Not always are the industry trends that we experience centered around the materials we will use or the changes in how the space is utilized. Sometimes the trends that are called out have to do with the way in which the process of renovating occurs. In this installment we will look at some not so pleasant trends that seem to be on the rise going into 2019 and how you can avoid falling victim.
DIY Homeowners Will Emerge
To be honest, for contractors, DIY homeowners are both a blessing and a curse. Yes, one would think that when renovation jobs are done without hiring a professional contractor that we as an industry lose however, in my experience, this is never the case.
Everyone thinks that with the help and guidance of YouTube and smartphones that they can tackle anything their homes throw at them. The one thing that happens more often than not, is that even though it is possible for DIYers to physically accomplish a renovation, they flat out run out of time to do it. There have been many a project that we have been brought to finish that DIY homeowners have run into issues with time management. Let’s face the facts here, renovating rooms within your home often ends up requiring more time than homeowners have. Working a full-time job, kid commitments, and keeping up on basic household chores leaves most of us without a lot of downtime. Although homeowners begin DIY home improvement with fierceness and plan a few weekends to complete them, life gets in the way, the drive stalls, and the professionals come in to save the day.
As a contractor, I always support the DIY movement. If this trend prevails into 2019 as industry experts say it will I won’t be out of work anytime soon.
Regret from Missed Execution
This phenomenon is common when working with homeowners who under budget and over inspire with their renovations. It is not worth starting a renovation when you are already considering ways to cut corners to get the results you desire. Most homeowners, however, don’t heed this warning. This has become a greater issue over the past few years because of the many sources to draw inspiration from. With magazines, Pinterest, social media, and the internet in general ideas for renovations are abundant. What homeowners see in their vision verse what they have budgeted for are often two different things.
They work to simplify the requests to fit the budget but don’t simplify their expectations for the actual execution. We as contractors struggle to avoid when working with clients whose ideas stretch beyond their budget. The best suggestions we offer to fend off this 2019 trend from happening to you with your renovation is to wait until you have saved enough that your budget matches your expectations. Lowering expectations to meet a budget will lead to regret upon execution of the project because it will never be exactly what has been pictured all along.
The one thing that we always stress to our clients when renovating a space, whether it is a kitchen remodel, bathroom modification, or even the installation of new flooring is to envision the final product. Share that image with us. As home improvement industry experts, we strive to give clients their dream space and this can only be done if we know what the end goal looks like to them. If this final picture isn’t realistic with their space, time constraints, budget, or whatever else we work with them towards a solution. Sometimes it means waiting until the budget is able to accomplish what they want, sometimes it is reimaging the space they have and creating the space they want within it, and sometimes its as simple as drawing a new final picture for them to see.
As a full-service home improvement contractor servicing all Southeast Michigan, Kearns Brothers, Inc. offers clients a wide range of services to meet their construction needs including: roofing, siding, window, masonry, chimneys, gutters, and insulation services. More information can be found at www.kearnsbrothers.com.