Has a frustration with your home ever left you so frustrated you wanted to track down the original builder and, at best, chew them a new one? For most of us, this is an unrealized fantasy because the builders are long gone.

The same often applies to previous owners, who went fast and cheap on a renovation you’re now paying for. Consider the true story of Fairfax residents, Joe and Norma.

After years of scrimping and saving, they were able to buy a home that fit their growing family. While the 25-year-old house had its minor issues, everything was fine until year 2, when water marks began spreading across the family room ceiling in not one but two separate locations.

Even before opening the ceiling, the repair contractor had his suspicions. When told the previous owner had had the two upstairs bathrooms remodeled right before their purchase, his suspicions were confirmed. The shower and tub drains had been improperly installed and sealed. 

Save Your Savings, You’re Going to Need Them

Every year countless homeowners undertake home renovations of all sizes, scales, and scopes. From complete overhauls of kitchens and baths to cosmetic updates like carpet replacements and paint jobs, the desire to build and improve our nests is never truly satisfied.

Understandably, a homeowner doesn’t want to spend more than he or she has to. But there’s affordable and there’s cheap. Here are the risks associated with the latter:

#1. Substandard Materials – Poor materials don’t hold up, meaning every day wear and tear is going to make an appearance sooner vs later.

#2. Maintenance – Low-quality paints (chipping and standing), cheap flooring (scratching and buckling), and badly installed carpet (piling and pilling) are examples of the maintenance / replacement costs you’ll face.

3. Reduced Value – Renovation work using cheap labor or materials will be apparent to an experienced home inspector or realtor, resulting in a loss on your sale price.

#4. Code Violations – We see this one all the time. A cheap contractor doesn’t meet code, resulting in your home sale being held up until you do the work again. If your margins are tight, you may not be able to sell or will lose money on the transaction.

#5. Quality Issues – Like Joe and Norma, shoddy workmanship has a tendency of showing its ugly face at some point. It’s never fun when it does.

#6. Snowball Effect – Substandard plumbing, electrical, or carpentry work can lead to a rapid escalation in problems (overworked circuits or fires, water leaks, etc.).

#7. Poor Energy Efficiency – Believe it or not, poor materials and workmanship often lead to dramatically higher utility costs.

In short, be careful about trying to save too much on hour home renovation. Remember that the dollars you save in the near term could easily be surpassed at a later date when you are faced with big repair costs (or a second remodel).