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Renovations never seem to go as planned. There’s always a cost you didn’t anticipate, or a problem that didn’t reveal itself until the project was underway. Here are five common costs to look out for.

1. Higher utility bills: If contractors and builders are working in your home all day, there’s a good chance they’re constantly walking in and out the exterior doors. That wreaks havoc on your heating/cooling efficiency, so watch out for higher utility bills.

2. Movers: It’s pretty hard to renovate a fully furnished home. You may be able to move and store most of your furniture yourself, but homeowners often have bigger pieces that require some hired help.

3. Food: If your kitchen is being torn apart, preparing meals becomes a lot more difficult. You may be able to keep your food budget steady by switching to meals that don’t require counter space, the stove, or the oven, but don’t be surprised if you end up dining out more often.

4. A few nights in a hotel: Depending on your renovation, there may be some nights where sleeping in your home isn’t practical, or you just need a mental break from the mess. Budget for a few nights at a hotel … or just schedule your family vacation for the worst part of the renovation.

5. Deep cleaning: It’s one thing to clean and maintain your home after a typical week or two of living. It’s entirely different to clean up after a construction project, as sawdust and other debris can get in every nook and cranny. It may be worth your sanity to just hire cleaners.

How can you sell your house fast?  If you must sell your house quickly, you probably realize that you may have to take less money.  That may not matter as much as getting rid of it quickly.  While you ALWAYS want to get as much money as possible for your home, selling quickly is more […]

This post will be mostly pictures as we wanted to show you what can be done when you take a home and make it beautiful.  We sold our first rehabbed home last week.  It took a lot of money up front, and time, but more importantly there was a lot of courage that went into […]

  Under contract but not closed.  Folks, I’m not one to complain, but sometimes we just have to blow off steam. The journey to buying a home that needs renovation to the day it gets sold is long and varied.  We all watch the HGTV and DIY shows on television and dream of taking a […]

Our contractor has just put the finishing touches on this rehab.  It’s time to get it cleaned, staged and listed.  I can’t wait to show you the final pictures.  This has been a journey with the cold Missouri weather.  We’ve run into bumps such as frozen pipes, and trying to find a good day to […]

When they tore out the old tile in the kitchen, we had a couple of major issues with the floor.  They had to repair the joists and the floor deck as well as level the floor.  It was leaning a bit.  The marble rolled down hill and hit the wall.  So the guys went to […]

Kitchen and bathroom are sure making a huge impact on this home.  The rehab has been stark and cold looking.  Check out the changes from my previous posts!   As you can see, we’re really looking great! Right now the contractor is working through final things that need done on the interior rehab.  We still need […]

We didn’t run into any major costly issues; however, we did have to replace the floor in the kitchen because of some rotten floor joists.  Christmas is coming, and we know that work will slow down a bit over the holiday, but my contractor promised that everything would get back to normal on December 26.  […]