Episode 1955
Top Renovation Blunders That Could Cost You Big in 2025!
Alright, folks, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of home renovations in 2025! Today, we’re laying out the biggest blunders homeowners make when tackling their DIY dreams. Seriously, it’s a treasure trove of “uh-ohs” you want to avoid at all costs. From not planning your project within the grand scheme of things to the classic mistake of going for the lowest bid contractor, we’re spilling the beans on what not to do. Trust me, you don’t want to end up with a half-finished project or a home that screams “cheap flip.” So, grab your favorite beverage, kick back, and let’s chat about how to keep your renovation journey smooth, stylish, and—most importantly—sane!
Home renovations can be a wild ride, but let’s face it, they can also be a total nightmare if you’re not careful. Eric G dives into the biggest renovation blunders that homeowners are making in 2025, and trust me, you don’t want to be one of those folks left holding the bag (or the hammer). Kicking things off, Eric highlights the importance of planning your project within the overall house plan. You wouldn’t throw a party without sending out invites, right? So why would you start digging and building without a solid plan? He talks about how people often jump into projects without considering how it all fits together, leading to some seriously costly re-dos. Next up, he tackles the classic mistake of using low-quality materials for renovations. Sure, it’s tempting to save a few bucks at the home center, but skimping on quality could mean your beautiful mid-range home ends up looking like a cheap flip. If you want to keep your property value up and your home looking fabulous, you’ve got to invest wisely!
But it doesn’t stop there! Eric also covers the dangers of making personal choices that could hurt your resale value. You might love that bright pink carpet in the kids' room, but potential buyers? Not so much. He urges listeners to think about the future and avoid over-personalizing their spaces in ways that could turn off future buyers. Additionally, we get into the nitty-gritty of ventilation, an essential but often overlooked aspect of remodels. Whether it’s ensuring your new bathroom has adequate ventilation or that your kitchen’s vent hood actually vents outside (and not just blows grease back in your face), Eric’s got the tips you need to keep your home healthy and air quality high.
As we wrap up this informative hour, Eric reminds us that the renovation journey can be both exciting and fraught with pitfalls. But with a little foresight and careful planning, you can avoid the costly mistakes that so many homeowners make. Tune in for the full scoop and make sure your next project is a smashing success!
Takeaways:
- Planning your renovation project is crucial; don't just wing it and risk costly mistakes.
- Using low-quality materials can devalue your home; invest wisely to avoid future regrets.
- Avoid personalizing your space too much if you plan to sell; keep resale value in mind.
- Not hiring a designer can lead to expensive mistakes; their expertise is invaluable for renovations.
- Neglecting proper ventilation in remodels can create unhealthy environments; ensure air quality is a priority.
- Ignoring small maintenance tasks can lead to bigger issues down the road; stay proactive to avoid costly repairs.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Monument Grills
- Home Depot
- Lowe's
- Dal Tile
To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House.
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Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.
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Monument Grill Omni-Pro Eminence Series 405
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Champion Homes at Design and Construction Week.
We're diving into the world of affordable housing and stellar construction, showcasing how Champion Homes is flipping the script on what factory-built housing can look like. Picture this: gorgeous three-bedroom, two-bath homes that don’t just meet the needs of today’s homebuyers but also come packed with style and efficiency. To find out MORE head to https://www.championhomes.com/
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:It's around the house.
Speaker A:On this episode of around the House.
Speaker A:You need to be really careful of how this stuff works its way out.
Speaker A:And here's why.
Speaker A:Your deposit should be what locks them into the job and if they have to buy some expensive materials, it should cover that.
Speaker A:I'm okay with you guys putting a deposit down and then ordering stuff and having to put that in there.
Speaker A:And the problem is what happens is they start robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Speaker A:They're running out of money.
Speaker A:So maybe they need to order some materials for the last job that they're finishing up, but they underbid it.
Speaker A:And so what happens is sometimes your deposit hits their bank account and they use part of that to buy that and then they're going by buying materials for you.
Speaker A:Problem is when they take a lot of that money, they start getting behind and they're using a significant portion of your deposit to get the other one done.
Speaker A:When it comes to remodeling or renovating your home, there is a lot to know and we have got you covered.
Speaker A:This is around the House.
Speaker A:Welcome to the Round the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G.
Speaker A:Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker A:This hour is brought to you by my friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A:You need to check out their new series of Monument Grills.
Speaker A:These things are amazing.
Speaker A:You can check them out@monument grills.com this is where you're going to get that high value for a low price.
Speaker A:If you love cooking with a 10 year warranty on the burner and all those parts that wear out so quick, spend the money just a little bit more and get that grill you're really looking for.
Speaker A:That'll last you for years@moneymcgrills.com today I wanted to dive back.
Speaker A:I am fresh back from Las Vegas.
Speaker A:I was down there for the national hardware show, which is always great to see stuff.
Speaker A:I did spend a lot of time with my friends down at Monty McRills.
Speaker A:Had a good time with them and we had a blast down there.
Speaker A:So it was really fun.
Speaker A: my top renovation mistakes of: Speaker A:These are the things that people are doing around their house.
