15 DIY Home Renovation Tips And Tricks You Need To Know

Did you know that, on average, 13 million Americans are injured in home improvement accidents each year?

The absolute worst thing that can happen during a home renovation project is an injury, which is why you need to make sure you know what you’re doing beforehand.

Knowing how to remodel your home yourself depends on what type of project you’re trying to do.

However, there are some DIY home renovation tips and tricks that are useful for almost any project.

In this article, we’ll tell you about 15 things you can do to ensure your home renovation project goes according to plan.

We’ll also help you avoid common mistakes, so you can avoid overspending.

1. Have a Solid Gameplan Beforehand

It goes without saying, but it’s never a good idea to start tearing down walls or ripping up floors without having a solid gameplan beforehand.

So, before you get any tools out of the garage, or even visit a hardware store, make sure you know what you’re doing and how much it’s going to cost.

While having a gameplan is important, it’s also a good idea to leave some room for adjustments.

That way when something goes wrong, your entire plan isn’t ruined as a result.

2. Expect Things to Go Wrong

To piggyback off of that last point, you need to start expecting things to go wrong as soon as you begin your project.

That might sound like a defeatist attitude, but planning for the worst helps you avoid any issues that could cause your project to fail.

On top of that, knowing what mistakes could happen during a project will help you better plan for them, allowing you to avoid as many as possible.

3. Stick to Your Budget

When you’re doing your planning, you’re going to need to create a budget for each project you have on your to-do list.

That budget will help ensure you don’t end up spending too much money on a portion of the project.

A budget is crucial to the success of your project and needs to be something you keep in mind at all times.

Setting a budget, and then leaving it on the fridge to be ignored, is a recipe for a financial disaster.

4. Overestimate the Cost of Everything

A budget is only helpful when it’s accurate.

However, sticking to an exact budget for bigger projects can be hard, especially when one or two things go wrong.

The best way to account for those little missteps?

Overestimate on everything when making your budget.

Having that little bit of wiggle room will give you some financial comfort and increase your chances of spending less money than you anticipated.

5. Do Your Research

The internet is a wonderful place.

It’s filled with tons of useful information on any topic, including any home project or renovation idea that you may have on your schedule.

That’s why one of the best tips for lowering home remodel costs is to do plenty of research on each project beforehand.

For example, if you’re resurfacing kitchen cabinets, watching a few tutorials online is a great way to get some useful pointers.

That way you can do the job right the first time, saving both time and money in the long run.

6. Know When to Call a Professional

We get it. You want to do the entire renovation project yourself.

But one of the biggest DIY home renovation tips we can give you is to know when to drop the “DIY” from whatever project you have planned.

Sure, you can save a bit of money doing these renovations yourself.

But that’s only if things go well, and you don’t get injured.

Both of those instances will lead to you spending more money than you would have had you called a professional like Hardie Boys in the first place

7. Take It One Room at a Time

When you’re doing more than one home renovation project at a time, it’s very easy for your entire home to turn into a construction site.

While some messes are unavoidable, it’s a good idea to find ways to reduce them when you can.

One of the best ways to do that?

Take it one room at a time. In doing so, you can prevent your house from getting too cluttered, something that isn’t good for your mental health.

After all, the last thing you need when doing major renovations is more stress and anxiety.

8. Purge Items Before, During, and After

If you’ve lived in your home for a while now, odds are you have acquired quite a bit of useless junk over the years.

At worst, you have more than your fair share of items you no longer need that are taking up space in your home.

Getting rid of those items before, during, and after your projects will help you clean up your home and make it look and feel the way that you want it.

The best part?

It doesn’t cost any money to donate or throw away anything that you have lying around the house that you no longer need.

9. Pick the Right Time of Year to Do Projects

One mistake homeowners often make when doing renovations is picking the wrong time of year to do them.

With so much planning going on, the weather isn’t on your list of concerns when talking about repairing foundations.

Still, it’s never a bad idea to look at the weather and make sure you’re planning your projects for the right time of year.

Putting off that HVAC duct replacement for fall, instead of doing it in the summer, can make things go a bit more comfortable for you and your family.

10. Invest in the Right Areas of Your Home

Looking to spend quite a bit of money on home renovations this year?

Make sure you’re investing that money in the right areas of your home.

For example, installing fireclay undermount sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms is a project that will add a ton of value to your home.

It’s also money that you’ll get back should you decide to sell your house as soon as possible, which is why it’s a good use of your funds.

Even if you don’t have any intentions of selling your home, it’s never a bad idea to try and increase its value.

That’s why we recommend you invest the most cash in the areas of your home that offer the greatest return on that investment. 

11. Renovate With Storage in Mind

If there’s one thing homeowners could always use more of, it’s space.

More specifically, storage space, so you can free up areas of your home that you use often and reduce clutter.

So, when you’re renovating a room, be sure to keep storage space in mind.

After all, what’s a kitchen remodel without getting so more cabinet space out of the deal?

12. Obtain Any Necessary Permits

Sure, you don’t need any permits when you’re only repainting your kitchen cabinets.

But if you’re looking to do any major work to your home, you’re going to want to obtain any necessary permits beforehand to prevent yourself from being fined.

These fines are often double or triple the costs of the permits.

So, if you want to keep your budget looking good, go ahead and pay them beforehand so you can avoid costly fines.

13. Cleanup Your Home Often

We touched on this earlier, but the absolute worst part of any home makeover is the cleanup process.

Having to live in a messy home for a while isn’t a fun experience, to say the least.

Cleaning up your home every single day and limiting yourself to one room at a time can help reduce those messes.

It will also prevent you from having one giant mess at the end of your renovation.

14. Protect Your Kids and Pets

Got little ones running around your house?

Make sure you keep them in mind, especially when doing any major renovation work to your home.

Getting someone to watch your children or pets during a project isn’t a bad idea.

And limiting yourself to one room at a time allows you the ability to keep them away from that area of the house, which can be helpful.

15. Work With What You Have

Regardless of what type of home you have, odds are there are certain features that stand out more than others.

When you’re doing home projects, find creative ways to accentuate those features, working with what you have instead of what you don’t.

Not only is this a great way to make the most out of your house but will help you when budgeting as well.

Your DIY Home Renovation Guide

Well, there you have it! Those are 15 DIY home renovation tips and tricks you can use to help make sure your home projects go smoothly!

Remember, spend lots of time planning and budgeting your renovation projects.

Take it one room at a time and know when a project is too much for you to handle yourself.

Looking for more ways you can help turn your home into your dream space? Check out our blog!