Three Things to Avoid When Making Home Repairs

Every year millions of home owners take a look around their home and think, I really need to do something about this place. They envision making changes to that home that will make it more livable, more fun and maybe even more valuable. While all of these things are true, unless you are the kind of handyman who works in Pearland roofing for a living, you might want to consider bringing in a pro instead of tackling these projects on your own. Think you can handle your own home renovation project? If you do, you might want to consider these common mistakes that many homeowners do when they decide they don’t need help, they just need a good hammer.

Making Changes on the Fly

We have all seen this happen. You start out with the idea that you will simply update the fixtures in the bathroom. But once you are in there, you decide that heck, since we have to take out some of the wall to change the tub fixtures, why not add in some new tile? Before you know it, you have turned a simple weekend project into a months long project from hell. Worst of all, you have no one to blame but yourself since you told everyone it was no big deal to move up to tiling. Heck, you have seen it done on TV hundreds of times on This Old House, you are sure you can do this. Famous last words.

Forgo the Permit

While no one likes to deal with city bureaucracy, we all know you have to if you are going to make any kind of change to your property. Now, your city may not require a permit for what you have planned to do. But if you break rule #1 (see above) and move from a simple repair to a full-blown add-on, you are gonna have to deal with city hall.

So, don’t wait until someone from the city shows up with questions and clipboard before looking into the question of permits. They have heard all of the excuses before, have no patience with any of it and can be a real problem if you go after them with that staple gun. Just fill in the forms down at city hall before you start to avoid this kind of confrontation.

Follow the Latest Trends

Okay, this may not blow up in your face. You just may be the kind of person who can pull off that very trendy kitchen look and not grow tired of it by next year. But chances are if that trend includes using odd material or very expensive gadgets, you might want to give it some thought.

Kitchens and bathrooms are the main culprits with this problem as designers love to sell you a new set of cabinets every few years. Avoid the temptation and make your own plans with tried and true materials you know you will love in ten or even twenty years, with just a new coat of paint in between.