Home Renovation Truths

Are you considering a home renovation project and looking for wisdom? We will be the first to tell you that although it won't be an easy process it can be a rewarding experience. If you follow the right advice and plan ahead you'll come through the other side with a beautiful installation you can be proud of.

Seattle Tile Direct

Don't get hung up on ALWAYS following the right advice, though. No one ever got it 100% right the first time, and if you're facilitating much of this process by yourself you can't expect to win it all. In fact, here's some home renovation truths most people in the industry have stumbled upon:

  1. You will go over budget by as much as double what you originally planned, sometimes even more. Know your absolute ceiling budget and have a contingency plan.
  2. Time lines are not your own. You thought the project would be done before the baby came? Sorry, the contractor got delayed due to back ordered material (or some other nuisance). It happens. A lot.
  3. Things won't come out looking how you thought they would. Most of the time this is for the best: it's often hard to imagine how lovely a space can look before it's all been pulled together. Scale models and drawings are expensive to commission, and they may not even aid in helping you further understand your vision. We suggest utilizing samples and trusting yourself when you find a combination you are drawn to.

Whether doing things on the cheap or working with a designer and contractor, just remember to trust your instincts. Get multiple quotes for any job you are considering hiring out to a professional. Try to maintain patience when things go sideways, and have an emotional outlet for when you can't hold it together anymore. Designers often double as therapists. Can you see why?

Seattle Tile Direct is here for a simple reason: it's easier to purchase through a distributor who provides tile from all the vendors and facilitates the acquisition of this material. We do the leg work for you and your contractor: check stock, find out where in the world we're getting the material from, update you on lead times, hold the vendors accountable to these estimated times, then play the bad guy when things go wrong. And you get an average 20% discount in the process.

All that to say: you're in the right hands. What questions do you have? What other information about the home renovation world do you wish was easily accessible? Interact with us on Facebook and Instagram. Plus sign up for our newsletter and be the first to read new content.


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