5 Home Renovation Concerns All Homeowners Worry About

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Many new homeowners begin their renovation journey bright-eyed and hopeful, in anticipation of manifesting their dream home – from concept to concrete. For an alarmingly high number though, the experience ends in tears and frustration. What could go wrong?

If you have yet to tread this precarious path, or have been blissfully oblivious to the gamut of articles, forum rants, and social media exposés, consider yourself forewarned here. Get ready to be regaled with the best, or worst, nightmare situations.

1. Decoy designers

You may be aware that the first person you liaise with an interior design firm may not be an actual designer. ID firms usually have sales consultants who will first walk you through a consultation before playing middleman between you and an actual skilled designer who will produce all your technical drawings. While this may mean you always have a point of contact to answer all your queries, it may also mean you’re not always getting the best or most professional advice should the salesperson decide to give you perfunctory answers instead of ensuring you get verified and accurate ones. 

Then there are the true blue nightmare stories of ID firms with uncannily high turnover rates, where homeowners find themselves bounced from designer to designer, as staff repeatedly resign halfway through the project without warning. These homeowners have to keep repeating the project brief with each new face, realising the handover process is almost non-existent. Drawings have gone missing and have to be redone, measurements have to be retaken, and as the list of decoy or defunct designers grows, so does the mounting frustration and unnecessary added expenses. 

2. Delays

There is a standard procedure in most home renovation processes. The sequence may be switched around a bit due to time constraints but it generally follows this flow: hacking, plumbing and wiring, masonry, plastering, tiling, painting, carpentry, followed by other fittings and furnishings.

Certain works can only be done after other foundations are laid. For instance, you can’t plaster walls after the painting is done, just like it simply doesn’t make sense for you to do any carpentry before all the major hacking is completed. Workflow is interrupted and delays happen when your designer or contractor is either unclear of the workflow or is unable to efficiently manage and facilitate a smooth transition from one task to the next. 

Especially in the current pandemic situation, manpower has been scarce and delays are aplenty. Complaints about renovation delays have taken a sharp spike since COVID hit our sunny island. 

3. Defects

Defects run the gamut from little annoyances like uneven paint jobs or tiny chips in the wall skirting, to tantrum-inducing errors like uneven floor tiles, water seepage from poor plumbing, or even hacking down the wrong wall. 

The last thing a homeowner wants in a renovation is to spend more money fixing something that was supposed to be shiny and brand new. What’s more, the time it takes to repair and restore defects adds to delays and frustration.

4. Dishonesty

A savvy homeowner always asks for a detailed breakdown in a quote. Never settle for “ballpark figures” or vague quotations with amounts that are not justified or accounted for. Your renovation quotation should clearly indicate each item or installation, along with the price, specifications, and material used. Any added frills should also be clearly highlighted so you have the option of eliminating these extra costs from your list if they do not fit within your budget. 

Similarly, get detailed timelines that are realistic on each “checkpoint” of your renovation process. Your renovation professional should be able to preempt you on foreseeable delays, and approval waiting times, so you have measured expectations and understand why any hold-up is happening, and what is being done to resolve it. 

5. Downright disastrous

We have covered the main concerns homeowners fret about. Unhappy experiences and hiccups may make it into forums and on social media but the true blue disasters will make the news. This couple that made it to CNA appears to have experienced a nightmare firm that seems to have outdone itself in manifesting just about every fear a new homeowner may have, from terrible turnover rates, missing paperwork, multiple defects, bad service and an altogether hellish experience resulting in anxiety and insomnia. 

Are you afraid yet? Fret not! Save yourself a world of wait and worry and engage Ohmyhome Renovations.

Ohmyhome Renovations is here to turn your vision into reality

Renovation not just improves the overall value and aesthetic of your house, but it allows you to enjoy your home to the fullest and incorporate a part of yourself into the spaces around you. So sit back, relax and let us turn your house into a home, because at Ohmyhome, we’re always by your side, on your side. 

Engage our experienced team of interior designers and contractors for a well-executed home renovation project. Call us at 6886 9009 to secure an appointment with any of our Interior Designers or message us in the chatbox at the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen. You can also WhatsApp us at 9755 9283! Or get a free quote for your home in seconds!


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