If you’re planning on tackling a home renovation project, there are some common mistakes you’ll want to avoid. While renovating parts of your home can be a great way to add value or better customize your home to your family, it’s not always for the faint of heart. Let’s take a look at some of the most common places homeowners get into trouble so that you can avoid them in your own St. Louis renovation:

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

Whether it’s choosing a project you don’t have the technical expertise for or deciding to renovate all of your home at once, there are many ways that homeowners can take on too much in their renovation projects. This can set you up for a frustrating and likely costly process. Depending on your level of experience and the help you plan to enlist, it’s often wise to start on the smaller side. Check off one project at a time rather than starting ten at once. The more comfortable and confident you get, the better you can assess how much is the right amount for you.

Diving in Without a Plan

Maybe you’re just thinking of making a few updates in your bathroom or perhaps you’re envisioning an entire kitchen overhaul. Whatever the case, you’ll want a clear plan before diving into the work. What’s your budget? What’s your time frame? Will you need professional assistance? Creating a clear plan can help prepare you for what to expect and it can help you realize potential challenges so you can strive to solve them before getting started.

Putting Style Over Function

If you’ve spent any amount of time scrolling through Pinterest or looking at magazines, it’s easy to get lofty ideas of what you want your home to look like. And this can be a good thing. Getting inspiration is an important part of the renovation process. However, when you’re so attached to a specific style that you overlook function, it can often leave homeowners regretting their renovation. This doesn’t mean your renovation should only be about function. But you’ll want that to be your foundation so that you don’t wind up creating a room your family doesn’t use.

Not Leaving Yourself a Place to Unwind

Renovating can be messy and often, projects go on longer than expected. If you’re taking on a major project and working on most areas of your home, it’s wise to try to leave yourself one area where you can get away from the chaos. We recommend a similar strategy to home buyers when moving in and setting up their new homes. Giving yourself a clean place to retreat to can help keep the process from becoming too overwhelming.

Do you have any renovation plans coming up? Or have you renovated in the past? Are there other mistakes you’d warn people to avoid? I’d love to hear your thoughts!