Set an unrealistic budget and wonder why they deviate from it, settle for a comprehensive quote without a written statement of quantities and underestimate insurance and safety matters
Set an unrealistic budget
It is very nice that you want to renovate a five-room apartment for $20K, but it will probably not be feasible.
If you are on a limited budget, it is better to renovate a different area in the house each time, and not go on an adventure that you will have a hard time getting out of, will leave you with debts and a house that looks like a construction site, until you get the rest.
Budget deviations usually range around at least 20 percent, but there are quite a few people who discover while renovating problems that have not been taken into account, and even double the amount of the budget.
The best way to prepare for a budget overrun, and not be surprised by something that will happen anyway, is to make a clause in your budget basket that addresses non-UAVs.
You may not know in advance what those unplanned things will be, but they sure will be, and you should calculate them in advance as part of the total budget amount.
Renovations that end at the same amount set for them, are usually possible due to detailed and meticulous planning in advance. A general estimate, usually will not be worth too much.
If you are not planning to hire an interior designer, it is worth spending at least a few hours consulting. Even if you received a cheap quote from a remodeling contractor, it is worth taking care to write down quantities and take a few different bids, and have everything in writing.
Even if it seems to you that a construction consultant is unnecessary, it is worth investing this amount, and not causing irreversible damage to your home, risking in terms of safety, and finding that disaster controls, the insurance is not valid at all, because you acted negligently and in violation of the policy. It is better to save on aesthetics, rather than on things that are more substantial.
When you are building a budget, you should leave a budget for home dressing, so that the end result will be pleasant and well-designed. However, if your budget is very limited, the main consideration should be what can be added later, and whatnot.
It is not worth saving on infrastructure, for an expensive Persian rug. He will also patiently wait for you for two years.
Make do with oral summaries and be dragged into unnecessary arguments
Even a trivial thing like choosing a color code number and company name, can cost you dearly. What in one company is a white color, in another company can be a light blue color. And what then? Will you find out when it’s too late?
Therefore, do not make assumptions and do not rely on the memory of the professional, who works with a great many customers and suppliers. A written WhatsApp message is also considered a written summary, so save and document everything. Otherwise, it is definitely a source of unnecessary controversy and debate.
Do not know how to choose professionals
You have postponed the renovation for so many years, and when the moment of truth arrives, you choose professionals in a moment’s decision? Just as you have invested and devoted time to the work that financed your renovation, so you will invest in yourself.
Do not close with the renovation contractor who gives you the first offer, do not be tempted by an offer that is too cheap and do not set off before you have talked to at least a few customers and jumped in to see for yourself the quality of the work.
Leaving too much budget for aesthetics and too little for infrastructure
Long before a stylish and stylish home, the home should last for years. So, before you rush to cover old and catastrophic plumbing with giant tiles that are the last shout, stop.
Is it worth the investment? Maybe it’s better to choose cheaper tiles, but solve the infrastructure problem from the ground up and replace the plumbing? Do not have enough budget? Maybe it’s better to postpone the renovation a bit but carry it out properly?
Do not ask questions and do not show enough involvement
Also and especially if you do not have a construction supervisor, you must have a hand on the pulse and reach the area daily, or at least before an important stage in renovation or construction. Leaving workers in the field and hoping for the best is a bad idea.
For them it is a job of a few days or weeks, for you it is tiles that will stay for twenty years in the shower. If they do not have the right size, they can change the whole arrangement of the tile dressing, just to finish the daily fast and go home.
Taking out tiles, can certainly be the solution, but is much more cumbersome, involves possible damage to the infrastructure in the wall, and is certainly unnecessary. Anything that can be stopped and fixed at an early stage, will be much more effective.
