Common home renovation mistakes!




Avoiding home renovation mistakes is easier when you know what the common ones are! Some may seem obvious but many are not so readily apparent, or are easy to slip into. Whilst there are many more than those listed here, below are some of the home renovation mistakes that we have seen repeated over and over again:




1. Not understanding key cost drivers

This is hard for the average person looking to renovate to know with confidence. However having a good grasp of the key cost drivers can mean the difference between unnecessarily blowing your budget and get the best bang for your buck! If you don't know ask someone who does have clarity, as this will make all the difference in your decision making.


2. Not doing enough up front due diligence

The less investigation and research you do up front, the higher the risk you will come across challenges or road blocks when it is too late! Remember even if you are working with a designer already, they will not necessarily have the experience or skills to identify potential problem areas. If you have not started yet great, as you are best served to try to find out the biggest challenges first, so you can design intelligently with this in mind.


3. Doing design in isolation

Designers are creative by nature and are an essential part of a good renovation. However not all designers are good at relating what is being drawn to the cost of achieving that in reality. Always have a designer work alongside a contractor and have the contractor estimate the design as it develops, to ensure you are on track. There is nothing more frustrating that getting a design you fall in love with, only to find out it is way over budget!


4. Not being disciplined

We all struggle with this. Who hasn't gone into a car showroom and been tempted by buy the next model up! Being disciplined does not mean being inflexible, but it does mean staying in control and making rational decisions. So when you go to the counter top suppliers show room and fall in love with the most expensive slab in there, still ask for pricing on the options that are in line with your budget. This way you can take some to reflect on your options when you are not in such an emotional state of mind and be disciplined to make the right overall decision.



We all make mistakes, but the key is learning from them! Even better learn from someone else who has seen the same renovation mistakes being made time and time again and avoid falling into the same trap!


5. Starting construction too quickly

This is a very common home renovation mistake! It's human nature that when we decide to do something, we want it to happen right away. However never get sucked into starting a renovation project that is not planned out properly, as this is a sure fire recipe for disaster! I personally have dealt with people who have taken this approach and lived to regret their decision. The reality is a completely chaotic project, which lacks in cohesion, has massive delays and ends up massively over budget. After all how do you know how much your project will cost, unless you have figured out exactly what your are doing and it has been quoted accurately?


 6. Too many changes during construction

Whilst a few minor changes here and there are usually no big deal, constant changes during construction is highly inefficient and often will increase your cost. Changes (especially once you get beyond drywall) can mean circling back and repeating work that has already been done. Disruption to tightly planned schedules can result in significant delays in getting the trades back to complete work. Lots of last minute changes during construction will kill how efficiently your project can be run, not to mention cause massive frustration to the person running it.


7. DIY home renovation mistakes

Whilst I am not questioning your do it yourself skills, many people think they can easily do a renovation themselves. Well this could be true, but you have to ask yourself do you realistically have the time? A common home renovation mistake is wildly under estimating how long it takes to do renovation projects! We have dealt with people who came back 4 years later (after taking the decision to do it themselves and only just finishing), only to tell us "never again!!" For others expecting to have the knowledge, tools and experience to do a renovation well, is probably not being realistic and will likely lead to a poor job, not too mention many arguments with others involved. Our advice is unless you have done this successfully before, leave it to the professionals!


So are you ready for us to help you with your renovation project?