It’s no secret that home remodeling projects can be very expensive. Homeowners often spend years trying to save up the money to do a renovation they’ve always dreamed of. With the high cost involved, it’s only natural to want to find ways to save money if it’s at all possible. But when it comes to home renovations, trying to save money very often ends up being more expensive in the long run. For example, if a contractor gives you a remarkably low estimate, it could potentially be a sign they aren’t licensed or insured, that they use substandard materials, or that they won’t handle something like trash removal. But there are plenty of other ways to save money on renovations without cutting corners on quality and without causing major headaches for you.
Work Around Your Existing Systems
When you’re planning a big home remodeling project, it can be tempting to move absolutely everything around, including things like lighting and sinks. But if you want to keep your remodeling costs down, keep the things that are part of your plumbing and electrical systems where they currently are unless they were very poorly placed to begin with. Making adjustments to your plumbing and electrical systems creates a lot of work and can significantly drive up the cost of the project. You’d be surprised how expensive it can be to move a sink just a couple of feet!
Schedule Projects During Off Seasons
Many types of home improvement projects can be done at any time of year, but summer and early fall are the most popular times of year to have work done on homes. Since demand for contractors is so high during those times, it can be more expensive to have work done then. But if you can wait to have your project done during another time of year, you may be able to save quite a bit of money. For example, vinyl replacement windows can be installed all year round and many companies that install them offer special deals during the cooler months when they aren’t as busy.
Stick to Standard Stock Items
One of the fastest way to drive up the total price of a home renovation is by having things like cabinets and doors custom made for you. Not only are customized pieces more expensive than buying stock peces, it will take longer for you to get them since the manufacturer doesn’t just have them on hand. Unless you have an older house and modern standard-sized pieces just never seem to fit right in your home, sticking to standard-sized stock items will save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Look for Imitation Materials
When you’re trying to decide which types of materials you’d like to use for a job, do some research to see if there’s a high quality, yet affordable alternative to a more expensive type of material. For example, hardwood floors are extremely popular, but real, natural wood flooring is very expensive. On the other hand, engineered wood offers the same great look as real wood, but is more affordable and isn’t damaged by water as easily as real wood is.
Try to Save the Cabinets
If you’re remodeling a kitchen, completely replacing your cabinets can easily be responsible a large percentage of your total costs. In many cases, homeowners have cabinets that look dated, but are still in good condition otherwise. If this is the case for you, look for other ways to give your cabinets a makeover without starting from scratch. Painting or refinishing cabinets and getting some new hardware can do a lot to give even dated-looking cabinets a whole new look. Another option is to replace the cabinet doors, but leave everything else in place. Or you could try removing the cabinet doors all together and embrace the open shelving trend.