Speaker A:They're working on projects and they're just making some mistakes that they didn't even think about.
Speaker A:So today in this hour, I wanted to see if we could really help you out and maybe stop some of those mistakes from happening, save you some money, make that project even easier.
Speaker A:Now if you want to find out more about us, head over to our brand new website powered by site Hype Designs at aroundthehouse online.com.
Speaker A:you can find all of it over there.
Speaker A:We're gonna have some new content coming up here, short wait to share it with you.
Speaker A:So here's the first one.
Speaker A:That is one of the biggest mistakes people make, and it's probably really one of the most common ones that we see.
Speaker A:And that is not planning the project within the overall house, plans for renovations.
Speaker A:And what I mean by that is sometimes people go, okay, I'm going to be working out back.
Speaker A:I'm going to put a new fence up, I'm going to do a bunch of landscaping.
Speaker A:I'm going to put an outdoor kitchen in, maybe patio pavers or a deck.
Speaker A:What's the first thing people do?
Speaker A:They throw a fence up around the outside and then they go, oh, now I got to get an excavator back there, or I need to get materials back there and my gate's not big enough.
Speaker A:Come up with a plan for the entire project from start to finish.
Speaker A:Design out your dream area and then split that up into phases like phase 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Speaker A:And maybe when you're doing a project like that in a backyard, the first thing you should be doing is roughing in utilities.
Speaker A:Get your permits for putting electrical out there, wherever you need to do, or plumbing or gas.
Speaker A:Whatever you're tackling, get in there.
Speaker A:Maybe the first thing is get those holes dug.
Speaker A:Get that taken care of.
Speaker A:So that way it's down there, so that way when you put the grass in, you don't have to dig it back up again or drive across the fresh new grass to put the patio pavers in.
Speaker A:These are all things that we gotta watch out for, right?
Speaker A:All stuff we need to be careful for.
Speaker A:So things to consider on this kind of project.
Speaker A:So think about that a little bit.
Speaker A:Make sure you plan it out.
Speaker A:Make sure you're not stepping over and having to do projects twice.
Speaker A:Because that's where dumb money goes is when you're working on something and you have to redo it, you have to tear the fence down, put it back up again, Cut fence posts off that maybe you put in concrete instead of making them bolt on a bolt off so you can take that fence down and make sure that you've got it dialed in.
Speaker A:Just think about it, plan it.
Speaker A:Make sure you're not doing something twice because that's where money is spent and that can be one of the easiest mistakes.
Speaker A:Now, inside, same kind of thing I always say, work on the projects that are farthest away, work back.
Speaker A:What I mean by that is if you have to go through and run new electrical to get to a bathroom, so you can put in a, maybe a circuit for a heated towel warmer or a heated tile floor.
Speaker A:If you've got to run electrical maybe through the ceiling of the kitchen or whatever else you want to do that so you get it roughed in.
Speaker A:Like for instance, when you're working on stuff like that, make sure that you've got access in there or create a space so you can run electrical through there.
Speaker A:So think ahead.
Speaker A:If you've got to add stuff, make sure you're doing it in a way that you can get access to that.
Speaker A:It'll save you a ton.
Speaker A:And that way you're not doing drywall two, three, four times because you're like, oh man, I got to do this.
Speaker A:Think about it.
Speaker A:If you're hiring a contractor, sit down with them and take some solid time and work through that and go, okay, what's this going to take to get this project done?
Speaker A:And what are the other five projects I'm doing?
Speaker A:They're going to be big.
Speaker A:So that way if you have to rough stuff in, if you've got to do it, just open the drywall up, run it through there, patch it back up, do that once instead of two, three, four, five times because then it gets to be way more messier and way more expensive.
Speaker A:So that way you've got that dialed in.
Speaker A:So making sure you've got that ready to rock.
Speaker A:Now the next one here is a tough one and this is one that I think I see people having problems with.
Speaker A:They'll go buy the mid grade house, right?
Speaker A:And maybe in your area you can get a good entry level house for three or four hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker A:Maybe if you're in the Midwest, it's two or three.
Speaker A:Maybe you're in a major metropolitan area and it's eight or nine hundred thousand dollars wherever you're at.
Speaker A:But you're looking at that mid range house and then you're at your home center buying all the materials for that project, whether it's a kitchen remodel, bath remodel, that kind of thing.
Speaker A:This is where I want you to be really careful.
Speaker A:Because if you think about it, Home Depot, Lowe's, those major brands, those are really materials for the bottom 50% or bottom 40% of the market out there.
Speaker A:They don't sell high end stuff in these stores, generally speaking, without ordering it.
Speaker A:So the problem is if you're going in there and putting low end stuff like you're buying the house brand faucets or toilets and you're putting them in your mid grade house.
Speaker A:When somebody walks through to do an appraisal or you're going to put it up for sale, it's going to look like a cheap flip house that went bad.
Speaker A:And it's sad when you go out and spend 150, 200 bucks on a cheap toilet.
Speaker A:And if you'd have spent 200 bucks more, you'd have gotten the good one.
Speaker A:So that's where you could put a toto in there, Something like the Drake 2, something like that.
