Common Mistakes People Make When Remodeling Their Kitchen Or Bath
Your Kitchen and Master Bath are the two most important rooms in the home. They dramatically affect your quality of life and affect your home’s equity more than any other room.
To get the most out of your remodel in both equity and quality of life, here are the Most Common Mistakes People Make When Remodeling their Kitchen or Bath.
1. Differing Design Quotes
Many homeowners make the mistake of getting three completely different designs and costing. Comparing apples to oranges doesn’t give you an honest comparison. Select One Design and have that quoted. A design should include layout, specifics about all aspects and quality levels of items and include product specifications, not allowances for generic items (i.e., tile – allowance $4 PSF) When contractors quote exact items, you can get a price you can rely on. The best way to get real comparison quotes is to choose ONE design, make all your product selections, and only then get your cost quote.
2. Buying plumbing items from a Big Box Store
Professional plumbers do not buy plumbing parts from a Big Box Store. Plumbing professionals buy from legitimate plumbing wholesalers. Large Box Stores often focus on offering the lowest price compared to the other stores, and the only way to do that is by swapping out the internal working parts, which should be ceramic, with cheap plastic parts. These inferior elements can cause your plumbing system to fail almost instantly, as they may spring a leak that can cost $10,000 or more to fix.
3. Choosing a “low price” contractor
Did you know that 95% of all complaints about contractors to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) were when a client chose the lowest priced contractor? These flaky contractors are usually inexperienced or unethical with the way they work and are therefore willing to quote suspiciously low prices. Some may even use change orders to skyrocket costs after they have begun to work on your project.
Experienced, professional contractors know what it actually costs to do the job right. While these pros may cost a little more, the peace of mind of knowing your job is done right is well worth it.
Less than 5 % of homeowners choose the lowest priced contractor, yet they account for 95% of the complaints. Most homeowners simply want a contractor they can trust who has the expertise to do a quality job and finish it on time.
4. Acting as if the Project is Not a Priority
Some homeowners try to leverage a contractor by implying they are in no hurry to do their project, or they are just thinking about it. They think that acting disinterested will result in a better price from the contractor. This doesn’t work.
Legitimate Contractors are looking for homeowners who are committed to doing their project. If a contractor thinks you’re not committed, they may place you a lower priority or simply decline to bid the job altogether.
Let your contractor know you are serious and when you want your work to be started or completed.
5. Getting estimates a year in advance
In today’s turbulent market, a quote today is irrelevant for next year. With rising labor costs and possible product cost increases due to trade issues, health crisis, or any number of global factors, costs a year out are worthless.
Here’s what Kitchen Bath Powerhouse website HOUZZ.com says.
For kitchens, the median national spending amount jumped 27 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to the 2019 U.S. Houzz & Home Report, the largest publicly available survey of residential remodeling, building and decorating activity in the United States. Spending on master bathroom renovations went up 14 percent, while spending for non-master bathrooms rose 17 percent. And the trend is expected to continue this year.
The cost of materials today can rise between 25% to 100% in twelve months or just a few days. Not to mention, labor rates can increase in the same way.
Currently, the remodeling and construction industry has a 2.2 million person deficit as most youths don’t want to join this trade. This will cause labor costs to rise substantially at an uncertain rate year after year.
To avoid these and other mistakes while remodeling your kitchen or bathroom, reach out to the experts at Luxury Kitchen Bath Express. We are nationally recognized kitchen and bath professionals who are here to help you simplify your decision with our virtual mobile showroom. We give you a one-stop shopping experience where we offer organizational ideas, planning advice, and quality materials. We are also detailed oriented craftsmen and women, who are licensed, bonded, insured.
For a complete list of our services, please click here. If you have any questions about your kitchen and bath, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us here.