If you consider yourself to be the handy type, you might be thinking about turning your unfinished basement around with a DIY basement renovation. How hard could it be? Slap up some drywall, lay down some flooring, done. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up wasting a lot of time and money and need a professional basement renovations contractor to come finish the job anyway. Here are five common risks associated with DIY basement renovations:

Spiraling Costs of DIY Basement Renovation

Budgeting renovations is a tricky thing. You can’t just pull a number out of thin air and expect the renovations to cost exactly that much. Take something simple like painting the walls. You may budget for the paint itself, but what about primer, brushes, paint rollers, painter’s tape? If you make an error, you may have to start over. This doesn’t just take time, it means you have to buy more materials. Meanwhile, a basement renovation contractor can estimate the price correctly, won’t waste materials with botched installation, and even has access to vendor discounts that will be passed on to you.

Unending Timeline

You’ve got the supplies, you’ve got the tools, you’ve even got a ratty pair of clothes – all you need is a couple weekends before your renovation is complete, right? What starts as a quick weekend project can quickly turn into months or even years. Once you lose momentum, the project might never get completed at all. When you work with a basement renovations contractor, they follow a strict timeline and move swiftly yet methodically through each step of the process. With Holland Renos, a typical basement renovation takes between four to eight weeks.

Cutting Corners

When you’re faced with an unending timeline, you’re more likely to cut corners to save time. Why bother with waterproofing, priming, or waiting for materials to fully dry before moving on to the next step? These little rushes might just look sloppy upon completion, or they could lead to messy problems down the road. A basement renovation contractor performs all work according to the highest standards, ensuring you get the professional look that your home deserves.

Risk of Personal Injury

If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could put yourself at risk of personal injury. A basement renovations contractor uses proper safety equipment and precautions throughout all stages of the renovation process. Dealing with power tools and electrical isn’t just tricky, it could be perilous.

Unskilled Labour

Let’s face it, not everyone can be a master of all trades. You’re great at your job, and you wouldn’t expect someone to perform a “DIY” version of your career at the same level. A basement renovation contractor does this every single day for a living, and takes pride in workmanship and attention to detail. Your home is your castle, and you shouldn’t leave it in the hands of an unskilled labourer, even if that labourer is you.

Avoid these DIY mistakes. Instead, hire a basement renovations contractor to do the job right the first time.