It is not as simple as it looks.
In contrast to buying a new appliance where you can go online or to the store and get a pretty definite price, renovations can be very difficult to assess, because numerous factors, such as labour, materials, time, and scope of your project will likely have some hidden costs in store for you.
Why are you renovating:
It sounds obvious, but in the beginning, it makes a lot of sense to determine your reason for renovating. Decisions regarding quality, price, and scope will be determined by your ultimate reason you're starting a renovation project.
Example 1: The expected value added to a property might be a reason for using high quality products when planning to renovate a house that you're planning to put on the market later.
Example 2: For a renovation that is needed to repair your property after a water damage your budget might not make it possible to use anything but mid-range quality of products and labor.
Do your homework
Before starting any renovation check the internet and inquire about all of the known challenges that occur during this type of renovation. There is always the possibility of issues occurring with city hall, utility companies and building contractors and it is helpful to be aware of what could potentially happen.
So how are you paying for it?
If you've read a few of my articles this will not come as a surprise to you:
It is always best to save as much as possible versus getting a loan. The less the loan and the interest rate the better all around. Check all aspects of the project and get an estimate of the project before asking a financial planner for help. If a loan is needed, don't get it from the contractor, that is not their business and it is likely a poor and rather costly idea.
Always budget for an over-run. The larger the project the more chance of escalating costs. It is amazing how little problems or changes in plans can create cost over-runs.
The scope of the renovations will dictate a lot about the project and the consequences around the renovation. A small job will likely be easy to be successful. A big job may make life miserable for a while. A job with a big cost over-run could create a nightmare.
Plan for timing delays.
All the best plans can be changed by unseen circumstances.
Where or how to live during the reno?
If your renovation plan is so big that it is impossible to live in the home while the work is on-going you might have to plan for alternative living arrangements. Try to assess if noise, dust or the mere impact of the renovations make it unreasonable to live at home.
Outside factors
City taxes - if renovations are visible outside, the city might be able to raise taxes.
Power and Water - If working on the yard and digging make sure to consult plans for underground pipes and electrical conduits. If replacing items like fridges, washers/dryers and any other electrical appliances check with the local power company to see if there are any savings or grants available. New electrical items may even require new electrical work to be done. Homes are being rewired specially for new computerized gadgets.
City by-laws and Building Codes - By-Laws and building codes vary and are changed on a fairly regular basis. The latest rules and laws may not allow certain renovations or the codes may require up-grading of electrical and plumbing in the home. Check with the local government to find out what the rules are for certain up-grades. It may be necessary to get a building permit.
The hidden costs - A most important issue about renovations is the unseen. Old sub-standard electrical wiring, old plumbing, asbestos, rot and mildew are some of the problems that can occur and escalate the costs. It may be wise in many instances to hire a building inspector if changing walls are involved in the renovation.
Contractors
If you're using a contractor then it is critical to make sure they are well regarded. Check the internet to see if there have been known problems with the company. Ask around to see if anyone has used someone they were happy with. Remember though that no prior job will be the same and get the same results. Also remember that the more reliable the contractor is rated the more likely that the renovation will cost more. Cheaper contractors may be more unreliable and use poorer building practices.
Once a contractor is decided upon it is important that everything is properly written down to make sure there are no problems later on. And that means everything that is discussed is written down and agreed to by both parties. This entails making lists of all parts that need to be bought, all procedures, all schedules. The bigger the job the more important it is to get it right from the get go.
Take lots of pictures. Don't be shy, just do it. It doesn't matter if anyone is in them but make sure that something is in them to get perspective of size. They should also be dated. Pictures make great records of things as they are done. That means taking pictures of walls before they are broken down and pictures of the electrical and plumbing as the job progresses.
Check out the internet and find a list of things that should be done for any renovation, it may not be needed but it is safer to have it then not.
Lastly and super Important - watch the down payment and the continuing payments. Make sure to record every payment with appropriate notes. It is amazing how many costs or payments are recorded improperly. For larger projects, funds will have to be paid at certain times. Don't make any payments until everything is totally agreed upon and signed off by both parties.
There are many internet sites talking about home renovations, in fact too many to know which one to look at. Some point out the problems and some show great pictures of successful renovations. Take a look at lots of them and use the relevant information for your particular project.
In other words, if you want a great result, spend a lot of time researching the project and get lots of facts ahead of time. You want the job done as proficiently as possible: on time, on budget and looking great.
