PLANNING YOUR PROJECT
Contact Us Today!
Ph: 0428 163 683 | www.silkhomesqld.com
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...
1. Fresh Ideas
A Fresh Idea or coming across something new is the inspiration for where
it all really begins. You don’t wake up one morning and think ‘Hey!
Perhaps I’ll spend $50,000 on my house today!’ It all begins with an idea.
Lying in bed, you think - ‘wow, a bigger window and some louvres would
really get some light and breeze into this room and make the house look
great from the street’. Maybe an idea that you would like a bigger kitchen.
An idea that you could remove the back wall put in some bi-folds and add
a deck. You walk into your bathroom and realise the mould you can’t get
rid of has been here since the mid 80’s! You have started entertaining a
bit more now, and that outdoor kitchen you saw on TV would be great 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 ina project journal so you don’t forget
later on down the track.
Keeping a journal or file with all your renovation ideas can be a great
inspiration and useful reference. It will be really helpful when talking to a
builder if you can actually show 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 designing a space for
YOU. Take plenty of time to sit and dream what you want in your
renovated home. Get creative, be inspired!
2. Budget
Urgghh! The part everyone dreads! However, of course, a most important
part of the 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
spend. You may have to slightly reign in some ideas that you were
thinking of (gold plated taps? – nah I can live without those) 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 Land
Valuation by a realty agent 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.
3. Design
Once the budget is set it then comes to the actual design – removing a
wall here, building a new one there, bathroom moves around this way,
widen doorway there and so on.
We usually see people in a couple of categories - people who aren’t sure
what they want but know they need to do something, people who have
some rough ideas drawn up on paper, and people who come to us with a
full set of plans.
For those who aren’t yet sure, it is a case of them sitting down and talking
us to get some clear idea 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 Silk Homes Qld 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. Being local builders with
generations of experience we know the local conditions that effect each
and every renovation, and can design the project to those conditions
making best use of your particular environment.
If you already 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 transformation.
Other aspects 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.
And get going…
1. Plans
Once you have settled on a design concept it is the architect who will draw
your plans and 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!
2. 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? The unfortunate truth is that is
what will eventually happen. Are you ready to sacrifice time with your
family and friends sanding floors or painting?
In the excitement of coming up with the idea it all sounds like fun - but in
most cases ends up anything but, and often a poor result far from
expectations as the homeowner just wanted to get it finished or ran out of
time. 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. Or the contractor uses jargon and half-truths to come up with an
excuse your builder would see through that you may not.
Choosing a Builder…
A builder is your best option for a number of reasons. Firstly you alleviate the
stress of the process, secondly the project will be fully insured and guaranteed
for years to come. Last of all, as individual contractor’s tend to charge private
clients much more than industry savvy builders, the cost difference is often
negligible if not cheaper up front and certainly in the long run!
So, what to you look for in a builder?
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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, take
a close look at his operation, his presentation 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.
4. 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 unforeseen circumstances,
again a fixed price should not be a problem.
5. 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 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.
Remember when making your decision the added costs of staying
elsewhere or the dubious pleasure of staying with friends or family for
an extended length of time (for you and them). Weigh this against the
jubilation of coming home to a new and clean completed renovation.
Contact Us Today!
Ph: 0428 163 683 | www.silkhomesqld.com