Renovating a home is one of the nicest projects in the world – it means you’re financially stable and willing to make your living space more comfortable and enjoyable. However, it can also be quite stressful. Not knowing what you want to achieve or not being sure if your ideas will work can make renovation harder than it should be. It’s important to have a clear vision of what you wish to achieve, while an open and honest communication between clients and contractors is a must. Here are some of the things all good renovations have to include and a few to avoid.

Having an Image in Your Head

Knowing your needs and desires is essential for a successful renovation. Since clients already know their homes the best, it’s always good to start with their pitch and listen to their input and feedback. Nevertheless, absolute freedom is sometimes counterproductive – they might want to change too many things or, alternatively, simply not know what they want.

No matter how precise clients’ ideas are, they need to remember that some concepts can’t be achieved. Unless they want to tear down every wall and start from scratch, of course. Therefore, both clients and designers need to be flexible, especially when it comes to the budget. Having a vision is quite all right, but reality is something completely else.

Hiring a Professional or Two

Before starting a home renovation project, every client needs to figure out whether they want to do it alone or hire a professional. Small renovations – laying new kitchen tiles or installing wall-mounted toilets – can be done by basically anyone who can handle a hammer and power tools, but more complexed tasks shouldn’t. Except if you’re a pro.

Some of the people clients need to consult are architects, interior designers and decorators, and all of them offer new and unique insights into the matter. However, no renovation should begin without talking to trustworthy home improvement contractors as they’ll basically be the ones doing all the actual work. Having contractors inspect a client’s home is an essential part of the process and no client should skip this step.

Think Fast!

Once clients decide their home needs remodeling, there are a number of decisions to make – who to consult, who to hire, which colors to choose, which materials to buy and what’s the budget? The problem with most clients is that they take too much time to answer these questions and thus delay the work. Hence, it’s best to think about these things beforehand and make firm decisions as soon as possible.

Another problem with clients is that they change their minds too often – from altering the color of the bedroom walls to changing the pattern of the drapes and everything in between. It’s quite understandable to have second thoughts, but too many changes hurt the project and affect the schedule.

Purchasing Wrong/Cheap Material

There are two problems with clients purchasing the material on their own: they don’t know what’s good and also have a tendency to opt for cheaper choices. And that’s one of the worst things they can do – never try to save money on this part of the project! Otherwise, you’ll end up with faulty material that will, consequently, produce faulty results. Therefore, it’s always better to consult contractors when purchasing material or trying to save bigger amounts of money where it’s possible.

The End Result

If they follow these tips and study remodeling do’s and don’ts, clients will definitely be more informed about what they should and shouldn’t do when renovating their home. Ultimately, they’ll be able to do plenty with the space they have and turn an average home into something quite luxurious.

Guest Post By:

Stacey Cooper is an business consultant and a blogger with genuine love for decor, creativity and home improvement. She enjoys spending time in nature with her husband, writing  and learning about other cultures by travelling