Planning Your Renovation
Renovating is an exciting and busy time. Ideas, plans, designs, budgets, architects, builders, and councils are just some of the aspects you will encounter during your renovation. But, don’t be put off by it. The end result of having your home dramatically transformed into what you wanted is an exhilarating experience, and the sense of achievement is brilliant. Even if it is just a bathroom freshen up - having that new look will put a new spring into your step each morning!
We have all heard the horror stories of home renovations taking twice as long and costing twice as much as planned, but with a little forethought, a bit of research, good planning, and some help from us, you will be well on your way to the home of your dreams! So let’s get going...
- Ideas
We have put this section first because this is all where it really begins. You don’t get out of bed and think ‘Hmmmm - maybe I’ll spend $50,000 on my house today! It all begins with an idea. Lying in bed, you think - ‘wow, a high roof and some louvers would really get some light and breeze into this room’. Maybe an idea that you would like a bigger living room. An idea that you could remove those old aluminium sliding windows, put in some bi-folds and add a deck. You walk into your bathroom and realise it was made in the mid 70’s! You have started entertaining friends a bit more now, and that kitchen just won’t be good enough… you get the idea.
Ideas can have various points of inspiration - a friend’s home, a resort, a magazine, websites, TV shows - anywhere. Make sure you take pictures, get clippings and write down ideas so you don’t forget later on down the track. Keep a file of all your renovation ideas for easy reference. It will be really helpful when talking to a builder if you can actually how them how you want something to look. Find some great before and after renovation pictures so you can see what is possible in a great renovation.
Lastly - indulge yourself in the idea that you are creating a home for YOU. Take plenty of time to sit and dream what you want in your renovated home. Get creative, and get inspired!
- Budget
The word everyone hates! But, of course, a very necessary part of the whole process. No point in building the Taj Mahal if you can’t pay for it - or the bank takes it over! After you have gathered all your ideas and wish list, it is time to realistically assess how much you can afford to pay. You may have to slightly reign in some ideas that you were thinking of (gold plated bathtub) so that you can get the job done!
Make sure you take a look at the value of your land as well when deciding on an amount to spend on your property. It may help to get a valuer around to value your property and get their advice on what the maximum they believe you should spend on a renovation. You will then have something to gauge your initial investment figure by.
Remember that once your home is done - especially if a major home overhaul is completed, that ancillaries such as landscaping, fences and retaining walls may start to look a little shabby when compared to your newly refurbished home - so you may want to keep some money aside to spruce these up too.
You may also want to book in and consult with a finance expert to help you if you require finance to complete your renovation. When banks loan to clients carrying out renovations the requirements can be a little different to simply lending to purchase a property - you don’t want to get halfway through your renovation, want to borrow more money and be rejected. It is prudent to check on all these aspects first.
To get some idea of your borrowing capacity - you can check here.
- Design
Now it comes down to the actual design - walls getting removed here, walls getting put there, bathroom moves to here, doorway there etc.
We usually see people in a couple of categories - people who have no idea but know they want to do something, people who have some rough plans drawn up on paper, and people who come to us with a full set of plans.
For people who have no idea what they want, it is a case of them sitting down and talking with a third party to get some clarity on what they want or need, and getting some rough ideas down. In the case that you have a bit of an idea but you are not quite sure - there are a multitude of designers out there who will come and give you advice on what you can do - and probably charge you quite a bit for the service!
One of the great things about Smith & Sons is our ability, based on our experience and creativity, to stand back and see the overall picture - and what will really work well with your property. With local builders in each location, we know the local conditions that effect each and every renovation, and can design the renovation keeping in mind those conditions.
For who have plans drawn on paper, it is great to get out and see the home, and make sure everything they want to be done can be done structurally - taking into account engineering standards and council regulations. An experienced renovation builder should be able to gauge fairly quickly whether or not certain modifications can be carried out and to what length they will have to go to perform the operation. Other operations may have to be checked with council legislation first though. We have found at times that once we have made a suggestion though, the client has really taken to it and added it to their design. Another idea is to run the idea past friends - and see what they feel about the idea.
- Plans
Once you have your design ready to go - it is off to the architect who will draw your plans and hopefully offer a service where an engineer is consulted so the engineer can tick off everything to make sure it is structurally sound and won’t fall to bits when built! Architects and engineers can vary greatly in price - so do your homework. Make sure they are someone you can get on with as well as there will be some to-ing and fro-ing as the plans come together. Some architects will give you a 3D view of how everything will look when done - these really bring the renovation to life and get you excited!
