5 Home Renovation Mistakes to Avoid

I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say the words, ‘home renovation is easy’. The process is daunting, yet exciting, stressful, yet worth it.

At Tomkins Constructions it’s our job to turn your dream into a reality. We really wish we could sit here and say transforming a dull property into something amazing is a smooth process… but we would be lying to you.

Over the years, our team have seen our fair share of home renovation mistakes. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but that’s why we’re here to help!

Renovating your first home, or any home for that matter is exciting, so it’s no surprise that most homeowners want to jump into it straight away without fully understanding where to start.

We’ve put together a list of 5 home renovation mistakes. Hopefully, this list prepares the people out there planning to start a home renovation. Or, if you’ve already started, STOP what you’re doing, read this list and make sure you’re avoiding these mistakes at all costs.

Mistake 1 – Not Putting Together a Proper Design Plan

Whether you’re repurposing a current space in your home or creating a whole new home from scratch, it’s important to have a clear and concise game plan.

We don’t want to see you at your local tile shop, looking for the perfect tile to suit your kitchen that you haven’t even designed yet. Put together a well-thought-out design and go from there.

Some questions you should be asking yourself:

– ‘Have I found inspiration pictures that I can refer to?’

– ‘Do I have a distinct style?’

– ‘Will the space flow seamlessly?’

If you ask yourself what you’re planning to achieve, you can then work with an architect to look at all the possibilities and solutions for your design wants and needs.

If you plan before you start, you’ll avoid any unforeseen mishaps and hurdles! Plan, plan, plan!!

Mistake 2 – Setting an Unrealistic Budget

We come across people setting an unrealistic budget for their home renovations way too often. But that’s understandable because if you haven’t undertaken the project before, it is hard to gauge costs.

All though competitors on reality TV shows like The Block make budgeting look easy, the reality is – it isn’t.

Image this: you start renovating your home with a clear budget in mind, but once you reach half-way you’ve already gone over your expected expenses.

To avoid this happening, it’s important to call in the experts. Get the professionals to give you a price for your project. Get in touch with local builders and ask for quotes for specific jobs you’d need to be done. Use this as research and a tool to understand the costs.

As a generic rule, you could include around 20% extra on your budget so that you are prepared for any unexpected expenses.

Mistake 3 – Not Measuring Spaces Properly

Male specialist in home renovation checking the wall with spirit level

If you’re measuring for the perfect cabinet space or checking how much room you have for a fridge, always measure TWICE! Yes, twice. Remeasuring an area in your home a couple of times will prevent future mishaps from occurring. Trust us, it’s worth it!

Not measuring spaces properly is a common and costly mistake, that can be easily avoided by simply (we’ll say it again), measuring twice.

This rule is even more important when measuring for custom made products. Imagine mismeasuring for hand-crafted cabinetry, to then receive it and not have enough space for it. What a disaster!

Mistake 4 – Not Consulting or Getting Professionals Involved

Let us tell you, home renovations aren’t an easy task and sometimes it’s honestly easier to call in the professionals.

Ask yourself: ‘Can I really do all this myself?’

The answer: yes, but no. Completing an entire project yourself will leave room for a lot more mistakes and will also most likely extend the completion date.

First-time homeowners love to jump into the renovations without fully understanding the task at hand. It’ll make your life a whole lot easier to get the professionals to help.

We aren’t saying you need a professional builder from start to finish (however, of course, you can also opt for this option), but even just getting the experts in for tasks that seem impossible.

At Tomkins Constructions, we take the stress out of home renovations. The services we provide include extensions, outdoor rooms, garages, bathrooms, kitchens, decks, pools and so much more.

Professional builders (like us) will tell you costs, info about materials and also do the work for you. We’ve got the tools, we’ve got the knowledge and we’re here to help.

Mistake 5 – Immediately Turning Towards the Cheaper Options

It’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole of instantly turning towards the cheaper options for materials, etc. Which is completely understandable, and the cheaper options certainly have their place.

But just remember, cheaper isn’t ALWAYS best. Cheaper options might actually hurt you in the long term.

You can defixHowever, when it comes to fixtures such as door handles, it may be worth investing in quality pieces. Just think, items that you use every day should be where you invest your money.

Putting your money into quality products and fixtures you’ll be using every day will guarantee are longer lifespan for those pieces.

Bring Your Space Back to Life

Let’s face it, home renovations or extensions aren’t easy. At Tomkins Constructions, we’ve had our fair share of projects and that’s why we’re the experts!

If you’ve been pulling your hair out over a home renovation, let us help. We have a passion for bringing spaces back to life.

Give us call or send us an email and let’s turn your dream space into a reality together!