There is an abundance of mistakes to avoid when renovating your NYC apartment. Also, there is an abundance of things to expect when moving into an NYC micro-apartment. That is why you need to be prepared! And what better way to prepare than to know what the most common renovation-related mistakes are, and how to avoid them.

Five of them include:

• Not setting a realistic budget
• Neglecting functionality
• Choosing brand rather than quality
• DIYing the renovation
• Not paying attention to details

So, let’s jump right to it!

Not being realistic with the budget is one of the biggest mistakes to avoid when renovating your NYC apartment

Just like you need to be realistic in life, the same goes for the renovation effort. Once you decide to renovate your home, you will need to estimate how much this is going to cost you. One of the easiest ways to do it is to contact specialists to give you a rough estimate. This is true for everything. For example, it’s best to call specialists when you are looking to store your furniture. Especially if we are talking about valet storage.

So, right budgeting is key to having a successful renovation effort. When you want to budget the right way, you can, as we’ve said, contact specialists. The other way is to search Google for prices and compare them. That way, you can have a comprehensive understanding of the marketplace and make an informed decision. Also, try and avoid opting for the cheapest options. Cheap is good for your wallet, but not always good for your home. Balance out price and quality!

Not paying attention to detail and asking questions

You know how they say “the Devil lies in the details“, well this is very true when it comes to details of your home renovation. Details are very important for many reasons. Among others is the fact that you can perceive many things as “ugly” or “not quite there” if you skip over the details. Even though most of them won’t be visible during the renovation, you should still pay close attention to them.

An additional mistake that a lot of people make is not asking questions about the project. In fact, it is better if you ask your contractors about their work and the progress of the project. That way, you will have some kind of quality and aesthetic control. We don’t have to explain to you why this is important.

Neglecting functionality

Functionality is a very important aspect. If your home isn’t already maximally functional, chances are you will have to renovate it. Remember that you can live in the tiniest apartment and still have enough space for most if not all of your belongings. Although, if you need to create more storage, you can always do so. But, this is only possible if you up to your functionality to eleven!

Of course, if you decide to go all out with functionality, there is the possibility that you will compromise design. So, if you are living in a small apartment, try and go for the design that fully supports maximum functionality. On the other hand, if you are living in a bigger place, you can compromise functionality in favor of design.

Choosing brand over quality is one of the mistakes to avoid when renovating your NYC apartment

Remember that almost always, quality is better than brand. Unless we are talking about Simplify Valet Storage & Moving, they are a combination of both brand and quality. With everything else, it’s almost always true that a flashy brand doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get a good quality product or service. However, what is always true is the fact that you are going to pay more! The reason why is because famous brands spend a lot of money on marketing. Consequently, someone has to pay for all of this marketing. And that is why we, the customers pay a premium for a product that is worth much less.

So, if you are looking to get quality products and services for your renovation, don’t just blindly jump on an offer if it comes from a famous brand. Many times, it’s better to opt for local contractors. They will do the job professionally, without breaking your bank. Of course, for honesty’s sake, some brands are simply too good to be switched. In that case, you should definitely go for it. But, these are specific situations. The point is to not jump on a brand name but to try and search for reviews for other, less famous contractors and products. We can guarantee that in 99% of cases, you will be satisfied with what you will get. Also, you will be satisfied with the amount of money that will stay in your pocket!

DIYing

One of the reasons why the first apartment checklist is so important is the fact that it will most likely serve as a guideline for future improvements you are going to take down the line. Moreover, it can also be helpful as the beginning of the process of budget estimation. The interesting part of all of this is the idea of DIYing the whole job.

Even though this might seem to be very appealing, we wouldn’t always recommend that. That is, of course, if you are not a contractor yourself and you know everything there is to know about the job. But, even then, it may be wiser to call someone to your aid. The reasons why DIYing a home renovation is a bad idea is simple:

• You will spend much more time and energy doing the job
• The process will drag on much longer than needed
• You might get hurt

Don’t get the wrong impression. DIYing is a great route to go down. But, if you decide to DIY a huge project like this, many things can go south. So, DIY what you can and know-how. The rest is best left to professionals.