Speaker A:That's nice.
Speaker A:Basic but higher end, works better.
Speaker A:Actually save you money over the cheaper ones.
Speaker A:So really think about that.
Speaker A:Put the level of material in that fits with that.
Speaker A:Maybe you're not gonna.
Speaker A:If you're working on that $1.5 million house, maybe it's not the best to head down to floor and decor.
Speaker A:Maybe you should be over talking to somebody like Dal tile.
Speaker A:That's got higher end stuff.
Speaker A:You're not looking at that lower end stuff.
Speaker A:It's like putting hot point in a two million dollar house.
Speaker A:No, wrong product, wrong house.
Speaker A:So if you spend some of that time and really work through that and pick the right grade, you're gonna get the value back out of it.
Speaker A:If you do it cheaply, it's gonna knock you down a bunch on the value.
Speaker A:When an appraiser goes through there, they're gonna look at that and go, wow, that doesn't fit the house.
Speaker A:Really use that cheap stuff.
Speaker A:That could be a problem.
Speaker A:So really take a time, look through that and understand and maybe what it is.
Speaker A:If you've got a realtor friend, have them go around, take you a couple houses that are in your price point, see what they're putting in there.
Speaker A:If you don't know, little research.
Speaker A:Show up at some open houses in the neighborhood.
Speaker A:Easy to jump online and see that and go, okay, that's kind of what my house is valued at.
Speaker A:Let's go to an open house and see what they put in there and then see if it's sold.
Speaker A:Because even though it's up for sale doesn't mean that they didn't do it wrong.
Speaker A:But at least you can get a good idea of what's going in there.
Speaker A:That way.
Speaker A:Stay away from the flip houses because you're going to see the cheap stuff.
Speaker A:Most cases.
Speaker A:So spend some time, work on that, understand the price point and the value and you'll be good to go.
Speaker A:That way you get the most out of that.
Speaker A:Because I tell you what it's always more if you have to do it twice.
Speaker A:There's usually not that much difference between the house brand and a decent product.
Speaker A:It's the difference of going like Glacier Bay to cruising into Delta or Breezo or one of the other higher end pieces for your home.
Speaker A:So think about that to make sure you got it dialed in.
Speaker A:All right, everybody, if you want to find out more about us, head over to aroundthehouse online.com you can message me there.
Speaker A:If you do want to hear the radio show podcast early, you can join our around the House Insider and that information is@aroundthehouse online.com we'll be right back after these important messages.
Speaker A:Don't change that dial around the House.
Speaker A:We'll return shortly.
Speaker A:We'll be right back.
Speaker A:Why in a world of ugly faces should I be allowed to be so hot, so many people without?
Speaker A:Welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G.
Speaker A:Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker A: renovation mistakes for: Speaker A:This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A:Check them out for your brand new barbecue for springtime@montymc grills.com we are just talking about not planning the project with the overall house, plans for renovations, not taking a look at the bigger project itself and using too inexpensive of products so that don't fit into the quality of the home that you have.
Speaker A:The next one up here is an interesting one and I think it's smart to think about.
Speaker A:Unless this is your forever home and this is that person, this is something you gotta be careful with and you have to think about it.
Speaker A:Whether you're wondering if you're gonna transfer jobs or you're gonna be moving or maybe your relationship with your spouse is not in the best place it could be.
Speaker A:This is making it too personal before considering retail.
Speaker A:If you've got that mid century home with the beautiful brick fireplace that just really screams mid century and you go in there and paint that thing white and really reduce that value of your home by doing a bad white paint job on the fireplace where most people that love that architecture style, you're actually hurting the value of it.
Speaker A:Sometimes these are things that you want to make sure you're not doing.
Speaker A:Paint is one thing.
Speaker A:If you're just changing the color, awesome.
Speaker A:But if you're putting in maybe that, I don't know, the bamboo striped floor, that's black and white, that's all kind of grainy that looks just super contrast between the dark and the white.
Speaker A:Almost gives you a tiger stripe feel.
Speaker A:Maybe that's not going to look awesome for the entire house.
Speaker A:Maybe that's something you go, let's dial that back.
Speaker A:You can personalize things, but if you go too crazy and jump the shark, that could hurt you on resale.
Speaker A:So always consider that.
Speaker A:And if you're going to go crazy, have a good time.
Speaker A:But make it so you can undo it successfully without spending a ton of money, because that can really cost you a bunch.
Speaker A:So if you're putting in brand new hardwood floors, make sure it's the style you want.
Speaker A:It's going to be timeless.
Speaker A:You're not going to have to go do it again.
Speaker A:And if something bad was to happen, it's not going to require a big rebuild to get it where people will appreciate what you've done.
Speaker A:So think about that.
Speaker A:Maybe the bright pink Barbie pink carpet is good for the kid's bedroom.
Speaker A:But remember, and I tell this to people all the time, they'll go in and go, hey, I'm gonna do the lower vanity, the little kids toilet for the bathroom.
Speaker A:We're gonna remodel the bathroom and do this.
Speaker A:And I have to remind them and say, cool.
