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Home improvement dos and don'ts Featured alt: Two girls dealing with home improvements. A lot of people don't know how to handle home improvements, especially if they have never dealt with them before. They make costly mistakes and make their home improvements unnecessarily difficult or expensive. Or they opt for cheaper options and put themselves in a situation where they have to redo the improvements in a couple of months. Overall, the number of potential mistakes a rookie homeowner can make while dealing with home improvements is staggering. So, let's take a look at some of the home improvement dos and don'ts that should make your next home improvement well worth the money. How to think about home improvements One of the things we always advise our clients to do is to carefully consider home improvements before they start tackling them. Most home improvements are quite costly, both in time and money. This is why you need to outline why you are doing them and what you are expecting of them. You need to plan your home improvements carefully before you tackle them. Alt: A person planning home improvements on a laptop. One of the most important questions you have to ask yourself while considering home improvement dos and don'ts is the actual purpose of the upgrade. Improving your home to simply increase its value is completely different from improving it in order to better your living conditions. So, with that in mind, let's take a closer look at what to consider when upgrading your home. Increasing home value A lot of people only improve their homes once they decide that they are going to sell them. Any experienced real estate agent is going to go through the entire house and note which home improvements are cost-effective. And the main thing to keep in mind here is that cost-effectiveness should be your top priority, at all times. Most of the home improvement don'ts, in this case, stem from people getting excited over these changes and adding unnecessary items to the list. The mentality of "While we are here, let's add..." leads to lower cost-effectiveness and fruitless expenses. So, when you want to improve your home in order to increase its value, make sure to outline your renovation plan and stick to it no matter what. Better living conditions One the other hand, if you are improving your home in order to have better-living conditions, there is a different set of home improvement dos and don'ts that you need to keep in mind. The main thing to consider here is whether you are dealing with major or minor home improvements. In both cases, you would be smart to declutter your home in order to deal with them properly. But, the way in which you will go about doing so will differ substantially. A decluttered home is easier to both renovate and modify. When it comes to minor renovations, you can simply rearrange the items in your home or rent out a storage unit for any extra items. For major renovations, you will need to do away with a large number of items, at least for the time being. Some renovations will require an overhaul of your entire home, which may make it unlivable. So, plan carefully when it comes to major renovations, as they will be a big disruption to your everyday life. Important home improvement dos and don'ts Now that we've differentiated between increasing home value and bettering living conditions, let's look at some of the home improvement dos and don'ts that are present in both. After all, both of them are expensive projects. And as such have quite a few similarities. DOs DO know when to hire a professional. There are certain home renovations that can be handled by an amateur. But, for most, you will be much better off hiring a contractor right off the bat. Even movers can help you handle a variety of tasks, so don't shy away from getting professional assistance when possible. DO conduct careful research when hiring a contractor. Keep in mind that there are unprofessional and inexperienced contractors out there and that hiring the first one you stumble upon is risky at best. So, make sure to check out potential contractors online and see what they can offer. Ideally, you want to find one that has numerous good reviews and works for a decent price. DO extensive preparations. This includes making a budget, forming a timeline and adding extra room in both for errors. Do yourself a favor and expect that something unexpected will happen. That way you will have the time and funds to deal with it. DO pay close attention to details. This is more important to keep in mind when improving your home in order to increase its value. While large renovations are important, know that details are what is going to stick out. So, even if you've made your home tip-top, make sure that it looks perfect as well. Dealing with renovation is much easier if you are aware of all the home improvement dos and don'ts. DON'Ts DON'T use cheap materials. It is a common mistake for inexperienced people to try to save money by using cheap materials. Doing so can cost you more in the long run as you might be forced to redo your improvements in a couple of months. So, try to use the best materials that your budget allows for in order to properly renovate your home. DON'T jump into risky improvements. This one is also more related to improving the home's value. Adding a swimming pool or some fancy landscaping can sometimes increase your home's value, but this doesn't always happen. There are some bad home improvements that can hurt the value of your home if you implement them. So consult with your real estate agent carefully before you take any risks. DON'T tackle things beyond your understanding. If during home improvements you run into an issue that you are not sure how to handle, don't try to experiment. A seemingly benign issue can be an indicator of a much more serious problem. And by meddling, you will usually do more harm than good. Therefore, if you run into something suspicious, consult with a professional before doing anything else.