If you’ve watched enough HGTV shows, you feel like you can do it all yourself, just like the people on TV. When it comes to painting or installing a kitchen backsplash, this may be true. But when it comes to significant home renovations like tackling a whole bathroom or basement, look for these hidden costs that may make it worthwhile to hire out. 

Expensive Mistakes

When you are looking into home renovations, the remodel costs can seem overwhelming at first. Depending on the square feet to be redone and the room – kitchens and bathrooms, basements, grand rooms – costs to renovate vary. It is always sensible to look for ways to save money, but consider these expensive mistakes that can occur if not done by professionals

• Demolition: Although it sounds enticing and maybe even therapeutic to take a sledgehammer to the walls of your outdated kitchen or bathroom, take a breath first. These amateur acts of breaking walls down willy nilly can lead to money out of your wallet, in massive amounts. 
• Broken Pipes: Your walls and floors have pipes running through them. When you bust into the wall behind your fridge or stove, you may just be busting a line. A professional will have the familiarity and the needed tools to avoid pipes in the walls. 
• Load Bearing Walls: As a homeowner, you may be sure that a wall isn’t needed that is placed in the middle of your kitchen. Indeed, there are plenty of other walls around that support the structure of the house. You know your home more than anybody else, right? A contractor will not use guesswork. They will use their expertise and will know how to safely remove a wall to open up the space in your home. 
• Electrical Wiring: What if the wall you are trying to remove has an outlet on it? You may assume that you can figure out how to rewire the electrical wiring through the ceiling or nearby wall. Or that you can work around an outlet in tile removal or a similar demolition project. When it comes to electricity, you do not want to assume anything. You want to take all safety measures and hire an electrician to consult on or help with the project. 
• Air Ducts: When tackling a 2^nd-story flooded bathroom repair, consider air ducts. Do you know where they run through your ceiling? Will you be able to easily keep them intact and untouched during your repair? And are there air ducts through your wall as well? Hiring a professional will ensure there are no expensive mistakes made. Avoiding accidents and unnecessary fixes in your home renovations will save you immensely in the long run. 

Risk to Yourself

Did you know that 6% of DIY home renovators report injuries while using a power tool? There is a significant risk of injury when tackling a big project such as a home addition, all in the name of saving on house renovation costs. Even with a small project like installing hardwood flooring, homeowners can run into a back injury from heavy-lifting or bending over and spending so much time on the ground. 

Consider these other dangers when doing home renovations: 

• Electrocution – Dealing with wiring is best to leave to a professional. 
• Dust Inhalation – Proper gear may be needed to protect yourself. 
• Exposure to Mold – Finding and removing mold is necessary, all while keeping safe from the toxins.
• Pulling Muscles – Heavy-lifting can lead to hurting your body. 
• Falling from Ladders – Safety measures can be put in place to avoid this scary situation.
• Heavy Objects Falling on You – Proper equipment should be worn and safety measures in place. 
• Leaving Out Dangerous Construction Items – Hazardous items placed around your home can be a danger to children, pets, and yourself. 

Lack of Industry Knowledge

One of the benefits of hiring a general contractor is gaining access to their expertise and knowledge of the industry. Because of their experience, a contractor knows exactly where to start and each step to take to get your home renovations done in a timely matter. Use their expertise and industry connections to save time and trouble. 

