Two Demons Wait For Unsuspecting Homeowners, Hoping For

And in a new home project careful planning of the room layouts and space adjacencies allows flooring and other finishes to "break" where you want them to.But a custom sized window, carefully installed, might allow you to reinstall the existing trim inside and outside, and avoid the ripple effect entirely. Sometimes the cause is an outside force - an architectural review board, for example. At first glance, it's a simple, isolated project. The lack of interior walls also requires a more expensive structural system and makes the placement of ductwork and plumbing more difficult.On a remodeling or room addition project, evaluate the feasibility of the project in terms of the impact it will have on parts of the home that you're not intending to remodel.Project Creep can attack new home projects, too.Finally, always have realistic expectations about your project budget and communicate that budget to your architect and builder. A pebble's been dropped in the pond, and the ripples have begun to spread.Older homes, for example, often require building code upgrades when they're remodeled - upgrades that may have little to do with the project itself. Often, room additions can easily be designed to minimize the effect on the existing structure. But the interior and exterior trim must be replaced and painted and the exterior siding may have to be reworked, especially if the new window isn't the same size as the old one.Pebble In The PondThe Ripple Effect is the remodeling budget's worst enemy and can wreak havoc on small and large projects alike.. Just like the movements on the pond surface for which it's named, The Ripple Effect starts out small and grows, expanding until it engulfs the entire project. But mostly, project creep is a result of a difference in expectations between homeowner, builder, and architect. Project Creep happens when the extent of the work begins to grow, creeping along at first, until no one seems able to control the spiraling costs. And moving structure usually means reworking the wiring, ductwork, and plumbing that's been routed through the area. A simple example is a window replacement project. Once that window is replaced and the new window trim painted, the rest of the trim in the room looks bad and so the homeowner decides to paint that, too. When structural loads are changed in any way, for example, the existing structure must be rebuilt or retrofitted to meet updated code requirements. The root of the problem in the window replacement example is that a new standard sized window won't exactly fit the existing opening - necessitating the replacement of the trim. If you're not the detail-oriented type, hire a professional interior designer.The Ripple Effect lurks quietly in the background.Project CreepProject Creep is a close cousin to the Ripple Effect.And that's just the beginning. Don't assume that the architect and builder are in tune with your ideas about finishes - discuss your expectations in detail and whenever possible, see the actual finishes and fixtures.What started out as a simple window replacement ends up as the refinishing of an entire room. With fewer walls to separate spaces, it's difficult to make flooring transitions from one room to another so more expensive floorings often cover more of the house.Plan To Avoid CreepOn any project, start with a clear idea of the level of finish and quality you expect.In new home projects, the ripple effect is more pronounced in open plan designs. Sometimes the causes are almost impossible to predict, such as when the excavation of the site uncovers poor soil conditions.Don't Make WavesBut the ripple effect can be controlled if you take a moment.