Worst renovation mistakes and how to avoid them

It’s hard work renovating your house with many layers of paint, planning and perspiration involved.

Here are seven worst mistakes you can make and ways to avoid them:

Non-consented renovation

Check out local council’s website to see if your project needs a consent and what other paperwork is required. Some councils give exemptions for an owner-builder, but the exemption will not cover electrical, gas, plumbing and drainage works unless the owner-builder holds appropriate licences for this work.

Things such as retaining a wall or building a fence might also require a resource consent. Consented building work needs to be done by a licensed building professional (LBP) who supplies a Record of Work, and needs to comply with the Building Code.

Hold back on starting it until you receive an all-go from the council as it might take a while.

Non-consented projects will make your life difficult if you decide to sell the house.

Too much DIY

Everyone wants to save a few thousand dollars when possible but think again if you can do the work yourself - or not.

Renovation company Smith & Sons general manager Reon Paterson says many mistakes can be avoided by hiring professionals instead of tackling the project by yourself.

If you are not qualified to do the work don’t try and tackle it, he says.

“People try to cut the cost and do everything themselves. They think painting is easy, but people are qualified and get paid to do that.”

People think they know what they are doing after watching a few TV shows, Paterson says.

“You see people try and do it themselves and it becomes really disjointed. There’s a sequence things needs to happen in.”

Underestimating costs

Renovators, especially first timers, often "naively estimate” the costs.

“It’s normally two or three times more expensive than what people think. They go into it with blind enthusiasm. They think it’s A but it’s actually B," Paterson says.

Do not forget to add the cost of a project manager and all labour included.

A miscalculated budget can lead to trouble when getting a loan from the bank.

Paterson suggested to hire an agency to figure an estimate cost for your project.

“People will find out the hard way halfway through and you cannot stop halfway.”

Bad layout

When renovating and putting in a new kitchen – make sure to look past the pretty surface finishes and final decor.

Make kitchen practical and efficient with the right cabinetry solution and appliance set up.

Contact multiple kitchen companies and gather ideas and thoughts from their designers before making up your mind.

Small details matter when thinking through the layout, Paterson says.

“You don’t want cupboard doors smacking into each other or you can’t open the dishwasher until the pantry doors are closed.”

Underestimating time frame

Miscalculating the time it takes to complete the project is another common mistake.

Painting a kitchen cupboard can be done overnight but allow months when working on a complete kitchen or a bathroom gut and renovation.

Paterson says a bathroom will be out of action for at least four weeks with builders, plumber, electrician involved, then waterproofing and fittings to follow.

“People have to be realistic and understand there will be discomfort.”

Make sure you have picked your tiles and bathroom fittings in advance or the process will slow down even more.

Not fixing the basics

Many new renovators skip the basics and jump straight to the cosmetic do-up.

Paterson says: “You need to make sure the bones of the place are solid because you can waste a lot of money on renovations if they aren’t correct.”

First, check if the structure of the place is solid, if roof or floors needs strengthening, because if they fail another renovation or remediation will cost you a lot more.

Paterson says it’s particularly common when people are working on old homes.

“People would buy a really old villa with rotten piles. They won’t fix those but would spend a lot of money trying to do-up the bathroom

Cluttering space

Always think of ways of opening the space or at least creating the illusion of an on open space.

However, many do-uppers get too excited about the furniture and decorations variety and end up cluttering the house instead.

Or investors try to squeeze extra bedrooms or bathrooms into the house get a better rental return to pay off their mortgage faster.

“Sometimes people try to chop the room in half to get more rent, but the house feels very cluttered,” Paterson says.

If you have a big backyard, consider putting a separate outside unit as a granny flat instead of making changes to the existing space, he suggests.