Why do renovations take so much longer than promised?
nkyloh
4 years ago
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bigreader
4 years agodreamer
4 years agoRelated Discussions
thinking about doing the renovation ourselves
Comments (1)Hi Connie, It is a much busier time for professionals than it was 12 months ago, I understand why you may be going through all this. Here are 2 things to try. Try the Houzz Professional pages if you haven't already. Be clear on the phone about your timeline and budget and see what that nets you. If it doesn't work, I recommend coming to a builder via a different route. Perhaps via a subcontractor of a key department (plumber, framer, etc), an involved architect or a designer. Our professional relationships are so important to us, if a trusted builder asked me to take on an additional client to help their company out, I would expand my office staff etc to meet the demand, as we are all repeat business for each other and our livelihoods depend on the quality and quality of our professional relationships. As far as you physically performing labor, in many cases, tradespeople who spend all day every day performing tasks on an expert level save you money because they are doing it much, much faster than a DIY could and will likely have the experience to avoid mistakes that can cost you time and money or, in a more subtle way, there may be something you do that makes it more difficult or time consuming or costly for the trades that come in after your work- that could be avoided. Overall I think you should stick it out on the contractor search! You need one, there are so many good ones-- hang in there!! Good luck- this is no one's favorite part!...See MoreExtension/Renovation
Comments (14)Hi there, and congratulations on your house and plans - they look fantastic, really functional. We're just at the pointy end of planning for our renovation - it's taken 12 months to get us to the point of submitting for lur building permit. We're doing a small ground floor extension to add a bedroom and small study, plus reconfiguring our wet areas for a larger main bath, laundry and new powder room. Oh and we'll be rebuilding an old elevated deck and adding a fixed roof to part of it. We're currently trying to decide if we should go the owner builder route also, and also for budget reasons. We have a good friend who is a builder who is helping us, and tbh, i don't think we'd consider doing O/B without his advice/contacts, even though he says that our build is mostly carpentry. I've just heard and read so many horror stories of O/B builds going terribly over budget or time. And ours looks to be a much more straightforward job than yours. That said, if you puf a LOT of time into planning and educating yourself on what's required, and you're prepared to take your time and roll with the punches, i do think you can save a heap doing the project management yourself. One good tip from our builder friend regarding getting trades to quote - use people whose work is recommended, send a bcc email to everyone you want to invite tenders from, then set a site visit open time for any trades who wish to come and check it out - will save you a heap of time and hassle and the ones who show up will be the ones you'll want to do the job anyway....See MoreOne of life's big questions: Why do we get attached to stuff?
Comments (41)m_mdimond; My constant whippet! Yes change is inevitable. Youth was great! Middle age more challenging, now the dread of what happens as the body slows, bu the mind still runs at top speed! Funny how we eventually become our parents and live with all the things they once complained about: eyesight less sharp, glasses, threading needles a challenge. Oh what we so easily dismissed or took for granted when we were young! Pain at bay to this point. Sad to hear of yours, but fantastic you are still managing to walk your Shepherd, despite it! Dogs keep us centred and motivated. They shower us in love and lack of judgement. My dad had his Jack Russell at his side into his nineties. He was his constant companion and often his sole company for days at a time, other than his twice weekly cleaner. Animals are so special. They deliver their own unique greetings and communicate in such different ways. My life would be so much the less without the animals who have been part of it. So lucky to have had two wonderful ponies and an incredible galloway. So lucky many of my friends had horses too. Horses, dogs and cats are always a point of connection into special human experience and also lead us to new human and animal connections. Nothing wrong with memories and sentiment. I think we feel it even more accutely as we age. Glad I kicked up my heels, as well as keeping those "heels down, legs close to my horses side and and elbows close to my own" for much of my fantastic and sometimes wild youth! I was a pretty good kid really, but do admit to having been a teen groupie, back in the day, wouldn't swap that either. Somewhere here, I believe is my scrapbook and definitely a few photos in the albums. Still like to kick up my heels, too! Yes. Gratitude is vital....See MorePOLL: Is now the perfect time to plan your next renovation?
Comments (20)it is always a good idea to improve your home and there are many inexpensive ways to add value. Do your research in your area - always make improvements that will INCREASE the value of your home Take ideas from what’s sold in your area- which homes achieved the highest prices - in particular what features made the most impact and why... The most impactful way to improve your home - befor you renovate.. De clutter de clutter de clutter . if you can’t then add storage - storage is king. Look at door hardware - is it outdated ?? change to a more modern look - black hardware adds a great contemporary look to doors, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry - if you have a contemporary home that is! Bathroom mirrors - if your home is a standard 4 x 2 and holds a simple frameless mirror - then update it!! if there is no window treatment in the bathroom add one - 64mm venetian come in contemporary colours including black. best idea- use Houzz to find bathroom images of similar style and look to yours / then look for bathrooms that emulate the look your going for! sometimes cleaning grout and changing a shower screen can make all the difference! Kitchens - if your kitchen is functional and your cabinetry carcass is in good nic - change the doors with a local cabinet maker - if your carcass is good then don’t go over board! Having renovated over 300 properties to sell I look for simple but effective solutions that will impact a sale... Paint paint paint - best and cheapest solution by far! TVs - if they are currently sitting on tv units - mount them to a wall- create as much floor space as you can - sell your tv unit to fund your new monitor arm. a small floating cabinet or shelf underneath the tv should do the trick! Look for effective storage solutions for everyday appliances or gadgets that you use - you’ll be surprised at how much “bigger” your home will be! Use old bathroom mirrors and glue them to alfresco limestone walls behind your feature plants ( i’ve done this many a time is small complexes and large and they are always fantastic! ART - large pieces of art - if you can’t afford a great piece then find some beautiful upholstery or fabric and staple to an old canvas or multiple canvases to creat one large art piece even multiple fabric choices Recover old cushions - there are so many seamstresses out of work that i can get them done for under $10 per cushion .. Good window treatments can make all the difference. Pick your main areas to invest in the best window treatments and do the basics in the smaller rooms .. you can always update them later. Look at the companies warranties - the longer the better is what you want! make them guarantee fabric and components and ask them which products look good and stand the test of time year after year. Lighting - both mood and functional is so important - LED people ... will save you so much more money in the long run! If you can’t afford a lighting designer - go speak to the people at beacon or smaller lighting shops They will consult for you for free so ask them! I aiways guarantee that every dollar i invest in a project must make me at lest 1 - 3 dollars in return. Do that with every renovation idea make sure you’ll get your money back!...See Moreoklouise
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nkylohOriginal Author