8 Renovation Costs You Won’t Have Factored In, But Should Have
Want to avoid those hidden renovation costs that creep in unexpectedly? Read on…
Victoria Harrison
15 January 2019
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
If you’ve ever undertaken any renovation work, you’ll know most projects end up going over budget, however carefully you manage the job. Even with a sensible contingency fund, extra expenditure can creep in to disrupt even the best-laid plans.
But what exactly are these extras and how can you preempt them? Here are a few of the surprising hidden costs of renovation work for which you may want to budget.
This article is from our Most Popular stories
But what exactly are these extras and how can you preempt them? Here are a few of the surprising hidden costs of renovation work for which you may want to budget.
This article is from our Most Popular stories
Dehumidifiers or heaters
If you’re plastering a large area of wall or having a new screed floor poured, you’ll probably have to hire a dehumidifier or heater to remove the excess moisture in the air and help with the drying process.
These can be hired by the day, so, depending on the time of year you undertake the work and the drying speed of the plaster or screed, this cost can be anything from a couple of days hire to a few weeks, plus the electricity running cost.
It won’t be a huge amount, but it’s something that can get forgotten in the initial budget.
If you’re plastering a large area of wall or having a new screed floor poured, you’ll probably have to hire a dehumidifier or heater to remove the excess moisture in the air and help with the drying process.
These can be hired by the day, so, depending on the time of year you undertake the work and the drying speed of the plaster or screed, this cost can be anything from a couple of days hire to a few weeks, plus the electricity running cost.
It won’t be a huge amount, but it’s something that can get forgotten in the initial budget.
Refinishing internal carpentry
Another unexpected knock-on effect of replastering large areas or working with wet materials, where you raise the humidity levels throughout the house, can be that internal doors swell up and need to be rehung.
Factoring in a carpenter to refit or rehang internal doors or make small adjustments is another cost that may not be on your spreadsheet, but might be worth keeping in mind at the planning stage.
Find a carpenter or joiner in your area.
Another unexpected knock-on effect of replastering large areas or working with wet materials, where you raise the humidity levels throughout the house, can be that internal doors swell up and need to be rehung.
Factoring in a carpenter to refit or rehang internal doors or make small adjustments is another cost that may not be on your spreadsheet, but might be worth keeping in mind at the planning stage.
Find a carpenter or joiner in your area.
Your electricity bill
If you’re undertaking extensive renovation work for a period of months, you may need to budget for your electricity bill to rise during this time.
With power tools being plugged in and recharged constantly, and several trades working on the house at the same time, you’ll be drawing on your power supply much more than usual. It might seem like an incidental, but if you allow for this before you start, you won’t be caught out by it halfway through.
If you’re undertaking extensive renovation work for a period of months, you may need to budget for your electricity bill to rise during this time.
With power tools being plugged in and recharged constantly, and several trades working on the house at the same time, you’ll be drawing on your power supply much more than usual. It might seem like an incidental, but if you allow for this before you start, you won’t be caught out by it halfway through.
Rubbish disposal
You might have factored in a skip at the end of your project, but it’s a rare renovation that creates less waste than planned. Most projects result in large amounts of rubbish and this will need to be disposed of safely, which can add on extra pennies at the very end of your project when funds are low.
Skips aren’t cheap, so if you end up needing to hire more than one, it could add to your overspend. It’s best to consider this at the planning stage and budget for a larger skip than you think you need, or for someone to come and collect the rubbish at a couple of points during the project.
You might have factored in a skip at the end of your project, but it’s a rare renovation that creates less waste than planned. Most projects result in large amounts of rubbish and this will need to be disposed of safely, which can add on extra pennies at the very end of your project when funds are low.
Skips aren’t cheap, so if you end up needing to hire more than one, it could add to your overspend. It’s best to consider this at the planning stage and budget for a larger skip than you think you need, or for someone to come and collect the rubbish at a couple of points during the project.
A deep clean
It’s incredible how far dust can travel when heavy renovation work or demolition is taking place elsewhere in the house. You can keep all the internal doors and windows closed, but more often than not you’ll find yourself shaking dust out of curtains and bedding in rooms away from where the work’s taking place.
If you’re living on site, you can keep on top of this on a daily basis while the project’s ongoing. However, you might want to factor in some budget for a deep clean of carpets and textiles at the very end of the job to return your house to normal once the builders have left.
It’s incredible how far dust can travel when heavy renovation work or demolition is taking place elsewhere in the house. You can keep all the internal doors and windows closed, but more often than not you’ll find yourself shaking dust out of curtains and bedding in rooms away from where the work’s taking place.
If you’re living on site, you can keep on top of this on a daily basis while the project’s ongoing. However, you might want to factor in some budget for a deep clean of carpets and textiles at the very end of the job to return your house to normal once the builders have left.
Patching up paintwork
High-traffic areas, such as hallways, can take a bit of abuse during renovation work, with lots of people walking though each day and ladders and tools being carried in and out.
