Trials and Tribulations of Remodeling A House

Remodeling your house can be a daunting task. From finding the right contractor to dealing with unexpected problems, there are many things that can go wrong during a remodel. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the trials and tribulations of remodeling a house. We will also provide tips on how to save money and avoid common mistakes. Let’s get started!

Obtain A Survey

Surveyors are experienced at looking at properties and spotting potential risks that a home may need fixing.

This step is important because it will help you avoid any surprises during your remodel and will allow you to properly budget for each issue that is raised.

Obtain Quotes

Once you have obtained a survey, the next step is to get quotes from contractors.

When getting quotes, be sure to ask for a breakdown of all costs so that you can compare them “apples-to-apples”. It is also important to make sure that the contractors are licensed and insured.

There are many contractors available out there, you can use a tool such as a corporation fillings database to make sure that the contractors are who they say they are, you can also make sure that their company is in good standing.

Check References

After you have selected a contractor, the next step is to check their references.

Be sure to ask for references from previous clients and also ask to see pictures of work that they have done. This will help you make sure that you are hiring a reputable contractor who has experience with the type of work you need done, if you don’t do this, you can find yourself in a whirlwind of trouble and long winded legal battles.

Hire A Contractor You Trust

One of the most important aspects of a successful remodel is hiring a contractor that you trust.

You should interview several contractors before making your final decision. Be sure to ask for references and do you due diligence, you might even want to follow up on these references to make sure.

At the end of the day, there needs to be a balance, you need to be able to trust your contractor and also be able to express any concerns with them, without feeling intimidated, so trust is an important factor, after all, you are going to give up your home to these contractors for a period of time..

Get Everything in Writing

Another important tip is to get everything in writing.

This includes the contract, a schedule of work, and a list of materials that will be used and possibly a breakdown for each job they will be completing for you. This will help you avoid any misunderstandings or problems down the road.

Payment

Some contractors may require a percentage of payment upfront, this is to cover material costs primarily, but depending on the contractors financial position, you should be able to negotiate this upfront cost.

Do not part with too much monies as you don’t want to be out of pocket if something arises or the contractor doesn’t turn up to work due to other jobs, you want to be able to have the leverage in order for the contractor to want to complete your remodel and if you pay them upfront, good luck getting this back!

A good rule of thumb is never to pay more than 30% upfront, you can negotiate this though and some contractors may be happy with 20%.

Progress Meetings

You should schedule regular progress meetings with your contractor to ensure that the work is progressing as scheduled and that there are no problems.

These meetings will also give you an opportunity to ask any questions and voice any concerns that you may have.

Inspections

Be sure to schedule inspections at various stages of the remodel.

This will help you catch any problems early on and avoid costly repairs down the road.

These are just some of the trials and tribulations that you may face when remodeling your house. By following these tips, you can avoid common mistakes and save yourself time and money.

Now that we have gone over some of the basics, let’s take a more in-depth look at some of the common pitfalls associated with remodeling a house.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is not doing their homework before hiring a contractor.

You should always get multiple quotes, check references, and be sure to ask for a breakdown of all costs before making your final decision this is paramount. Another mistake people make is not getting everything in writing.

Be sure to get a contract that includes a schedule of work, a list of materials that will be used, and a breakdown of all costs. This will help you avoid any misunderstandings or problems down the road.

Another common mistake is not scheduling regular progress meetings with your contractor. Progress meetings will give you an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and catch any problems early on.

Finally, be sure to schedule inspections at various stages of the remodel. This will help you catch any problems early on and avoid costly repairs down the road.”

You may also want to include an escape clause within the contract, this will allow you to have the power to cancel the contract and go your separate ways if disagreements arise, this can avoid unnecessary confrontation.

Final Thoughts

Remodeling your house can be a challenging task, but by following these tips, you can avoid common mistakes and make the process a lot smoother. Be sure to do your homework, get multiple quotes, and always get everything in writing.

And most importantly, schedule regular progress meetings with your contractor to ensure that the work is progressing as planned and that there are no problems. By doing this, you can avoid costly repairs and have a successful remodel. Thanks for reading! We hope this was helpful.

Please feel free to share this with anyone who may be thinking about remodeling their house soon!

Another important element, is to just enjoy it, people tend to find a complete remodel stressful but if you learn to relax and try to enjoy the process, it can move much more swiftly.

Having the builders in… Again.

So, you know what the main issue is with home renovations that really annoys me? Having the builders in and spreading dust and dirt around the house like no bodies business. My partner and I are very much familiar with builders mess as we’ve done a lot of projects in our past but the same thing that is always a nuisance is cleaning up builders dust! When you’re having internal walls removed, so much dust and debris gets around the room and if it’s not vacuumed up it can very much linger for a long time if not, forever.

I say this with a love/hate relationship, don’t get me wrong, I love what builders do, they are masters of their trades (most of them!!) but they don’t really clean up after themselves and I think this is very important, especially if you want to live in a dust free environment that’s for sure. So back to my story…

It was very recently when we had an internal wall which separated two big double bedrooms removed to create a nice huge bedroom with en-suite that I decided to find out what the best vacuum for builders dust was and just go ahead and bought one whilst we were having the works done in our home and I don’t joke when I say this, but this was the best thing I’ve ever done and should have gone ahead and bought one for our previous jobs, I ended up buying a Numatic Henry XTRA which is a fantastic vacuum cleaner, it’s bigger and more powerful than the standard Henry and for around £40 more in price but I tell you what, after each evening after the builders had gone for the day, I waited a little while to allow the dust to settle on the surfaces and then I was straight in that room with a mask, vacuuming up all that disgusting builders dust.

The amount of footprints on my floor was unbelievable but I had the flooring completely ripped out as we were going for a nice cream carpet, can you imagine have a builders dirty footprint on cream/ivory carpet! I think not, the carpet was definitely the last thing to be fitted. I can not honestly emphasis how important it was to vacuum the wood under-floors each day, we’re appreciating it more so now once everything has been completed, the amounts of dust we kept on seeing in our old properties which would seem to come from no-where and sit on the skirting boards every single day and that was with me cleaning/dusting and vacuuming 5 times per week was crazy, this has been eliminated now and I finally know why, I even spoke to one of the builders who was doing the job here and he said not often do clients realise that they should be keeping the area as dust free as possible and that a builder is there to do one thing, “BUILD” not “CLEAN”. When he said this to me I thought “Blooody cheek” of the man but he has got a point.

After that conversation, I thought, never am I going to just leave the builders to get on with it, I will be forever cleaning the surfaces and floors even if the ground is as mucky as a pigs trough. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it later. It’s all in the PREP!