Pros have spoken and Jean Lauer, the woman behind The Sweeten, is one of them and she is giving out tips for those who will be undertaking a home project soon on what things to do and not do.
Here are the top 3 mistakes that homeowners make when planning a project that she shared on Apartment Therapy:
Tick tock, tick tock
Often times, homeowners do not fully realize the amount of time that it will actually take for a project to be completed. A common mistake is only accounting for the physical labor time period and not including the time needed for planning and even the after care. What is even ironic is that physical labor often turns out to be the least time-intensive part. The goal is to have a realistic time period and not assume that the things will unfold as they think.
Approvals
Another thing that homeowners often underestimate is the fact that a renovation project could actually take a long time to get approved, actually, around 3 to 4 months. From demanding co-op boards and byzantine Department of Buildings requirements, it could be quite a long and tedious process. What commonly sets back homeowners is the project's initial cost, but what makes the situation much more frustrating for them is that they would never really know when they can begin with the project.
Camping out
Homeowners often fail to prepare for living through the work itself. They should be able to figure out if they can stay in the place while the work is being done or if they need to prepare for an alternate accommodation especially if they will have a major and transformative renovation that will last for days or even weeks and which involves tearing down walls gutting floors which will make the space temporarily uninhabitable.
