Americans continue to spend billions of dollars every year upgrading their homes. Remodeling can be a great strategy if you’re thinking of selling or renting out your place as if you have the work done with care, there’s little doubt you’ll achieve a better financial outcome by investing in this way.
Bathrooms and kitchens are two of the best areas to upgrade before putting your home on the market as the older your renovation, the less impact it will have on your price outcome. So if your plan is to sell, you should do so shortly after your contractors have left.
And while many Americans love DIY, the truth is that most of us should leave big-budget remodels to the professionals. Their craftsmanship will contribute to the value of your home rather than require an explanation from the broker at negotiation time!
Here are five more good reasons to use quality contractors.
Be professional
Quality upgrades will always add value to your home. Craftsmanship costs money, but it’s a good investment. If work is carried out by a willing but not-very-skilled handyman, it shows and the value of your home can suffer.
Safety first
Never take shortcuts with electricity or plumbing. These trades are licensed for a reason. Electricity can kill you, and bad plumbing can cause water damage to the structure of your home that could cost a small fortune to repair and/or be a danger to your health.
Head for heights
Some of us fancy ourselves as painters. But it’s not much fun at the top of a ladder. It can wobble when you readjust your position, or lean over to dip your brush into the paint. And it can be a long way down. Plus there’s all the preparation work which is truly boring. Stay in your lane even with painting.
On the tiles
Tiling is harder than it looks. Firstly, there’s nothing easy about screeding a bathroom floor so all the water goes into the waste trap. And the key is to finish with your walls square, which means relentless measuring. Tiles can be a beautiful highlight of your home when laid properly – or look truly terrible if botched – so make the most of the opportunity to get a stunning finish.
Best materials
Contractors know the suitable materials to get the job done correctly. They have the best access to the right timbers, waterproofing solutions and a host of other materials they use every day. It can take you so much time to research all of this, on a cost per hour basis, it will make your contractor well worth the money.