Prepare For The Renovation Adventure
Renovating your home can be quite an adventure and to ensure the process is as smooth as possible, it’s essential you be prepared.
Visiting the Melbourne HIA Home Show is a great opportunity to get some ideas and inspiration for your new venture.
Another thing to consider is whether your home is ready for the renovation project. Before commencing any renovation work, we recommend you get a professional to check the existing conditions of your home. The type of things that need to be inspected include:
• Stumps and floor levels
• Roof and gutters
• Internal walls, load-bearing or otherwise
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• Likelihood of asbestos or termites
• Site drainage
• Cracking in the interior and exterior of the building
In addition to the above items, it’s important to be aware of your responsibilities and obligations when carrying out renovation work. We’ve prepared our top ten items to ensure a smooth process.
- Prepare a budget and assess how you’re tracking on a regular basis. Renovation costs can blow out considerably so it’s best to realistically assess your budget and stick to it as much as possible.
- Prepare a job brief, scoping out the work required and clarifying exactly what you want completed. Try to be as specific as possible to ensure all parties are clear on your expectations.
- We suggest you take the time to get three written quotes before engaging any trades. By getting a minimum of three quotes, you’ll be able to compare each contractor and determine what is reasonable and within your budget.
- Keep records of all correspondence with trades in case you need to provide evidence of communication between parties.
- Any variations to the contract should be in writing and signed by both parties.
- Investigate whether you need a permit to undertake the renovation work. If you’re unsure, it’s best to engage a professional to determine your compliance requirements.
- Make sure you think about all the additional items as well, including plastering, electricians, tiles, appliances, etc. It can be easy to miss the finer details when you’re only thinking of the big picture.
- Set realistic deadlines for your renovation. There are several factors that can delay your project, including weather, delivery of materials and unexpected issues that may arise.
In addition, finding the time to renovate can be difficult when you’re also working, so make sure you consider how timing can impact on your renovation project.
- Determine if you can do some of the work yourself to save costs. However, be realistic about what skills you have in order to complete the job to your satisfaction. Costs will start to blow out if the work needs to be repaired or redone by a professional in the field.
- Enjoy the process! Renovating can be a very satisfying experience and once you’ve finally finished, you can enjoy the results of your hard work.