demo’d it all, and put it all back together again. Kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, great rooms, and beyond. Single room projects, and whole home gut-and-renos.
And with that experience, there have been a lot of lessons learned. We’ve perfected our process, we know the pitfalls to watch out for, and we’ve helped our clients avoid renovation disasters. There are three common mistakes that people typically make when approaching a renovation, and they cause a snowball effect that can cause a lot of stress and end up costing you more time and money.
Mistake #1: Improper Planning
When it comes to renovations, proper planning is key.
One of the most common mistakes we see homeowners make during a renovation is improper planning. Many people jump into a renovation without first taking the time to fully evaluate the project and consider all of their options.
Are we taking down a wall? How are you going to enjoy your renovated living room if it opens up into an outdated kitchen or dining room? Does the trim line up from one room to the other? What about the paint colors – do they clash?
Are we relocating or changing the layout of a kitchen island? That’s more than just a new kitchen island – that will require new floors or refinished floors, too. And if the kitchen renovation includes new hardware and light fixture finishes, how is that going to look with the hinges and hardware on your doors?
New cabinets in the kitchen may also call for updating the cabinets in the scullery, if you want the rooms to feel cohesive.
Dining room BEFORE. Many decisions need to be made before starting on a project.
The important lesson here is, all these details need to be taken into consideration before you do anything. Proper planning allows you to put together a really solid budget that helps you understand your project before you even get started.
Our clients understand their budget fully before we begin, and that includes planning for a 30% contingency budget.
What’s a contingency budget? It’s factored in to the total project cost and covers those unexpected expenses that can happen even with the best planning. Things like discovering mold, or out-of-code electrical components, the kinds of things that you just can’t know are there until you open up that wall or tear out the cabinets.
And of course, we hope to never need to dip into those funds, but it’s better to have it factored into the budget and not need it, rather than experience unexpected costs without the funds available.
Improper planning is the catalyst that causes a snowball effect of last minute changes, and a small project quickly explodes into a large project, causing stress and realizing too late that you don’t have enough money for all the renovations you want.
Mistake #2: Demoing Too Soon
Demoing should be one of the last things you do in a renovation.
Another big mistake we see is demoing too early. Before you start tearing down walls and ripping out floors, it’s crucial to not only have done proper planning and established a realistic budget, but also wait for everything to arrive.
We cannot stress this enough!! Do not pick up any sort of sledgehammer or screwdriver or anything until all your new components are in hand. If you’ve ever made this mistake, and had to live through the agony of being without plumbing or electrical in an essential space in your home, you know how miserable it can be.
Lead times are getting better, but you are still looking at several months for new appliances, 12-16 weeks for custom or semi-custom cabinets, and don’t even get us started on custom furniture.
We know demo is exciting, but trust us when we say you do not want to find yourself living in a construction zone for six months or more while you wait for all your new stuff to arrive.
Mistake #3: Not Budgeting For Proper Furnishings
Furniture, decor, and details are what makes a house feel like a home.
One of the biggest renovation mistakes I see, and one that is so often overlooked, is not leaving room in the budget for furnishings and decor. People often focus so much on the structural changes to their home, that they forget about the importance of furniture and styling.
Without proper planning and budgeting for furnishings and decor, a renovation can feel incomplete, and the space may not function as well as it could. No one wants to get through with a renovation, where you’ve carefully planned and selected the beautiful tile, and light fixtures, new flooring and trim details, only to find out there is no budget for furnishings.
New custom window treatments, dining room furniture, and carefully selected decor provides the finishing touch.
When you buy a new home that you intend to renovate, you need to account for a minimum of at least 20% of that home value to be spent on furnishings. If you have some existing furniture pieces you plan to keep, and we can keep some of the fixtures and features, that can reduce the cost. But we still advise that you budget for at least 10% of that home value for your furnishings budget, even if you are using existing pieces. It’s the scale and the style of your new home that will require new pieces to ensure everything fits cohesively and just feels “right”.
This is true even if you are downsizing – because often some or all of your furniture will need to be replaced to fit in your new space.
This is why our spaces and projects are so special. They have that fully styled look, that’s not over done, but perfectly suits the client’s style and personality and functions well for their family.
And because we are upfront with these costs and investments, they aren’t overlooked and left as an afterthought. This results in successful renovation projects and happy clients!
Y’all, good design takes time. Don’t rush the process. Don’t skip the thorough planning, don’t start a demo before all your things have arrived, and do not forget about the furniture and decor your home needs to feel complete.
So if you need experienced professionals in your corner to help you through a major renovation (and trust us, you do!!) let’s talk soon! It all starts with a Discovery Call.
