Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Atlanta Home Remodel

Ready to remodel? Then you need to be ready to know what not to do. There are two major types of mistakes homeowners make during home remodels; budgetary mistakes and building mistakes. Today, we'll discuss both.

In the remodeling world, preparation should always be your best friend. Start the process by investigating how much project-specific remodels cost in your area. Once you have a rough idea of how much you can expect to spend, contact your contractor to discuss and get an estimate on your specific project goals.

Don’t Choose the Cheapest Contractor

When you choose the cheapest contractor, you’re most likely not actually choosing the best renovation. While the price tag may look appealing up front, it won’t look so good when you face strung-out deadlines, negotiate with multiple sub-contractors, and compromised quality.

Instead, when you evaluate a bid, focus on the process and the end result as well as the price. A monetarily competitive bid is good criterion, but it should not be your only criterion. Instead, select a home renovation company in Atlanta that consistently earns solid customer reviews on both their website and on third-party review sites like Google or Houzz. 

Investigating your builder’s reputation is incredibly important because customer satisfaction indicates satisfaction in every area: in quality installations, in promises kept, in headaches avoided, and yes, in price as well.

Don’t Choose the Cheapest Materials

Just like choosing the cheapest contractor can actually cost more in every sense of the word, choosing the cheapest materials can also end up costing you more in the long run. We’re not saying you have to blow your budget on top-of-the-line everything, but neither should materials be the place you skimp.

Consider which areas in your house are high-use areas, and invest money where it matters. For instance, flooring is an important place to spend a little extra because it absorbs a lot of wear, so the more durable, the better. Likewise, kitchen countertops are another place you’ll want to invest to avoid scores and stains.

Don’t Try to Do it All at Once

If you’re planning a whole-home remodel, consider scheduling it in stages. Make a checklist prioritizing your top renovation areas and work through them as you are able.

This phase-by-phase renovation is a great way to avoid stressing your budget and, frankly, stressing yourself. If you renovate one area at a time, you can plan temporary workarounds that will enable you to carry on with your normal routine and make your home livable even during major construction.    

Don’t Plan for Perfection

This advice may sound counterintuitive, but remember, while you’ll want to plan for perfection ultimately, you shouldn’t expect it immediately. Everyone who has renovated an older home knows that unforeseen challenges are often encountered during deconstruction.

Don’t let these discoveries take you by surprise or shake your sense of purpose. Expect the unexpected. Plan an “in-case-of-emergency” budget for such circumstances. Ask your contractor what percent of your overall budget you should set aside for such encounters. With this extra budget in place, you’ll be ready to weather any storm. If no storm comes, you’ll reap the reward of leftover funds.

Don’t Forget to Update What You Can’t See

Finally, remember that what you can’t see is just as important as what you can. Remodeling your home gives you the perfect opportunity to check and replace its internal systems, so don’t neglect to update your HVAC and electrical systems. Remember that such updates are often mandatory.

New systems you install will be up to code and may not match your original systems, so it may be time to replace both together.

Keep Researching

There are numerous considerations that go into creating a home renovation that suits your goals, so continue research on your own. Don’t let yourself become too overwhelmed, though. Ultimately, if you’ve selected a solid remodeling company who works with a solid designer, you can trust that your combined knowledge and expertise will result in a beautiful new-old home.