When the plans are complete - they must be lodged in council to ensure they comply with all relevant by-laws. Some smaller renovations may not require council approval, but with laws tightening continually, it always pays to check. This can take some time so be ready for a bit of a wait. Instead of submitting to council, you can also go to a private certifier who has the authority to check plans to make sure they comply. Then they will visit at certain times during the renovation - foundations, frame, roof etc - to check everything is done as per the building code and council rules.
If this all sounds like a bit of a run around - it is! That’s why we do all of this for our clients - so you don’t have to be run off your feet with the details. It will save you time - and stress!
- Builder or DIY?
Most people who have done a DIY renovation have told us that it should be ‘D.I. WHY did I ever consider doing this!’ Although it can sound like fun and a bit of an adventure, getting up at 4am to get noggings in before the plasterers come, removing sewage pipes, painting until 2am, having the ceiling cave in when trying to remove them is NOT fun - trust us!
The biggest question to ask yourself is do I really have enough time to do this? How will you handle coming home from a hard day at work, walking into a house that is just framing and having to work for the next 4 hours just to get some cladding on the wall? Are you willing to give up every weekend for the duration of the project because that is what will eventually happen? Are you ready to sacrifice time with your family and friends sanding floors or painting?
We say all that to say this - it sounds like fun - but in most cases ends up a nightmare, and ends up a poor result as the homeowner just wanted to get it finished. Another question to ask is do you really have the construction knowledge required? When the building inspector asks you to redo certain sections of your renovation, you can’t go back to Google and say ‘You were wrong!’
Also - if you decide to go owner builder - which is basically where you organise all the trades instead of doing the work yourself, when selling the home you have to inform the prospective buyer that your home is not covered by any form of government building insurance. And that doesn’t sound good! And in the owner builder scenario, you are dealing with contractors, mess, products not turning up on site, mistakes and much more. Asking a contractor to do something again is not an easy task, but if the scenario arises you have to be ready to confront - and many people find this uncomfortable and instead end up living with something they hate.
- Choosing a Builder
Because we know you are switched on - we know you will choose a builder! So, what to you look for in a builder?
- Do You Like the Builder?
This comes first as even if all the following points fall in line, there is nothing worse than trying to deal with someone you cannot get along with. Remember, you will be sharing your hopes, dreams and aspiration for your home and your lifestyle with them, they will be in your house for long periods of time. You need to be able to openly and honestly express your opinions, good or bad, so get a builder who will listen and deal with you in a professional and friendly manner.
- Experience.
The next most important quality is experience. You don’t want a builder who has never attempted a renovation before, and who is not really sure how to achieve what you want. Request a list of previous clients and ring them to ask about their experience renovating. Look through photos and where possible visit some completed jobs. If they are a good builder they won’t mind you talking to previous clients about their renovations in order to gauge their level of experience.
- Work Ethic.
You need someone who will turn up when they say, carry out work efficiently and honestly, conduct themselves and their team professionally, and put your needs first. When talking to the builder, have a look in the back of his ute, his dress and overall manner - if he is tidy, courteous, on time to initial appointments and really listens to you in the early stages of your decision making process - chances are good this will carry over into his work ethic.
- Fixed Price Quote.
A fixed price quote can save a lot of hassle in renovations. A good builder has the ability to inspect, asses and quote accurately enough to give you a fixed price quote. If a variation is needed in unforseen circumstances, again a fixed price should not be a problem.
- Should I Stay or Should I Go?
This will really depend on what kind of renovation you are doing. For example a job such as adding a deck may not require you to move out, or refurbishing a bathroom if there are two in the house. Jobs such as a kitchen makeover, removing internal walls, changing rooflines and any major work though require careful thought as to how liveable the house will be during the renovation.
During the renovation there will be tradespeople walking in and out of our home, tools and materials inside and outside your home, plenty of noise and in most cases lots of dust - especially during the plastering/gib stage. This is the worst dust as it gets absolutely everywhere! You have to decide whether or not you can handle living in and around all these situations, and if it is actually safe for you to still be there - considering current workplace health and safety laws.
With children - it can make it worse. Little hands always seem to find things they are not supposed to - and you don’t want builders turning up and tools missing thanks to the kids. Worse still - children sustaining injuries from tripping on building material or falling through unfinished sections of work.
So, imagine coming home and finding the toilet gone, water not coming into the kitchen, power saws working and loads of timber on the front porch - hardly sounds idyllic? Take a realistic view of what is going to be done and make the decision whether to stay or go.
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