It is likely a bit stressful thinking in terms of getting your place renovated. The time taken to save up enough funds, looking at samples galore, talking to people about ideas and asking friends about contractors. Sometimes people finally get to the point of getting a contractor or two over to the place and get an initial quote. Then they look at the pricing and think about which contractor sounded more reasonable. Then they get lazy and just pick the job by the lower price or which sounded better. Neither approach is good enough. Depending on how much is at stake both cost wise and time wise you need to check out contractors a bit more.
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Some contractors come with an attitude:
They think they know better then you or they think that they will do the job on their schedule. They think that once they have the job you are stuck with them. They also say they will be there and do it but then they say the other job took longer. Whatever, you have to be able to get along well with the contractor for a certain amount of time and during that time you may have to do things around the home differently. Make sure you feel really good about the contractor. You may even try to push his buttons a bit while trying to get the quote. Ask some harder questions about time, cost over-runs, material delivery, daily site cleanup standards or whatever you feel is reasonable. Push the contractor to see how they react. Try to get a real feel how they will react to problems and to your style and wants and needs.
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Many contractors aren’t fully licensed if licensed at all.
You need to know just how licensed they are. What kind of workmen safety they have and what kind of insurance they have. Most contractors should be licensed by a variety of local or provincial boards.If you’re really serious, you may look up some government agency to find out what licensing is best. You don’t want an accident to happen and the contractor blame you.
The contractor needs proper insurance. If the contractor was to break something of yours while doing the job, they need to have the insurance coverage to make sure the broken item is replaced at their cost, not an add –on to the bill to cover their mistake.
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Does the contractor use the correct workers? You don’t want a bunch of apprentices or handymen if you’re paying a lot of money for a specialty job. Apprentices and handymen are necessary but only for certain jobs. If you are paying a low sum for the job then don’t expect experts or well- seasoned tradesman. Make sure the contractor has the correct personnel for the job you are paying for.
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Contractors come in lots of shapes and sizes, both good and bad. You should check on the internet to find out if there are any complaints about the company. Never pay any contractor up front. You may never see your money again or the product and services you paid for. Establish the contractor’s reputation and check with a construction organization to see what you should be paying for up front and what should be paid later and how much to hold back until satisfied with the job.
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Safety and Security. Do you really trust a bunch of unknown people to run around your house? People are people. Some are better than others and some are worse than others. Really try hard to remember to lock up all valuables and/or make sure yourself of someone you can trust is on site as work progresses. Once something goes missing it is near impossible to figure out what happened. Only the perpetrator knows what happened. You can’t just blame it on the contractor who knows as much as you do about the situation. Don’t leave anything tempting around – not even a cell phone.
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Costs. You want the project done properly according to the quote which should contain all of the costs and the time taken to do the job. Make sure that you are very precise about the job to be done and the parts needed to renovate. If there are parts missing from the contract make sure it is clearly written out as an add-on before it is done, how much it will cost and how long it will take. If you are lazy and don’t check the contract properly you may find yourself in trouble later. Bickering with the contract usually slows the project down and creates much friction.
Many contractors just fix something then charge you extra without your knowing exactly what happened.
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Time: almost all jobs go past the time agreed upon. It is simply the nature of the job. Many parts of a job are unknown. Many times, the job requires other outside contractors whom may get sick, parts aren’t available when needed; time-tables for other contractors get screwed up by unknown factors. There are lots of reasons why jobs take longer than planned. You have to understand these problems and expect some to come up. The larger the job: the more problems that can come up. Also, the older the renovation: the more problems are likely to happen. An old adage is that a renovation of any decent size will take twice the time expected.
Unfortunately, contractors can’t tell you the real time because another contractor may quote a shorter time just to help get the contract. You feel that the quicker contractor is better. In real fact the faster quote is quite often just a gimmick to sell you on the job. The better contractor may lose the job due to timeframe so they have to put the shortest time on the quote whether it is realistic or not.
- Proof of quality. One way to know the quality is good is to make sure the contractor is taking photos of the job as it is progressing. This means there is better proof of things as they are happening. The other great step is to take a ton of your own pictures. Take pictures of every step including the dismantling of the renovation. Then take pictures of every little nook and cranny as they job progresses and make good notes about the pictures taken. Contractors know that if there is picture proof of everything going on then they had better make it good the first time. If they have to redo something then the cost will be theirs and theirs along. They really don’t want that happening. Photo records are also really great if you ever have to go to arbitration about a job improperly done.
+++link to our Renovations Planner+++ - should this be here???