Speaker A:You realize, though, if we do the little tiny kids bathroom in five or six years, we're doing another bathroom renovation, ripping that all out and putting in all the new stuff.
Speaker A:So is that really what you want to do?
Speaker A:Because those children, as awesome as they are, if you're going to build it for that tiny person, they're going to grow up pretty quickly and you're going to be renovating that again.
Speaker A:So be careful with that.
Speaker A:Make sure it's not too personal.
Speaker A:Have fun, but have fun with things.
Speaker A:Do something beautiful with the tile, but have fun with your paint colors.
Speaker A:If you're gonna have fun with the carpet.
Speaker A:So you just know that you're going to replace it.
Speaker A:It's not that expensive.
Speaker A:So think about that stuff, making sure you're good.
Speaker A:Next one here is creating an unhealthy environment with remodels.
Speaker A:This is doing the bathroom remodel and not putting in a bathroom vent.
Speaker A:Fan the vents to the exterior all the way out.
Speaker A:That follows your local building code.
Speaker A:This is going through and making sure that when you design that kitchen that you're putting in the proper sized vent hood with maybe makeup air.
Speaker A:If it's a big hood that goes out all the way to the outside.
Speaker A:Not the forehead dusters.
Speaker A:And the forehead dusters are those Bro Newtone Recycling ones that just blow the air back in your face with a thin little charcoal filter that maybe grabs the big grease but does nothing to improve your indoor air quality.
Speaker A:Making sure that if you're tightening the house up on the outside, I'm putting a new siding, windows, doors, roofing.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:You're making it like a brand new house.
Speaker A:So your house was meant to breathe, and it was breathing up until then.
Speaker A:So are you putting in a ERV system?
Speaker A:Are you following building science?
Speaker A:If you go around and seal up the outside of the house to save energy, that's awesome.
Speaker A:But what are you doing to bring fresh air in?
Speaker A:So that's where you have to work with your H VAC professional to make sure that stuff's coming in.
Speaker A:You've got the clean conditioned air that's coming in and installing that ERV or HRV system in there so you've got good air quality.
Speaker A:That's a big one.
Speaker A:Other things like, oh, I'm gonna put my workshop, my woodworking wood shop in the basement.
Speaker A:That's going to bring in all the chemicals from what you're working on, the toxic dust from the wood you're cutting, all that you are now entering inside of your house.
Speaker A:So make sure that you're not closing those things up and creating bigger problems.
Speaker A:And when you're doing down there, staining, finishing, whatever, cutting sawdust, keep that out of your home.
Speaker A:So I do not recommend any kind of a basement workshop for working on stuff where you're painting or sanding or doing that stuff because it's just going to get in the air.
Speaker A:Inside, it's virtually impossible to keep that from happening.
Speaker A:So really think about what you're doing with that and really just planning ahead, guys.
Speaker A:Making sure that you've got the right air quality.
Speaker A:Do some testing, make sure that you don't have carbon monoxide getting higher.
Speaker A:There's no good level of carbon monoxide.
Speaker A:So you want to make sure that's good, you have fresh air.
Speaker A:And are you burning up the air in the house by keeping it closed up when it's hot or cold or whatever the inclement weather is, making sure that's dialed in.
Speaker A:And then of course, take on the make sure that you got mold and that kind of stuff.
Speaker A:So really making sure that you're flashing things, you're doing things correctly so you don't have water coming in and make sure that it's looking really awesome, so you're good to go.
Speaker A:So think about that stuff, guys.
Speaker A:Make sure you're not having to do stuff Twice now.
Speaker A:The next one here is probably one of the biggest expensive mistakes you can make that's using the lowest bid on contractors.
Speaker A:So when you go out to bid and you see this project, and I want to talk more about this, we'll be talking about this in the next segment, coming up here as well, because we're not going to get all those in here.
Speaker A:But really, when you're looking at contractors and you find somebody that's got a significantly lower bid, the risk of that job not getting completed goes exponentially higher.
Speaker A:Because there's a lot of newer contractors out there that you see advertising on everything from Angie's List to Nextdoor to Facebook Marketplace that really are out there.
Speaker A:And many of them don't understand how to bid projects.
Speaker A:Maybe they worked for somebody else, but they've never had to bid projects.
Speaker A:And they could bid it wrong.
Speaker A:And you've got somebody that's doing it wrong.
Speaker A:They're missing half the steps.
Speaker A:What happens, guys, when they miss those steps is their numbers become so low that they can't finish the job.
Speaker A:They get halfway through the job and they're like, oh my gosh, I'm losing my butt on this.
Speaker A:How do I fix it?
Speaker A:And they're the ones that walk off the job site, even though you paid them most of the money and they're halfway through, that's when those things go sideways.
Speaker A:And you grabbed it because you thought you were getting a good deal.
Speaker A:These guys aren't made of money.
Speaker A:And when they've burned through it and their savings and they can't buy more materials or stuff, that's when some of these bad contractors go ghost on you.
Speaker A:And nobody wants to see that happen.
Speaker A:So you want to make sure you got that dialed in, that you've got the right people, that you've got not going at that lowest bid on contractors, because that can be probably the most expensive one you make.
