Jake PopistYou’ve bought a new home, spent hours informing service providers of your change in address, and you’ve finally sorted out new WiFi, but the place just doesn’t feel quite right. Many new homeowners are in this position, and some of them decide to take renovations into their own hands. Everybody’s tastes will be different, and ultimately the renovations are for you to enjoy so you should do them the way you think will improve your life the most. However, there are some mistakes that can impede your future enjoyment. Here are a few to consider.
Not Picking a Scheme
British interior designer Gabi Da Rocha stresses the importance of picking a scheme and sticking to it. When you don’t, your house can feel disorganized, unnatural, and jarring. When choosing your scheme, she says you should consider how you like to live; what your plans for children may be; and how often/in what way you like to entertain. Picking a scheme entails choosing color schemes, keeping fabrics and textures in mind, treating/dressing windows (e.g., blinds), types of furniture, and even the art you are thinking of featuring in your home. Schemes can be as simple and dichotomous as traditional or contemporary, but Gabi finds that often couples like to create a fusion of the two. Being inspired by different cultures and countries are also common when thinking of the theme for your redecoration.
Not Seeing what you’re Buying in Person
This is a simple mistake and one that is very easy to make. You see something online, it looks great, it fits your scheme, and you can afford it, so you get it. Sadly, especially if this item is a piece of furniture, you may be disappointed when it arrives. If you order something online, you have no idea how comfortable it is, and that’s incredibly important if you’re going to be sitting or sleeping on something every single day.
Measurements are also difficult to gauge online, as you need to get furniture into your house through your door (or window)! If you see a piece of furniture in person, you’ll be able to visualize how you’re going to get it into your house and be able to take measurements that websites wouldn’t typically provide (like width and height at diagonals). Furniture is also very expensive, and may not be subject to a returns policy (depending on your state), so seeing it in person is definitely the right thing for your wallet.
Thinking you can do it all yourself
You might be the best designer in the world, but making your designs a reality may be harder than you think. Even painting has tricks that you need to think about – there are professional painters and decorators for a reason! You might get away with doing the paintwork yourself, as many do, but for more serious jobs you may need some extra help. That’s where handymen come in. They’ll be able to help you with your DIY and won’t be specialized to certain jobs. Hire them for a couple of days, and you’ll be able to get all kinds of things done. You can find local handymen services online.
Getting too excited
This one might be tough for a large percentage of the readership, but if you’ve just moved in, it’s highly recommended that you wait a bit before you start the renovation. This is because you may not know what your house needs before you renovate. You may spend a lot of money and afterward realized that you missed out on doing some really useful things that would have been obvious if you just lived in your house a bit longer. As most jobs cost 20% more than what you expect they will cost, it’s important to know that you are spending your money well. A renovation cost calculator will help with managing low expectations.
Not thinking about function
Great design is fantastic, but remember that you need to live in your home, so think about the functional implications of your design choices. This is especially true if you’re picking a more minimalist scheme. Some contemporary designs can look really cool, but have silly design flaws that ruin the experience for you – and the whole point of renovations is that they are supposed to make you feel good! The form vs function debate has been raging since the dawn of interior design, and unless you’re very lucky you will probably need to make sacrifices in one of them.
So please keep these mistakes in mind when you’re starting your new renovation endeavor. It can be a lot of fun and compared to moving home, and it won’t feel anywhere near as stressful. The danger lies in doing something you will later regret. Remember that when you make a mistake with your home design, you’ll likely feel a little annoyance whenever it comes to mind.
Jake Popist
