You have a home remodeling idea, but you've never taken on a job like this before. That's fine, there's a first time for everything. Of course, you want the remodeling to go as well as if you were an old pro at fixing up a house. How can you avoid the mistakes that many other people make when they head into their first home remodeling?

You’ve already taken a good first step—doing some research to find out what local experts have to say about remodeling. We have many years of experience handling home remodeling in Los Angeles, CA as well as many other construction jobs, and we know plenty about how to make the work go smoothly. To help you out, here is a list of some of the more common beginner remodeling mistakes.

Putting money into the wrong rooms

Where is the best place to invest your remodeling budget? If you have a large home, you have plenty of choices, and you may feel tempted to put the most effort into rooms like your bedroom or a den. But think about the rooms that get the most “traffic” in them, the ones that are the centerpiece of your house. These are the rooms that benefit the most from remodeling, enhancing your life and raising the value of the house. The kitchen, living room, and dining room are places that deserve the most attention.

Not remodeling the bathrooms

Here’s a room that first-time remodelers often think is fine to leave alone. It’s not a high traffic area and it’s not at the center of the house. But it is an essential room, and keeping the bathrooms in a house current is an important part of keeping up the house’s market value.

Choosing a contractor too fast

The contractor you choose for a remodeling is critical to its success. This may seem obvious, but people often seem to choose their contractor by a random roll of the dice—or a random internet search. This is where you really want to go shopping. Look for other satisfied customers, and take a close look at the contractor’s history.

Creating too restrictive budget

We recommend you don’t place an absolute cap on the budget but make it flexible. Handle your remodeling budget the same way that businesses account for possible cost overruns by putting aside extra money in case, such as 15% over the original budget.

Not working with a design/build contractor

What does “design/build” contractor mean? It’s a company that handles both the architecture and construction work. Most advisers will recommend hiring an architect along with the construction company for a home remodeling project. We second this: an architect will see that additions and renovations match the original home. But we go further because we’re a design/build company that puts both these jobs under one roof. This streamlines the process to ensure you end up with the exact results you want, and probably won’t need that extra budget.

Advanced Builders & Contractors has served the Los Angeles area with exceptional home remodeling for over 14 years. Arrange for an estimate today.