Renovation Woes
Renovating a house while you’re living in it is a lot of hard work. Day and night your life is disrupted as work goes on, and even though you know you’re going to get a new kitchen or an extra bathroom out of it, it’s not quite an amazing living situation!
However, renovations can sometimes get even worse. Indeed, you may uncover some nasty news about your home while ripping out walls or making major upgrades; here are 3 things you might find that’ll make the process ten times harder to deal with. Prepare for them now, relax later on!
Subsidence
Subsidence is a pesky thing that can strike at any time. However, you’re most likely to notice it when you’ve got some structural work going on. Replacing exterior walls, having some landscaping done, and even just repairing the outside of your house can allow signs of subsidence to show through.
If you notice cracks in the foundation, or a build up of mud along or around the bricks, it’s not a good sign. You might just be sinking into the ground. You’re going to have to pay to get this fixed, and your house to be re-supported in some other way. That can take a little while to fix, but it is an emergency job, so work should get started pretty soon after the issue is first diagnosed.
Pests
You might find that half way through your home renovation that weird droppings and smells are coming out of the floor, ceiling, and/or walls. Upon further inspection you’ve found great piles of these strange leavings, and you’re not just looking at a pile of sawdust either. What could it be?
We’ve got some bad news for you. That’s right, you’ve got pests! They’re nesting somewhere in your home and you’ve just uncovered their trail. Follow it to the nest if you want to, but as soon as you notice signs like these, call in a company like Terminix. DIY methods might not be suitable for a structure in a state like this. So get a professional in to keep your renovation schedule on track.
A Lengthier Project Than You Wanted
Sometimes the work done on the house prior to you moving in was shoddy. It was poorly done and not up to standard. Then once you start reno work of your own, you notice there are quite a few issues you need to fix first.
In a scenario like this, you’re going to need to extend your project timeline, potentially by at least double. You can’t get any other work done until you figure out and fix any underlying problems. Hopefully, these won’t be too large. With any luck you’ll have had a home inspection that has highlighted any major flaws. But without wiggle room in the budget, you’re not going to be able to renovate long term either. That’s why forward financial planning is so crucial.
If you want to renovate your home, keep your eye out for renovation woes and potential pitfalls like these. They could mean disaster for any of your home decor and extension plans.
Planning can be made with the use of our downloadable renovation organizer.
Good luck with your renovation. I hope that none of these renovation woes come your way!