Speaker A:Because when they do that, you're going to put the deposit down.
Speaker A:They might be spending that to finish up another job.
Speaker A:You just don't know.
Speaker A:And we come back, we're going to talk about how bad contractors or contractors that get themselves in financial trouble, some of the tricks that they use.
Speaker A:There's a lot of great contractors out there.
Speaker A:I'll be the first to say it, that I really respect.
Speaker A:And but when things go sideways, here's the tricks they do to try to save it.
Speaker A:But the problem is if it doesn't work, they don't land that plane.
Speaker A:That costs you money.
Speaker A:Because all of a sudden they're gone.
Speaker A:We'll talk more about that when we come back.
Speaker A:Don't change that dial.
Speaker A:Around the House.
Speaker A:Be right back after these important messages.
Speaker A: he top renovation mistakes of: Speaker A:That's on that banner, keeps us foreign.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G.
Speaker A:Thanks for joining me today.
Speaker A:This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A:Check them out@monument grills.com and if you want to find out more about us here at the around the House show, if this is the first time that you're checking it out, appreciate you tuning in.
Speaker A:You check out our new website@aroundthehouse online.com and if you want to join our premium membership, which is our around The House Insider, 4 bucks a month, 10 day free trial.
Speaker A:You can find out more about that.
Speaker A:Get the show two days early as well as our nearly thousand back episodes in the Wayback Machine.
Speaker A:You can do that over at aroundthehousonline.com let's get back to the list here.
Speaker A:Let's kind of do a little quick recap on what we've talked about.
Speaker A:So not planning the project when the overall house plans for your renovations or projects using two inexpensive products that don't fit the quality and the market price of your home.
Speaker A:Third one is making it too personal before considering resale.
Speaker A:The next was creating an unhealthy environment with remodels, things like ventilation, making sure you've got enough air coming in.
Speaker A:That's a big one.
Speaker A:Making sure you're not building a workshop in your basement that's putting chemicals and wood dust that's toxic up in your house, those kind of things.
Speaker A:Making sure you got those things so you've got the healthy environment for your home.
Speaker A:And of course, we were just talking about the next one, which was using the lowest bid on contractors.
Speaker A:Now, I wanted to do a little side note on this because we just talked about that in the last segment.
Speaker A:If you just join us.
Speaker A:And here's what I see out there that happens.
Speaker A:This is something that you see when contractors start circling the drain.
Speaker A:Their business is broken.
Speaker A:They're running out of money.
Speaker A:They will try to get a very large deposit out of you and try to accelerate the schedule.
Speaker A:Now you as a homeowner, you need to be really careful of how this stuff works its way out.
Speaker A:And here's why.
Speaker A:Your deposit should be what locks them into the job.
Speaker A:And if they have to buy some expensive materials, it should cover that.
Speaker A:I'm okay with you guys putting a deposit down and then ordering stuff and having to put that in there.
Speaker A:And the problem is, what happens is they start robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Speaker A:They're running out of money, so maybe they need to order some more materials for the last job that they're finishing up.
Speaker A:But they underbid it.
Speaker A:And so what happens is sometimes your deposit hits their bank account.
Speaker A:They use part of that to buy that, and then they're going by buying materials for you.
Speaker A:Problem is, when they take a lot of that money, they start getting behind and they're using a significant portion of your deposit to get the other one done so they can get that contract going.
Speaker A:So this kind of card charade game here starts to add up and create issues.
Speaker A:And at some point they've run that out, and that float between projects has got them in a bind.
Speaker A:And that's where you see that stuff not work out.
Speaker A:And that's where you see the contractor that ghosts you or is trying to get you to pay sooner.
Speaker A:Hey, I'm really hurting, guys.
Speaker A:I need some money fast.
Speaker A:That's because they've got to pay a subcontractor, materials, things like that.
Speaker A:We're going to talk more about this, coming up with other products.
Speaker A:But it's one of those things.
Speaker A:I want to make sure that you're good and understand how that little game works.
Speaker A:And then sometimes with companies, they'll order products, they'll put it on a house account, lumberyard, cabinet shop, whatever.
Speaker A:And then what happens is that company will send you an intent to lien, basically saying, hey, this contractor bought materials.
Speaker A:And if they don't pay the bills, we could put a lien on you.
Speaker A:And then when that bill gets paid for, they send a lien release that tells you that, well, they're not gonna put a lien on you.
Speaker A:So pay attention to those.
Speaker A:Track those.
Speaker A:When you get those letters or certified letters, put them up on the bulletin board, watch them, make sure everything gets taken care of.
Speaker A:So that way you're good to go and not getting burned on that.
Speaker A:There are so many great contractors out there.
Speaker A:95% of them run their business and do well.
Speaker A:I'm trying to help you on this one.
Speaker A:Navigate the ones that don't that can burn you.
Speaker A:So be very careful there.
Speaker A:Now, the next one is expensive because people these days, rightfully.
Speaker A:I get it.
Speaker A:Stuff's expensive.
Speaker A:Super expensive out there.
