Over the years Marvelous Basements has completed many basement projects where we are called in to fix the mistakes or finish a project started by a DIY homeowner. Now don’t get me wrong. I respect anyone who wants to tackle a home remodeling project themselves. It’s the type of mentality that I have as well. It’s just that all too many times we see the same mistakes over and over again.
If you are getting ready to remodel your basement yourself then look out for these top 5 DIY Mistakes.
1. Not planning for your electronics
Chances are if you’re remodeling your basement then you are going to have some sort of entertainment center downstairs. Not planning where your TV, speakers and other electronics will be located can leave you running enough yards of wire to cover a football field. No one wants to see those wires. If you want your wires covered up then make sure you plan for your electronics in advance.
2. Covering up key access point
In every basement there are certain access points that you need to be able to get to at a moment’s notice. These can be things like electrical panels, water shut off valves, and so on. Before you set your basement design in stone make sure you locate all the key access points in your basement. Doing so will save you a ton of time and heart ache later on whenever a problem arises.
3. Under budgeting
We see this all the time in DIY projects. The homeowner figures there are certain aspects of the job that he or she can do for cheaper than what it normally costs. This usually yields one of two results but either is disastrous. The first is that a certain aspect of the project is done for way less than it should have been creating a cheaply done job that causes the basement to suffer because of the poor job.
The other result is that when the homeowner realizes the mistake in under budgeting it screws up the whole project and the basement goes unfinished. In both cases a contractor usually has to come in to fix the issue and it costs the homeowner more in the long run.
4. Not subbing out the areas you can’t handle
It is very rare to see someone who can handle every single aspect of a basement remodel. It takes a team of people to finish a basement correctly. DIY homeowners commonly make the mistake of trying to tackle every part of the job themselves even if they don’t know how to do every job. This again can lead to disaster and can lead to poor work being done on the job, once again costing the homeowner more money.
5. Not creating an open floor plan
For a basement design to be successful it is imperative for it to breath. Open spaces work best in basement designs. In many cases we see DIY homeowners creating a cluttered and closed off space which hinders the basement design and almost renders it useless.
If you have experienced these problems when trying to remodel your own basement then contact Marvelous Basements today. Let the pros take over the project and get your basement done the right way.