The global pandemic continues to wreak havoc, affecting all aspects of life, including travel, education, supply chains, and work. It has also caused a lot of unforeseen delays in various industries like construction and renovation, as well as an unprecedented increase in costs.
There are a few good reasons to renovate a house, such as to install some much-needed upgrades, decorate your home, increase comfort, maximize the available space, and increase the value of the property. If you’re currently looking at renovating your home, there are few considerations you must take into account to avoid delays.
First and foremost, remember to set a specific budget and a target completion date to ensure that your renovation will go as smoothly as it can. Although with the inescapable negative impacts of COVID-19 and many factors affecting completion, you’ll need more than planning to carry out and finish your project on time and successfully.
5 Tips to Avoid Home Renovation Delays
Apart from careful planning, there are a few more things you can consider to help keep your renovation project on track:
1. Hire a professional to inspect your home prior to renovation
When renovating, more often than not, you’ll inevitably uncover unwanted surprises—especially in wall removals or flooring replacements. Unexpected problems like water damage, molds, asbestos, and termites can ultimately cause delays in the construction process.
To minimize such unwanted surprises, hire a professional to conduct a thorough inspection of your home. That way, you can anticipate potential obstacles you may face while renovating your home. Apart from that, you can also take necessary measures to avoid additional expenses and delays and help you set aside a substantial contingency budget in the event that things go south.
2. Hire an experienced and reliable contractor
While instincts will tell you to DIY your way into renovating your home to reduce expenses, it can ultimately lead to more problems, such as poor workmanship and needless additional costs. Rather than relying on DIY methods, save on unnecessary expenses by hiring an experienced and reliable contractor to handle your home improvement project for you.
When hiring a professional and trusted contractor, it is important to note that communication is key to your renovation project’s success. This way, you can avoid disruptions while sticking to your allotted budget.
With more overwhelming and complicated projects, such as bathroom and kitchen renovations, involving plumbing and electrical know-how, it will be best to hire an experienced architect to help you complete your renovation with ease.
3. Complete your building permits as soon as possible
Applications for permits may take some time and cause delays in your projects as it may take up to a few weeks, sometimes even more than a few months. Therefore, it’s best to plan and complete your application prior to starting your home renovations. In completing your building permits, ensure that everything is in line with the building codes, rules, and regulations imposed by your city.
Before completing your permits, you must understand the requirements, have on hand the needed documents, and meet the required building parameters. In submitting your application as soon as you can, you can avoid unforeseen delays and stress. Alternatively, as the process can be a bit taxing and tedious, you may also ask your contractor to handle these applications for you.
4. Extended lead times for project materials
Delivery of project materials may sometimes take time, especially nowadays, as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue to cause unprecedented shipping delays. Others may indeed be delivered on time, but they may mistakenly send the wrong item or the wrong color to you amidst an influx of orders. For this, it is crucial to have extended lead times.
5. Consider the weather when scheduling your renovation project
While indoor renovation projects are not heavily affected by weather conditions, project timeline and completion may rely on the weather if it involves exterior improvements such as exterior walls, painting, roofing, and window installations.
Although no one can accurately predict and control the weather, it is still best to take it into account. As much as possible, avoid starting your renovation projects during the rainy season to prevent disruptions, or start early and complete the renovation before the season begins.
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc as it affects all aspects of life and causes a lot of unforeseen delays across industries like construction and renovation. While it is impossible to carry out a smooth-sailing renovation project for your property and have it completed on schedule in a time of crisis, the key is to have more flexibility and set a contingency budget in case things go wrong.
Apart from planning, it is vital to have a good relationship with your contractor and your trusted architect to ensure seamless communication and that you translate your home remodeling vision into reality.