Speaker A:Keeps going up and up.
Speaker A:So where do they cut back?
Speaker A:Not hiring a designer.
Speaker A:Oh, I've got a good eye My friends love my style.
Speaker A:That is awesome.
Speaker A:Style is just part of what a designer goes and does for you.
Speaker A:It's kitchen, a bath design.
Speaker A:You need somebody that has earned their wings of being able to navigate designing and installing a kitchen or a bathroom.
Speaker A:When I was hiring designers for my kitchen and bath companies, if I got somebody that had four years under their belt, they were starting to get good, they were getting experienced, and it takes usually 50 or 75 projects for them to really start diving in and getting to town.
Speaker A:So you as a homeowner going, I'm going to design my own kitchen.
Speaker A:I pretty much guarantee you that you're selling yourself short.
Speaker A:And one mistake could cost you thousands of dollars, which means you could have hired the designer to make your kitchen way better.
Speaker A:And it's going to cost you way more money when you make that mistake and have to order 3, 4, 5,000 dollars worth of extra materials because it didn't work.
Speaker A:So that's where a huge one is, not hiring a designer for these kind of projects and having them help you almost every time.
Speaker A:If you spend the money on the designer, you will get a better looking project.
Speaker A:And during installation times, it will save you money because that installer is going to get in and get out and move on.
Speaker A:And the designer is making sure you've got that dialed in.
Speaker A:Otherwise they're paying for this stuff.
Speaker A:If you go out and do it and you didn't account for fillers, trim, moldings, staggered pieces, whatever you're doing, you can cost yourself thousands of dollars on reorders, mistakes, miscommunication.
Speaker A:So having that person to walk you through that project is super important when you're dealing with things like cabinetry, structure, those kind of things.
Speaker A:Hire the right people, get the job done.
Speaker A:So you're good to go.
Speaker A:Now, the next one here is expensive for you when you're hiring a contractor or taking it on yourself.
Speaker A:And that is not understanding the scope of the project, not understanding what has to be done from A to Z.
Speaker A:When you do a kitchen remodel, we're just talking about that great example.
Speaker A:If you've got a 70s 80s kitchen or older, many times you're going through and you're having to add many circuits.
Speaker A:Lights need to be on a separate circuit from the outlets.
Speaker A:Each appliance, whether it's a garbage disposal, a dishwasher, a microwave, a steam oven, a range cooktop, all have to be on separate dedicated circuits.
Speaker A:Some need to be ground fault, depending on what code you're following.
Speaker A:Some need to be arc fault, depending on what code you're following, you see where I'm going?
Speaker A:This stuff has to be dialed in, and it can cost you a ton of money if you have to do this stuff twice.
Speaker A:So really, this is all about prevention, but understanding what has to happen from the scope of the project.
Speaker A:Whether you're a DIYer or you're hiring the best contractor in the world, for you to understand the quote and the bid, you need to understand what goes into it, because you're trying to test them to see if they understand what you've got going on.
Speaker A:So this is cool.
Speaker A:If you walk through that project and as part of the estimate project of getting 2, 3, 4, 5 quotes, anything more than that, you're wasting your time and others.
Speaker A:But if you go in and get those estimates and you understand what's going on, what they have to do to the project, you're gonna be in a much better space.
Speaker A:And by the way, as we're talking about contractors out there, another little sidebar asterisk here.
Speaker A:Make sure you do your research on that contractor.
Speaker A:That's one of the big renovation mistakes that aren't on this list.
Speaker A:Making sure that they are licensed, bonded insured.
Speaker A:Forget the BBB Better Business Bureau.
Speaker A:You could pretty much buy your accreditation there and get yourself looking good with an A.
Speaker A:Even though you might have complaints and everything else, the B in my book, in my opinion, is not worth your while.
Speaker A:I wouldn't use them if there's a bunch of complaints, sure.
Speaker A:But a clean bill of health I would not take as a clean bill of health.
Speaker A:If you see stuff and go, wow.
Speaker A:On the BB website, they've got seven complaints in the last two years, and they've got a small firm.
Speaker A:That's a lot.
Speaker A:You should be concerned.
Speaker A:So think about that as you go through this process and making sure that you're doing that background check to make sure you're doing business with who you think you are.
Speaker A:And they're a real licensed bonded insured contractor, because that happens a lot out there.
Speaker A:All right, to find out more about us guys, we're gonna have to break head over to aroundthehouse online.com and of course, make sure you follow our friends over at Monument Grills.
Speaker A:If you're out, you know, outside barbecue in here this spring and you're looking for that new one, check them out@monimal girls.com.
Speaker A:these guys are such a huge supporter of this show.
Speaker A:I just want to say thank you to those guys.
Speaker A:I get to spend some time with them last week, it was a lot of fun.
Speaker A:Taking a look at their new products and great people and great barbecues.
Speaker A:So a lot of fun right there.
Speaker A:All right, guys, around the house.
Speaker A:Be right back after these important messages.
Speaker A:Don't change that dial.
Speaker A: renovation mistakes of: Speaker A:We'll be right back.
Speaker A:FOREIGN welcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G.
