Taking on a home improvement project is expensive enough – why add to the bill? Whether you are fixing a leaky faucet or remodeling an entire bathroom, here are some costly mistakes to avoid.
Skipping Less Glamorous Improvements
It’s crucial to take care of structural issues before starting on cosmetic fixes. A beautiful kitchen and stylish bathroom is wonderful, but if you sink thousands into the new kitchen and bath when the roof has a leak, you might find your custom cabinets destroyed after a series of bad storms. It is not as exciting but the stuff you don’t see –pipes, wiring, framing etc. – is usually the most important.
Multiple Quotes
You’ve heard it a million times, but its very true: Get at least three bids for a project. Make sure the contractors you choose are licensed, bonded & insured.
We suggest getting recommendations from friends, neighbors, lumber yards, or your building inspector. Some projects are straight forward – a roof is a roof. There are more ways to do a complex job and soliciting other opinions can be valuable.
Playing It By Ear
It’s tempting to toss in some of the extra items on your wish list while you’ve got a contractor in the house, and sometimes it can make sense – but it’s always going to cost you more money. If you’ve got a lot of items on the to do list, get them all written into the project estimate from the start – and stick to your plan.
DIY Week-end Projects
If your project is a challenging task and something goes wrong – say the new pipe fitting you installed won’t stop leaking and you need to call a pro, they’ll likely charge you emergency rates.
Biting Off More Than You Can Chew
Tinkering with your home can quickly spiral out of control, and sometimes there is no going back. Once you open up a wall and discover surprises within – mold, rotted out studs, faulty wiring, there’s no telling what could be waiting for you when you begin a ‘simple job’. Make sure you have enough time and money to finish what you start.
Skipping The Building Permit
Pulling a permit from your city or county and waiting for the inspector to come and check the progress can be a pain. But if a permit is required this is an essential step.
The inspections are designed to protect you from shoddy or unsafe work. Very important is your homeowners insurance could potentially deny a claim if unpermitted work creates a problem. You will face problems when you sell your home that has unpermitted work.
Ignoring Safety Precautions
It’s oh so tempting to skip protective eye goggles when cutting a board or to forego a HEPA mask working with hazardous materials. It’s not worth the money or time ignoring basic safety precautions.
Hope you find this helpful.
Penny & Team @ John L Scott 206 842 8421 or 360 697 9966 Penny@TheOriginalPenny.com
Serving: Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Kingston, Bremerton, Port Orchard, and Port Ludlow