As such, you might need to set aside a bit of cash for redecoration once the work’s complete. Even if it’s just patching up small chips in woodwork and giving walls a fresh coat of paint, keep in mind you’ll need a little pot of money for this.
Need some help with your home design? Find an interior designer in your area.
High-traffic areas, such as hallways, can take a bit of abuse during renovation work, with lots of people walking though each day and ladders and tools being carried in and out.
As such, you might need to set aside a bit of cash for redecoration once the work’s complete. Even if it’s just patching up small chips in woodwork and giving walls a fresh coat of paint, keep in mind you’ll need a little pot of money for this.
Need some help with your home design? Find an interior designer in your area.
Replacement carpet in adjacent rooms
Carpet can sometimes be damaged in adjoining rooms to those where the work is taking place. If you’re moving internal walls around, carpet may have to be cut, for example, or if you have lots of people walking though a hallway to get to the room where work is being done, carpet can get damaged and need professionally cleaning or replacing.
Laying down carpet protector film can help, but dirt has a way of finding its way around even the best protection, so keep this in mind when budgeting for cleaning costs at the end of the work.
Carpet can sometimes be damaged in adjoining rooms to those where the work is taking place. If you’re moving internal walls around, carpet may have to be cut, for example, or if you have lots of people walking though a hallway to get to the room where work is being done, carpet can get damaged and need professionally cleaning or replacing.
Laying down carpet protector film can help, but dirt has a way of finding its way around even the best protection, so keep this in mind when budgeting for cleaning costs at the end of the work.
Garden reboot
Building work can have a big impact on adjoining outside areas, as skips, machinery and materials all have to go somewhere while work is ongoing. Footpaths and patio areas will have lots of extra footfall, too, so expect your garden to sustain a bit of damage.
Once the work is complete, you can take stock of the garden, but it’s worth keeping a bit of money aside in case you need to fix fencing, replace turf or replant some areas.
Tell us…
What hidden costs did you encounter with your renovation? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
Building work can have a big impact on adjoining outside areas, as skips, machinery and materials all have to go somewhere while work is ongoing. Footpaths and patio areas will have lots of extra footfall, too, so expect your garden to sustain a bit of damage.
Once the work is complete, you can take stock of the garden, but it’s worth keeping a bit of money aside in case you need to fix fencing, replace turf or replant some areas.
Tell us…
What hidden costs did you encounter with your renovation? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
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But what if you are a neighbour and can't leave your house to stay somewhere else? Our neighbours (we live in a London terrace) have just carried out a five month refurb, building into their side return and extending the kitchen, plus internal refurbishment. It has been the unhappiest five months in our lives, since we came to live in our house 30 years ago. Our neighbours went to live somewhere else so they had no real idea of the disruption. Our side return and garden quickly became covered in dust and dirt which also found itself into out kitchen, hallway and living room (we have to leave our dog door open during part of the day),covering furniture and floors in a light dust and killing plants in the garden. The worst thing was the constant, relentless noise, thumping, banging, drilling, breaking concrete foundations and patios with a pneumatic drill, cutting and polishing stone. I thought I would have a breakdown - daily noise pollution for five months is a long time. We work from home a lot of the time and ended up often having to go into town to an office as it was impossible to make phone calls or have Skype/ conference calls because of the noise levels. During this lovely summer there were many times that we attempted to sit in our garden great on our patio and had to give up because of the noise; they were meant to work until 2.00pm on a Saturday. but often worked until 4.00pm, ruling out lunch in the garden. Twice we had guests come to stay and then leave because they didn't want to be woken up every morning by the drilling. When I emailed our neighbours to ask if we could have a bit of give and take and some pre-arranged ' noise breaks', their reply included the observation that I was 'venting' my frustrations.That is when I knew that they would never understand the awful time that we had lived through as they had not experienced it.
I am having considerable building work done next year on a flat that I will eventually move to and this experience will make me extremely aware of the impact on neighbours and what can be done to mitigate it, including no noisy work on Saturdays, giving my neighbours advance warning of unavoidable noisy work, doing all the breaking of concrete in one go and listening to my neighbours and their suggestions to improve the situation where possible.
Please think about the impact on your neighbours who have not chosen this situation!
Totally agree, Lena17, and your neighbours sound most unreasonable as well as pretty rude. Either they should have been supervising, or have hired an architect or project manager to do so.
Lyn Pearce, I have no option but to live on site as my means don't extend both to the extensive works and to renting, assuming I could find anything in our small village! Yes, it's awful, especially since I work from home and need wifi and my library (writer and editor), but needs must. Worse things happen at sea, as the saying goes!
Lenja17 I agree it can be tough on a neighbour. We have elderly neighbours and one was poorly at the time. I took them flowers on several occasions and we treated them to a meal at our local pub after one particularly heavy week. Having said that, they never complained once and our builders were respectful - no radios, no swearing etc. They even helped them cut a tree down. Give and take.