Keeping House Renovations Under Control
During house renovations, planning and keeping things under control can help you avoid problems in the long run. But, what can you do to make things go smoothly? Where should you start?
The most common complaints refer to unexpected expenses that exceed your budget, poor finishes, missed deadlines, and issues that will make you need to renovate everything again.
Even if it seems impossible, all of this can be avoided. Are you wondering how? Follow these tips below and you’ll see how to keep your house renovations under control.
House renovations – the basics
1. A qualified advisor
According to experts, 90% of renovations are successful if you use professional advice. Whether from an architect, an engineer, or an interior designer.
Although, not every renovation needs a professional. For example, anyone with patience and skill can paint a room, but it’s a good idea to ask for professional advice or help if you need to demolish a wall or install a heating system.
When in doubt, always ask a professional. They’ll help you plan the renovation to reduce or eliminate unforeseen circumstances. But, besides this, what else should they do?
- Inspecting the house (ceilings, walls, etc.) Why? To understand the home’s state, what can be done, and how. Also, they’ll let you know what permits you need.
- Creating a project and a written budget, detailing what will be done and how. This will avoid paying overtime or other work.
- Defining the quality of the materials you’ll be using to avoid scams and achieve the expected results.
- Supervise the house renovations to stay within the budget and timeframe. It’s worth noting that a contractor won’t direct the work, but will coordinate what workers will do.
2. Renovations and building permits
Ask for a building permit. This is a must because it’ll give you the legal right to make renovations to your home and avoid later problems.
- City hall. They’ll let you know what you can do or not, they’ll ask for any necessary documents and will give you the permits you need.
- Community. If the renovations include work in a common area of a building, the City Hall will ask you for a written acceptance letter from your neighbors. You need to do this to avoid any issues.
3. A qualified contractor
Hire a qualified contractor to do the work. You’ll get quality and a guarantee. There are many advantages to this. Take note!
- All of their staff are insured.
- They have liability insurance. If there’s a problem or an accident, the company or workers will take responsibility for this.
- They’ll give you a written budget, containing all the works to be done and payments to be made. This should be detailed and specific, to avoid any surprises along the way. Also, they’ll give you a bill after they’ve finished the work.
4. The bill
Always demand a bill for any work carried out. If you don’t, you can never issue a claim for any poor work. Remember that, to avoid a spike in costs, it’s better to make modifications during the work.
House renovations – a surveyor, an architect, or an interior designer?
Choose the professional you trust the most. Either can help you get what you need. The most important thing is choosing the most efficient one.
If it needs to, the City Hall will suggest an architect or a surveyor.
This doesn’t rule out the interior designer. Why can’t they work as a team? Their jobs aren’t exclusive, they complement each other. By doing this you’ll achieve your goal within budget.
As you may have seen, doing home renovations doesn’t mean improvising things along the way. It’s important to plan and, whenever it’s needed, trust the guidance and construction control of a qualified adviser.