Renovation Realities-Tips to Save You Money on Home Renovations

My wife and I are nearly finished remodeling our master bathroom. Everything in there was original from 1974 and was definately overdue for an upgrade. We decided to give it a shot and do it ourselves. I thought it would take a week or two and I’d be done. Two months later I’m just putting the finishing touches on it. Not only did it take a lot more time than I thought, but it also cost a lot more than I thought. All the little trips to the hardware store really added up quickly. Here are some lessons that I’ve learned that may be useful to you as you are planning your home improvement project.

1. Get a plan together- Figure out exactly which pieces you want and where they all go. Knowing what your space will look like when you’re done is the first thing you want to know and keeps you from wasting time and money while trying to figure it out after you’ve already started.

2. Figure out what materials you’ll need to complete the job prior to starting. You don’t have to buy it all at once, but know what you’re going to need. Wander around the hardware store and make note of the prices of every little thing you know you’ll need, AND anything you think that you might need.

3. Save up the money you’ll need for the project according to the plan and add 10 percent. This should cover most of the what-ifs and also give you a nice cushion in case anything goes wrong.

4. Know which tools you’ll need and figure out whether you’ll need to borrow, rent, or buy them. Add the cost in to the budget for the last two.

5. Know when to hire a piece out. Looking back I would probably have hired out the tiling in our bathroom had I known how long it was going to take me. Consider the time and cost it would take you versus hiring someone else and add it in to the budget if you decide to hire it out.

6. Allot yourself plenty of time to complete the project. It isn’t like one of those reality TV shows where it is done in a weekend. The fact is that it will probably take you quite a bit longer than you’d like to think. Just make sure you have time to finish before you go having parties to show it off and such.

Hopefully my experiences will help you out. I’ll post some pics of my completed renovation in the next few days when we get it decorated. Good Luck on your home improvements!