Speaker A:If you're just catching us right now on the radio and just tuning in, make sure and check us out on our new website at around the House online dot com.
Speaker A:We've got a lot of great stuff hanging out over there on the website and that is just phase one with new stuff coming every single week.
Speaker A:This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker A: ation mistakes people make in: Speaker A:And these are some big ones out here.
Speaker A:Let's review what we talked about in the first three segments of the show here.
Speaker A:And that was not planning the project within the overall house plans or renovations.
Speaker A:Really thinking about the plan and doing things out of order.
Speaker A:We have to do it twice using two inexpensive products that don't fit the quality of your home.
Speaker A:This is really going down to the home center and buying stuff in there to put in that million dollar house or an upper end house because nothing wrong with the home centers, but they're really designed for the first entry level to midway of the market out there.
Speaker A:And if you've got a luxury home, many of the products in there don't really fit into your house.
Speaker A:You're putting something in that's way too inexpensive and you should be out dealing with higher end plumbing, fixture flooring, those kind of things.
Speaker A:And it's just the market that they serve.
Speaker A:Now the other one is making it too personal, designing something wild out there when you're expecting resale down the road.
Speaker A:And then the other one is number four is creating an unhealthy environment with remodels, making sure that you don't make it worse as far as the health of the home.
Speaker A:And then number five, using the lowest bid on contractors, that's the one that'll burn you almost every time.
Speaker A:Not hiring a designer for those major projects, not understanding the scope of the project, not looking at those bids for from that contractor, not understanding it.
Speaker A:And of course you tackling something that's way over your skill level, which is what that is and then not hiring an engineer when removing a wall or changing structure.
Speaker A:That's a big one right there.
Speaker A:And that can cost you a ton of money.
Speaker A:Now, the next one here is big and it's not controlling water that is coming off of your home.
Speaker A:And I'm talking a gutter system.
Speaker A:And unless you're in a desert area where no water comes off that roof or it's very small, that water coming off those gutters down into the downspouts and onto the ground right next to that house is going to damage in 80% of the country is going to damage your foundation.
Speaker A:But this is what we're talking about here.
Speaker A:That water will.
Speaker A:If you're in a freeze area, it's going to cause areas where you could have spawling in the concrete foundation.
Speaker A:It could cause settling because usually in many places that area around the outside of the house, there around the foundation was dug up.
Speaker A:So you're going to force that to settle even more.
Speaker A:And you can cause tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to your home by having that water come down next to the house.
Speaker A:Many times people be renovating, they're doing stuff and maybe they have gutter extensions.
Speaker A:They landscape and they just drop it right down to the foundation.
Speaker A:And here's the thing, guys, that should be going out 10ft at least away from the foundation.
Speaker A:And if you've got a basement, I say 12 to 14.
Speaker A:Now here's the thing.
Speaker A:All you have to do is dig it underground, get it underground, call before you dig, run it out there in ABS or PVC pipe.
Speaker A:Make sure you got your slope so it's running away from the house.
Speaker A:Put it into a drywall or get it going onto the ground towards the street or towards the back property.
Speaker A:Make sure you're not affecting other people because that can be big.
Speaker A:Make sure if you've got a system where it goes into a drywall that's working.
Speaker A:If it goes down into underground, you're not sure where it goes.
Speaker A:Usually that goes into a dry well system.
Speaker A:If that's the case, I recommend having a plumber come out there and hydro jet those lines about every five years to make sure you don't get too much dirt and organic buildup in there.
Speaker A:That way you're good to go.
Speaker A:That's going to be one of those things that if you go through every five years, you'll be in a much better position.
Speaker A:It's going to really fix a lot of things for you.
Speaker A:So something to consider, but this is something that you can prevent lots of damage to your foundation.
Speaker A:And I've seen gutter systems, I've seen people storing rainwater.
Speaker A:That's another project that can be really ugly.
Speaker A:I've seen people put a tank right up in the backyard, up against the foundation, and they've got a basement.
Speaker A:And all of a sudden they've got a big crack in that exterior wall of that basement.
Speaker A:And so you get a foundation crack because you're point loading thousands of pounds right up against that foundation wall, right on the soil.
Speaker A:And that can be a massive problem.
Speaker A:So anytime that you're going to store water next to the house with that over just a couple 50 gallon drums, if you're putting a tank over there, that's when you need to get with that engineer to make sure that you can do what you want to do.
Speaker A:You might have to put a concrete pad there, tie it into the foundation.
Speaker A:That engineer is going to tell you what to do.
Speaker A:But be very careful with water.
Speaker A:This is one of those things that can cause tons and tons of damage.
Speaker A:And this really leads us into the last one here.
Speaker A:I wanted to talk about not paying attention to small maintenance that get big.
Speaker A:And I'm talking about that leaky roof, not going up there and making sure that you're keeping an eye on stuff, especially new projects that you worked on.
Speaker A:Maybe it did a roof repair and you're like, okay, we're good.
Speaker A:You didn't realize that it didn't turn out the way you thought or any of those kind of things that can really sneak up.
Speaker A:Water damage is one of those.
