Unsplash – CC0 License

Renovating your home should be something that adds to your quality of life. A brand new kitchen, bathroom or extension is designed to make your property infinitely more livable. 

However, dream home renovations don’t always turn out how you might expect. You have high hopes at the start but, due to one reason or another, something often winds up dashing them. 

Professional property flippers know this only too well. They will often purchase a house, believing that the renovations will only cost a few thousand, only to later discover that the final sum is going to be much more than they anticipated. 

But why is this the case? Well, it turns out that renovations aren’t as simple as they might sound. Putting in a new kitchen doesn’t sound like it should be a big deal but, in many cases, it is. 

The reason for this comes down to the bespoke nature of each renovation. Every house is different and every group of renovators is different, so the final result never quite matches up to expectations. Sometimes, you’re pleasantly surprised but other times, you’re bitterly disappointed. 

In this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the specific reasons why renovations so often turn into nightmares. The hope is that, by the end of the post, you should be in a much better position to prevent nightmare renovations from destroying your dreams. 

You Don’t Use The Right Contractor

When it comes to renovations, using the right contractor is everything. If you can find the correct person for the job, they will deliver a renovation project that will make you proud. 

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. If you’re not an expert in the industry, it can often be challenging to figure out who is a good bet, and who isn’t. 

You can’t always go on price, either. The amount builders charge tends to depend on how much they think you’re able to pay – and that varies considerably. 

The only real way to test a contractor’s quality is to ask for previous examples of their work and references. If the contractor is good, they should be able to provide you with a long list of happy customers, all of whom are willing to talk to you about the quality of the contractor. 

You Don’t Protect Your Site

For numerous reasons, building sites often attract criminal behavior. That’s one of the reasons why you so often see tall fences around commercial construction sites. Companies want to keep people out and prevent trespassing. 

How you protect your site, therefore, matters. But if you look at the average homeowner building site, they’re not doing a great deal to keep criminals out. 

If the project requires it, build a fence around any extension you build. If you hire a skip, learn more about how to protect it with tarpaulins to prevent dumping. Lastly, install temporary CCTV if you haven’t got it yet, and make sure that there is always someone you trust onsite. 

You’re Investing In The Wrong Property

People can sometimes get carried away with home renovations. They get so excited about the home itself that they forget about whether it is practical or not. 

Does it make sense to give a cheap property an expensive kitchen? Usually, it doesn’t. Yet people do it all the time because they aren’t thinking long-term. They buy the kitchen, spend years paying back the debt, and then move out anyway. What’s more, the new installation doesn’t add any real value to the property, meaning that it’s a loss you have to bear on your wealth. 

If you’re looking to buy a new property, ask yourself honestly whether you’re making a sensible decision. Expensive homes that require many renovations are not as attractive as cheaper homes requiring less work. In many cases, the renovations you plan on making might not be necessary, particularly if the vendor is charging too much money for the property. 

You Don’t Have Enough Money

Similarly, many people get carried away when carrying out renovations, believing that they have more money than they do. Then, when the money runs out, work stops, and they’re left with a half-finished home. 

Again, you don’t want to be among those people. Having a small budget is okay, so long as there is a good chance that it will be able to cover all your expenses. If it can’t, then you’re putting yourself at unnecessary risk. 

Whenever you plan a renovation, always add another 30 percent to the price to accommodate unforeseen costs. Things can and do go wrong. The architect’s design might be incorrect, or you might damage a window, or something could go wrong with the electrics. Whatever it is, it is likely to add to the cost and leave you poorer. Don’t let a renovation bankrupt you entirely. 

You’ve Run Out Of Materials

Running out of inputs is another factor that you need to consider. Sometimes, contractors underestimate how much stuff they will need for a renovation. They will then come back to you asking for more money to complete the job.

This process can sometimes create delays. Often, you can wait for weeks to get new flooring or cabinets that match the ones already installed. And that means that your home could remain a building site for much longer than you anticipate. 

Creatures Move In

During renovations, your home’s defenses are down. Not only is it generally easier to burgle from you, but animals can also set up residence in your property, causing havoc. 

Mice are the biggest issue. When people are going in and out of homes all day and doors are off their hinges, rodents find it very easy to get in and out, particularly at night. Homeowners have had renovations and then found giant colonies of mice scurrying around under the floorboards – sometimes fifty strong. The only option is to rip up the flooring and get the exterminators in, and then find a way to block the mice from getting back into the property a second time.