Tuesday July 08 2008

We’ve all heard the horror stories, of builders going bankrupt and leaving the job half done. Of floors collapsing under the weight of a bath that’s too heavy, or discovering a chronic termite problem that means the whole place has to be pulled apart, rather than just the back room as planned.

Certainly, these are all possibilities when you go down that well-trodden Australian path of renovating your home, but disasters on this scale tend to be rare. The real stress of renovating, the angst that makes people swear black and blue they will never, ever renovate again, is caused by the small things. The wrong taps turning up, tiles being discontinued, wonky measurements, cranky neighbours – these are the things that happen to nearly everyone. But, with a little forethought, and some warnings from renovators who’ve learnt lessons along the way, you can minimise mistakes and make it as hassle-free as possible.

ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM

The best way to guarantee a smooth renovating ride is to enlist the help of creative, conscientious experts and tradespeople who know all the pitfalls and how to avoid them. Word of mouth is handy, but it’s always important to thoroughly check they’re the right expert for you. Having to change an architect, builder or other expert halfway through the job because you’ve realised they’re a dud is hellish in all sorts of ways, says John Matthews, who with his wife, Renee, went through two architects in the process of totally gutting their inner-city terrace.

“Our first architect was recommended by a friend, but it took a few months for us to realise he wasn’t right,” he says. “We didn’t like the first plans he came up with; he was slow and not very professional about keeping in touch. We were stressed and unhappy before we’d even knocked out a brick.” After three months, John and Renee fired their architect, then spent time hunting for a new one. “Even though it cost us time and money to get rid of the first architect, it was worth it, because the end result just wouldn’t have been as great.”

EYES WIDE OPEN

Even when you find a good expert you can never assume anything, and it pays to be involved and aware of what stage things are at. Samantha Thompson and husband, Ben, used a draftsperson to create the plans for their new country home. Unfortunately, a small measuring error on the plans resulted in a huge extra cost. “The width of our living area she calculated was out by 1.2m,” says Samantha. “When you consider our living area is 17m long and do the maths, it was a costly mistake!”

Genevieve and Anthony Lettieri wanted a glamorous kitchen in their new extension, so chose a specialist kitchen cabinetmaker to do the job. They went for sleek, floating cupboards with a thick marble benchtop, and Anthony suggested the cabinetmaker add steel brackets to hold the weight. He didn’t, and, after a few weeks, it began to collapse and Anthony had to prop up the lot with bits of timber. “Luckily he was able to fit brackets, so you can’t see them, or we would have had to build the whole kitchen again,” says Genevieve. Their advice about dealing with tradespeople? “Don’t trust them implicitly.”

Most people agree it never pays to cut corners when you’re renovating. “We went with the cheapest tiling quote, because we’d already spent so much on the first architect and everything else,” says John Matthews. “But, when we’d finished, it was just rubbish, with tiles crooked and bits of grout sticking out. We had to get him to rip the lot out and do it again, and a lot of the tiles broke so we had to wait for new ones. It added weeks to the job, which cost us a lot because we were renting another apartment.”

Unless you’ve got real knowledge and experience and lots of spare time, forget project managing a large renovation yourself. For smaller renovations it’s possible, but you’ll need to be unbelievably organised. “You need a calendar on-site, so you can organise which tradesmen are coming on which days,” advises Anna Basset, who oversaw the renovation of her kitchen and bathroom. “It’s also worth photocopying brochures of your appliances and giving copies to the tradesmen, so they have the specs to hand.”

Samantha Thompson, who project managed construction of her house in country Victoria, agrees organisation helps avoid little glitches. “I had a full set of plans laminated and kept them on site – it’s amazing how often tradesmen will lose them,” she says. “And I kept a small whiteboard for builders and tradesmen to leave messages for each other.”

Whether or not you move out during the renovation, be aware that every inch of the house, even inside cupboards, will be smothered in dust. Make sure you shift valuable items out of the way, maybe even to a rented storage unit for the duration. “We couldn’t believe how builders treated our house like a building site, although I suppose that’s what it was,” says John Matthews. “The few pieces we left got bumped and scratched from building materials being carried through.”

READY, SET, GO...

Depending on where you live and what you’re doing, council approval can take an incredibly long time. In many inner-city areas, a six-month wait is average, and can be longer due to neighbours’ objections.

“We didn’t factor in how long approval would take and it was a nightmare,” says Charlotte Nichols, whose husband Damian was owner/builder during the renovation of their terrace. “Damian had taken time off, lined up tradesmen and we’d moved out. Then they had to spend weeks doing little jobs before they could get stuck into removing walls and doing the big things that depended on the council approval.”

However, it also pays to be prepared early, with builders lined up and materials chosen, so you’re ready to go when approval comes through. Anna Basset bought everything from kitchen appliances to tiles months before her renovation began. “It’s such a good trick, and it saves time and money,” she says. Anna also recommends buying more tiles than you need, as they’re often discontinued and it’s common to need more at some stage.

Any time you’re having valuable materials or appliances delivered, check they will be secure when they’re left. “I’ve heard of ovens and things being stolen from building sites, still in the box,” says Anna. “I always made sure one of the tradesmen would be there when anything was delivered.

Smart renovators get their neighbours onside before the plans go to council and work hard to keep them happy until the final brick is laid.

“I left my neighbours little notes throughout the renovation to tell them if there was something particularly noisy or disruptive happening,” says Anna.

Possibly the most important thing is to visit the site as often as you can, ideally every day, even if you’ve got someone else project managing the job.
And, last of all, a few words about budgets. Everyone goes over budget, some more than others. “Have a quantity surveyor or builder check the estimates for all materials and then allow for a 20 per cent contingency,” warns Samantha Thompson.

So it comes down to a few simple rules. Get good experts, be involved, be nice to your neighbours and move out if you can. Who knows, you might have so much fun you’ll want to do it all again.


YOUR RENOVATION CHECKLIST

Find the experts Take the time to find reputable, trustworthy professionals and tradespeople. Get referrals from friends, ask to speak to previous clients and trust your instincts.

Set your budget Renovations can cost up to $3500 per square metre in city areas. As a rule of thumb, experts recommend you shouldn’t spend more than 30 per cent of your purchase price on renovations or you’re in danger of overcapitalising.

Be prepared Do your homework to avoid nasty surprises along the way. “Do a thorough investigation of the existing property before the renovation starts. Things like termite inspections, checking the building structure,” says Pietro Scalise, a building consultant at the Sydney Building Information Centre. There are some things you just won’t know about until building starts, so keep 10 to 20 per cent of your budget in reserve to cover contingencies.

Get approvals Check with your council to see what approvals are required in your area and the estimated time it takes to process them. It’s also wise to talk to your neighbours first, so you will have an idea if there are likely to be objections.

Stay or go? Consider moving out during the renovations if possible. “It most definitely saves time as the builders don’t have to work around you,” says Pietro. “Also, homeowners tend to get quite emotional about things being done to their home, so it can be better to just let the builders do what they have to do.”

House rules Set boundaries from the start about how builders and tradespeople can use your home’s facilities, like the phone and toilet. “A detailed contract is so important and should cover things like this,” says Pietro. “Make sure you put everything in writing from the beginning.”

Be there Communication is the key to a renovation that goes smoothly. Aim for daily visits to the site, or at the very least phone contact with key experts and tradespeople.