Speaker A:I've seen windows that were installed incorrectly by a contractor.
Speaker A:All of a sudden they're leaking water right back into the structure.
Speaker A:And then all of a sudden, when springtime comes around, you're moving the blinds away from the windows to open everything up.
Speaker A:And you're like, why is this drywall moldy?
Speaker A:Or why is this plaster moldy?
Speaker A:Why is it soft?
Speaker A:So many times that could happen.
Speaker A:And a lot of this comes down to, for instance, with that or decks, did you flash it correctly?
Speaker A:You know, you just can't take a deck ledger that's holding that deck to the house and screw it to the house and say, cool, I'm good and keep working.
Speaker A:You've got a combination of flexible flashing, you've got metal flashing.
Speaker A:You got all the things to do that correctly.
Speaker A:And that's the same thing when you're talking about windows and doors, Those have to be flashed correctly.
Speaker A:You've got to work through that stuff.
Speaker A:And that is something that you really need to Pay attention to make sure you're doing it correctly.
Speaker A:So you're putting water in the right spot.
Speaker A:And that's a big one.
Speaker A:So pay attention, spend some time to understand what's going around the house and watch on the maintenance stuff.
Speaker A:We get so stuck in project mode or renovation mode that we miss those little tiny things.
Speaker A:I have got projects around here, my house.
Speaker A: ackling any big stuff here in: Speaker A:To start out with, I have got some maintenance stuff to do.
Speaker A:I have got to finish up projects.
Speaker A:And that's one of the renovation mistakes too.
Speaker A:That's a little sidebar on this.
Speaker A:Make sure you get those projects to a hundred percent completion.
Speaker A:Trust me, I am the king of 90%.
Speaker A:Right now.
Speaker A:When I'm doing TV show stuff and I'm filming it, we get it really good.
Speaker A:It's done now.
Speaker A:There's probably another few hours of work I need to do to really get it dialed in and perfect the way I want it.
Speaker A:But we are always off to the next one because we do 52 weeks of television here.
Speaker A:So you're off to the next one.
Speaker A:So I've got this entire spring I am gorking around the house to make sure I get those 90 percenters all the way to 100 so I can check the box off and say it's done.
Speaker A:So these are things that I do to make sure we're good.
Speaker A:So we got to really work on those things.
Speaker A:I have got so many projects, some of them I'm going to get some help on because like, drywall, texture, I hate doing it.
Speaker A:I'm going to have some friends come in and do that.
Speaker A:I have got a lot of little projects like that I want to work on to get done.
Speaker A:So these are all things that make it easy, make it fun, and I've got a lot of dial in to do.
Speaker A:I've got some work on my staircase that I gotta get done.
Speaker A:There's just a lot of little things like that you gotta do.
Speaker A:But I want to get these things knocked out.
Speaker A:So we're good to go.
Speaker A:I want to have this house dialed in and living space is done here in the next month or two.
Speaker A:So I can just check those boxes off.
Speaker A:And then it's just in maintenance mode, which, that's the thing, you can get a project completely done and then the next year you're like, ooh, I need to recaulk this, I need to finish that.
Speaker A:So stay on top of the maintenance of those projects that were previously checked off as a hundred percent done.
Speaker A:Now, if you've got a tip that should have been on this list, hit me up, head over to aroundthehouse online.com so that way you can send me a message over there.
Speaker A:And that goes right into my inbox, guys.
Speaker A:So if you do that over there, if you've got a tip and go, oh, here's a huge mistake that I see people make.
Speaker A:I love to hear from you.
Speaker A:Or if you've got a topic that you want to hear about, you're like, hey, Eric, you haven't talked about this in a long time.
Speaker A:We had that a month or so ago with Radon, hadn't talked about it and it was like, wow.
Speaker A:Okay, we've got some good stuff coming up that we're going to be diving into.
Speaker A:Some consumer related stuff.
Speaker A:Really.
Speaker A:When you're out there shopping for tools, products, what's on Amazon vs what in a store and what's going on there, we're going to be addressing some of those things.
Speaker A:Just so you know, you folks, when you're out there shopping like I am and Stephanie, like, oh, here's the real deal, but here's the knockoff one.
Speaker A:We're going to talk a little bit about that in coming weeks because that stuff is an interesting discussion and I think it's really smart for us to really pay attention right now because I'm really again going to be highlighting more of our made in USA stuff here.
Speaker A: I am a huge: Speaker A:You see me wearing it all the time.
Speaker A:Those guys are awesome.
Speaker A:Made in USA clothes, fabrics are made here.
Speaker A:It is all made in USA stuff.
Speaker A:So the cotton and the pants, guess what?
Speaker A:Grown in the US, woven in the us.
Speaker A:All done right here.
Speaker A:All right, everybody, this is the end of hour one.
Speaker A:We got a great one coming up here in the next hour of the show.
Speaker A:Stick around.
Speaker A:If you're on the radio or the podcast, just go to the next episode because we've got another great episode around the House.
Speaker A:I'm Eric G.
Speaker A:Patrick.
Speaker A:Thanks for tuning into around the House.
Speaker A:We'll see you soon.
