When Home Improvement Goes Wrong: What To Do To Prevent A Renovation Mistake From Becoming A Disaster

Are you going through a stage of home improvement right now? Maybe you’ve been saving up for a long time, and you’re finally able to afford that loft conversion you’ve always dreamed of? Or you might be in the midst of a property overhaul right now, seeing as you’re keen to put your home up for sale? These are all great reasons to get the toolbox out and start ripping walls down!

Undergoing a home renovation is all about improving the property you live in. You do so with the idea that you’re going to add value, and make better use of the space. You also hope the renovation will make your rooms look more aesthetically pleasing, and make your current living situation a lot more stylish!

That’s why it’s so hard to imagine that something might go wrong during the process. When you’re doing some home improvement, the idea that you might make your home a bit worse just doesn’t cross the mind. But it can happen, and mistakes are common. 

Being prepared for these is key. Preventing them is usually best, but sometimes an accident can’t be helped. We’ve included tips for both scenarios down below. Acting fast will always be best, and trying to be proactive is crucial, but here’s also how you can make the best of a bad situation when one occurs. 

Vet Your Contractors

Never let a work person into your home without understanding their qualifications first! After all, if you want them to do their best work when they’re on the property, you should have clear signs they can be trusted to do just that.

Plus, any contractors worth their salt will make it easy to find out what they can do. Head online to check out past reviews, see if they have a portfolio, and don’t forget to ask around amongst friends and family. 

If they’re local, there’s every chance your nearest and dearest have something crucial to say about them. 

Put Down Protective Coverings

A real quick tip! If you’re going to be taking down a wall with a sledgehammer, popping protective materials onto the floor will make the clean up much easier. It’ll also lessen the impact if you drop the hammer too! 

Make Sure Everything is Turned Off

The gas, electricity, water, and heating should all be turned off before you get to work. That’s always the first thing to check, even if someone else has said they’ve already gone and flicked the switches. See it with your own eyes and be sure that it’s the case. 

After all, when it comes to a fuse box or circuit breaker, there’s every chance most switches have been turned off, but not all of them. Double checking will remove this sense of jeopardy, and make your worksite a lot safer, both at the start of a job and throughout. 

Stop Work Immediately

If you hit a snag halfway through a reno project, stop working immediately. You can’t continue with work in a safe and effective manner until the problem has been identified and sorted out. 

Down tools, switch everything off, and then get to work finding out what’s gone wrong. Hopefully you’ve only made a minor mistake here, and getting it sorted out will only take a few minutes. But if not, it’s time to move onto the point below. 

Hire An Expert To Find The Source Of The Problem

Finding the source of your home improvement woes is the first step. If you’ve already made a mistake somewhere and now you’re dealing with a lot of mess, this will prevent the problem from growing out of control. 

And to ensure you’re not taking on the task alone, it’s best to hire an expert to do this for you. No matter what the issue is, if you’ve got an expert on your side, they’ll be able to work faster to find the cause. Even just cutting down the delay between work halting and work starting again can save thousands. 

So, maybe you’ve sprung a leak somewhere and now the foundation is looking remarkably wet? Hire a leak detection service that’s not too far away to come out and find the troublesome pipe. 

Or maybe you ended up disturbing a rat’s nest, and now there’s rodents everywhere and debris all over the floor? Get a qualified pest expert to trap and catch the critters, and then clean up the mess they’ve left behind. 

Remember, it could even be dangerous to try and source out problems yourself. It’s better to leave it to someone who knows what they’re doing. You can then focus on getting back to your project. 

Slow Down

If you can get back up and running within the day, great! However, be sure to take it slowly until you’re sure there are no more problems you’re about to run into. You need to make slow and steady progress here, and you can only do that when you’re being careful with the workload itself. 

Tackle minor jobs first, and move onto more intermediate and larger jobs as you get your confidence back. If the home doesn’t fall down around you, perfect! But you’re unlikely to get such an obvious sign that an issue is present, so just be extra vigilant here instead. 

Let’s Keep Your Home Improvement Project Going

Home improvement takes time and effort for a reason. When you run into trouble, work will draw to a halt and your budget will be spent in the matter of a few minutes. 

But you can keep the project going by acting on the tips above. Start with a bit of careful research, make sure your worksite is clear and properly prepared, and make sure you know who to call when a problem crops up. 

Once you’re out the other side, start your project slowly again to ensure you’re being as careful as can be. Remember, your home can take some serious damage without a bit of forethought!