Common Mistakes Made During Kitchen and Bathroom Remodels

When homeowners turn their attention to renovation, they typically start with the kitchen or bathroom. These are the two most used rooms in a home and deserve the love and attention of a modern overhaul. However, sometimes that dream renovation can turn into a disaster if you don’t pay attention and make mistakes.

Before embarking on any renovation job, it’s important to remember home remodeling is an investment, and often an expensive one. You want that investment to be money well spent and result in a bathroom and kitchen you instantly love.

Unfortunately, renovation nightmares happen and many homeowners don’t avoid making the most common renovation mistakes. When remodeling a bathroom or kitchen, mistakes can be costly and significantly set back a project. Below are some of the most common reasons bathroom and kitchen renovations go wrong.

Choosing the wrong contractor

Most renovation projects live and die at the hands of the contractor. Sure, finding the right contractor for the job can be a challenge but don’t make the mistake of choosing the first one you find. That may be something you’re considering, and many people make this error. Doing some due diligence is essential and will help you find the best contractor for your project.

A good guideline is to get three separate estimates on your remodeling plans while checking out online reviews and references is important. Of course, you should always choose a contractor that has a license and insurance.

When choosing a contractor to remodel your bathroom or kitchen, sometimes it is wise to go with the one you feel most comfortable with. That does not mean you should base your whole choice on gut instinct, but it is worth noting you will work with your contractor closely across many weeks and potentially for months.

Ignoring ventilation

Ventilation is important everywhere in a home, but it is essential in a kitchen and bathroom. Even if you’re a limited cook, your kitchen will be a place where there’s a lot of heat and sometimes smoke. As for the bathroom, it holds a lot of moisture from showers and baths, so ventilation is necessary to prevent the growth of mildew and mold.

While having a well-ventilated kitchen and bathroom may seem obvious, many homeowners completely neglect this area when remodeling. Include ventilation in your renovation plans to avoid costly repairs in the future.

Luckily, ensuring a bathroom or kitchen has sufficient ventilation is easy through the installation of an exhaust fan. However, there are some things you need to consider when deciding what exhaust fan to purchase:

·         The size of the kitchen or bathroom.

·         How far does the air duct need to travel to reach the outside of the home?

·         How many turns does the air duct make?

·         What CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) strength fan do you need?

·         Will the fan noise be disruptive (larger fans generate more noise)?

Don’t rely on guesswork! With the above information you will be able to make an accurate estimate of what fan you need. A good ventilation system can recirculate the total amount of air in a room within 10 minutes, allowing a constant movement of fresh air throughout the space.

Style over function

When remodeling any part of a home, you want the results to speak for themselves. That’s why most people place aesthetics above anything else when renovating. Of course, you want your bathroom and kitchen to be visually appealing, but functionality also needs to apply to the room.

Here’s the good news: you can have showroom-quality looks combined with ultra-functional usability. A good rule of thumb is to put the function of your bathroom or kitchen above all other factors, including aesthetics. Again, that does not mean you need to completely ignore how the room looks, but a well-planned kitchen usually looks excellent by default.

You can still have all the aesthetic flourishes you want with inspiration from the best bathroom designs, but you need not trade functionality for it.

Constantly changing your mind

There’s a lot to be said for a well-thought-out renovation plan that allows you to get on with the project with minimum fuss. That said, being able to make changes on the move is also valuable and one of the most exciting parts of any remodel. Striking a balance between sticking to a plan and embracing change is a recipe for success.

If you change your mind too much, you will probably end up with an ill-defined project that will ultimately cost you more money. Being flexible is great, but if you have to choose between being rigid to a plan and continually changing your mind, the plan should win every time. Your contractor will certainly appreciate it if you stick to your initial plan as much as possible.

Not planning for the unexpected

Having said all that, unexpected situations arise during the renovation of a bathroom or kitchen, and being able to adapt is important for success. At first, this may seem contradictory to sticking to a plan, but it isn’t. There’s a difference between flip-flopping between ideas and being flexible enough to meet problems head on and deal with them.

Construction is a fluid process and obstacles arise where you don’t expect them. Whether it’s a financial restriction, the climate hampering the progress of a project, or any other problem, you need to prepare for all possibilities. Budget is very important, and a good way to avoid problems with cash flow is to budget around 10% more than you need for a renovation project.

Be prepared for those annoying situations and you will pass them by without them snowballing into something more significant.

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