• Permits: In order to start a construction project in your home, you have to obtain the right permits. These permits are the first step in ensuring that your basement remodel, attic-buildout, or home addition can be approved for included square footage in your home. This is vital for getting a proper return on investment for your home renovation project. When it is time to sell your house, you want to be able to count that extra bedroom in your total square footage. 
• Property Lines: If you are building a fence or adding a sprinkler system, you need to be sure that you are strictly following your property line. Not only would it not benefit you to build a new fence on your neighbor’s property, but you may also have to pay to remove it anytime at the neighbor’s request. If you don’t have a recent survey, a professional contractor will know how to order one or read and follow an existing survey.  
• Getting the Property Up to Code: If your property is decades old, it’s possible that building codes have changed. Your original plans may need to change to fit in with these new building codes for electricity and plumbing. And you will need to find out what those building codes are. A professional contractor will already know these updates and be ready to talk you through an updated plan for your home. 
• Modern Home Upgrades: With return on investment in mind, it is important to include modern upgrades in your home. Instead of standard outlets, include USB charging stations throughout your home. You can also set up in-wall speakers and in-wall cable capabilities for mounting flat-screen TVs. You won’t regret adding these updates so that future buyers will be weighing your house against new homes that offer all of these features.  

Time is Money

It is common knowledge that in any remodel budget, sticking to the timeline is vital. Contrarily, it is almost expected that every construction project will go over time. There are many surprises in construction that are not in the original plan. Here are some reasons why a project can go over the scheduled time:

Fixing the Previous Owners’ DIY Work

When you start a project like a roof repair, you may find patches here and there that were done by the previous owner and done incorrectly. This will lead to setbacks that weren’t in your original plan. You will have to go through and fix each vulnerable point, or even decide that it may be more beneficial to replace the whole roof. When you find a project is more significant than you ever knew, expect to lengthen the time accounted for fixing it. 

Pest or Water Damage

Another awful finding is pest or water damage when pulling up a floor or renovating a roof. It’s not as easy as wiping up the damage with a Clorox wipe. With pest damage, you have to remove the pests, find and seal the entry point, and clean up any feces left behind. It will certainly take more time than planned, and doesn’t it just sound like something you’d rather have a professional do right the first time? 

When it comes to water damage, this is no joke. All flooring, walls, and drywall will need to be removed. If wood rot is present, it will all have to be removed. And if black mold is discovered, you need to take the necessary steps toward removing that and be sure it doesn’t grow again. Black mold can lead to harsh toxins in the air that will cause serious sickness when inhaled. 

Fixing Landscape

It is very common in home renovations for landscaping to be ruined along the way. Maybe your debris is stored on a patch of grass, and the grass has died in the meantime. Perhaps a truck has driven over the lawn several times to haul out junk and left tracks. Throwing down shingles during roof repair can take out a flower bed. All of these areas need to be repaired once your project is finished and can lead to unexpected costs. 

Getting Rid of Debris

As simple as it may sound, even the cost of removing debris can be troublesome and expensive. Does your debris include hazardous chemicals, oil, or paint? Some things will not be accepted at the dump and take several loads of running around town, finding places to drop off your trash. Renting a dumpster can really add up as well. When you hire a contractor, they take care of all of this for you. 

Childcare and Eating Out

If you are doing your home renovation yourself, then you are paying for pet care and childcare along the way. If it is a kitchen remodel, the money will rack up on eating out. With each of these surprises and timeline increases, these specific bills will also increase. It benefits you to get a team in there that will work tirelessly to fit your timeline and lower your cost. 

How Tandem Can Help with Your Renovations

Now is the right time for home renovations. If you’ve been waiting to update your bathroom and make it into the oasis of your dreams, do it. We are all spending way more time at home. Most of the world is working from home during this time. You deserve to have a space that is open and welcoming, and modern. If you want your kitchen bright and full of light, make it happen. 

You now have the knowledge to breakdown whether it is worth it to do the work yourself or hire out. Weigh the pros and cons, and decide which projects are best to hire a team of professionals. If you want to paint your home office with beach colors to make you happy or add a fun contrasting color for your Zoom call background, then tackle it yourself. But if you are embarking on a full kitchen remodel, opening up the space, and bringing in more light, then bringing in a remodel and renovation team would be the best option. 

Here at Tandem Contracting, our professionals can take care of your home renovations. We have competitive prices for home remodels costs. We take the surprises and unexpected expenses in stride, knowing exactly how to problem-solve in each project. We’ve seen it all! Save the worry and contact us today to take care of your home renovations.