Kitchen renovation is a big project that is time consuming, expensive, and requires a lot of planning. The planning is the most important part and you have to stick to this plan or your renovation can break the bank. There are many ways that kitchen renovation can become more costly than you planned. Here are a couple that you need to avoid.
Creeping Additions
One of these is the dreaded Creeping Additions, which is when you add more work onto the renovation a little at a time. These small additions may seem like no big deal at the time, but if you add more than one, or if the one that you add costs you more than you think, you could be adding some pretty big amounts to the total cost of your kitchen renovation.
For example, you are getting wiring put in for new track lighting and wall sconces in your kitchen above the island and over the counter tops. After the electrician finishes your wiring work you see a photo of a renovated kitchen with lights underneath the cabinets that look even better. So, you ask the electrician to come back and add some wiring under your cabinets too. But, the cost for the additional wiring is way more than what you thought it should be since he had to come back again and buy more wiring and even get another permit to do more work. It would have been much cheaper if you would have had it done in the first place, but since the electrician had to do all of that extra work and use more time it will cost twice as much.
That is Creeping Additions. If you want to add something that is not included in the original plans, make sure it is not going to cost any more money (but it usually does) or just make sure to stick with your original plan. Be absolutely certain your kitchen renovation plan is your dream kitchen cabinet that you would not change no matter what, and then avoid looking at other choices or kitchen renovation magazines after you start the work. Once you have started the original renovation plan it will most likely cost you more if you want to make any changes.
Oops Surprise
Another bank breaker is the Oops Surprise, which means that you find something that you did not expect to find that is going to add more work and more expenses to the budget. These bank breakers are not as easy to avoid because you have no idea what they are or when they are coming and you have no control over stopping them. One example of an Oops Surprise is finding out that you have a leak in the roof above the kitchen while you are putting in the lights. Now you have to fix the roof as well as the kitchen.
Unfortunately, there is no way to predict these things but you can try to be prepared for things like this and other surprises. Have a certain amount of money set aside for these Oops Surprises or have an inspection of the kitchen done before you start the renovation. That way you will know what you are up against and if something pops up you will have some money to help deal with the problem. Kitchen renovations can be a bigger job than you expect and you have to be ready for anything that may happen.
