There’s many way that you can save money on your renovation project, you can read about 7 Tips For Renovating On a Budget and 7 Tips for Starting Your Home Renovation. But we’ve also learned from our own mistakes, and that sometimes it’s better not to skimp on certain areas of your project. So learn from us, and how it can be beneficial to pay a little more upfront, instead of paying for your mistakes down the road. So continue to learn from us in our third blog post in this serious.
1. SIMPLIFY YOUR CABINETS INSTEAD OF GOING CHEAP
When it comes to cabinets, especially for your kitchen, we recommend not skimping on quality. Trust us, you will use these every day and it pays off to have quality cabinets. Instead of going cheap, we recommend starting with more minimal shelving and building from there in the future. It’s not hard to install open shelving for a time, until you can afford other shelving. And the open shelves can be a look in itself.
“If you are running a tight budget, going with only base cabinetry can save significantly. You can install open shelving on the walls, or save up a little more money and down the road install uppers.”
Becca, our lead creative space designer.
2. PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHTING
Another area we think it really pays to not skimp on is the lighting – installing dimmable recessed in your rooms will elevate the look of your space, and also decorative light fixtures really set a space apart. In general we think well-designed lighting will take your project to the next level.
But don’t just pay attention to the type of lighting, you want to also pay attention to your light fixtures. You may be able to find some on sale if you plan ahead, but if not, don’t skimp on the lighting. It’s a minimal thing that can make a big difference in your space. And if you’re unsure of what lighting to go with, we have an entire blog written about light fixtures.
3. PLUMBING MATTERS
Don’t get cheap plumbing fixtures. You’ll be really glad you paid a bit more for the brand name plumbing fixtures. They’re better built, and have good warranties, with reliable customer service. Trying to buy foreign fixtures with cheap components and non UL listed hardware can be a real nightmare. Trust us, it may look fine when it’s completed by a less-than-well-done plumbing job, but give it some time and when your bathtub starts to leak or the sink doesn’t work, you’ll wish you had paid for a professional.
4. PAY FOR A GOOD TILE INSTALLER
Similar to plumbing, it pays in the long run to hire a good tile installer. A cheap tile installer will actually end up being more expensive in the future when your shower suddenly starts leaking through the ceiling in the lower level. So instead of going through the hassle of fixing a bad tile job, it’s cheaper to just pay a good installer upfront.
5. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF WINDOWS
We are all about windows in our spaces. The natural lighting just helps to make a space feel bigger and brighter. So don’t skimp on installing those windows and getting the natural light into the house. You’re welcome in advance.
6. PAY FOR A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN
It may seem obvious since electrical currents can be dangerous. But we just wanted to state it and make it clear, hiring a good electrician will pay off in the long run, (as we’ve said many times on this blog post) especially if you’re working in an older house where some of the wires aren’t up-to-date. Youtube may have a video tutorial for you to do it on your own, but it’s jus better to hire a professional.
7. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR KITCHEN AND BATHROOMS
The biggest way to increase the property value of your home is through a good kitchen and bathrooms. Focus on these areas, and don’t skimp on the hardware, tile and plumbing. These are also rooms that get used heavily, and take it from us (we went cheap in our kitchen and bathrooms), you do not want to have regrets from renovating those spaces in the future.
CONCLUSION
There’s a lot of ways that you can save on your renovation project. But there’s also things that may cost more upfront that will save you money in the future. We love all the do-it-yourself-projects, after all that’s how we got into this business. But as we’ve stated many times, sometimes it does pay-off in the long run to hire a professional to do it. Or to go simpler, instead of cheap.
We’re always excited to work with our clients and help them renovate there places into spaces to thrive! If you’d like to work with us you can learn more here.
