Options For Undertaking Major House Renovations

Homeowners who live in the same house for a long time know how important it is to undergo a major house renovation project every now and then. Fixtures and decorations in a household are subject to the normal wear and tear that eventually makes them look old and outdated. Major renovation projects call for relatively big budgets therefore one of the most important things is choosing the builder. The project will have its own stresses but you do not want to endure any unnecessary additional distress caused by choosing a poor building company. You want the renovation to go as smoothly as possible so that you can enjoy the desired outcome you are willing to pay so much for.

Renovations – image vorakorn

One of the best methods to choose a good builder is to ask your friends and neighbours if they can recommend you someone they trust. This is a good idea because you can visit your friend and see for yourself what the builder can do.

If your friends can’t recommend you a good builder, you can do an online search for builders in your area. There are many business directories where you can find such information. Pick a few builders and contact them all, asking for a quotation on your project.

Try to be very specific in your briefing, so that the builders can understand exactly what needs to be done. If you only want to redo the kitchen and the bathroom, specify this. If you also want to repaint the whole house and perhaps organise the attic to use it as a gym, don’t forget to mention that either. If you want to change the configuration of your rooms, you could ask the builders to come up with their own creative ideas for creating the new living space.

Before sending out the quotation requests, do a little background check on the builders on your list. If you find bad reviews about any of them, you may want to wipe them off the list. Regarding their work experience, it is probably better to choose builders that already have an established reputation in your local market. However, there might be young and very talented builders, so you may want to give them a shot, too.

Ideally, you want to end up with three or four detailed quotations on yourmajor house renovation job. The next step is to meet each of them in person for an in-depth discussion about the way they see your project, the steps to be taken and what things they expect may get a bit tricky at some point. Ask the builders to show you samples of their work and to provide you a few references. You may also contact their former clients and ask them about their experience with the builder.

One thing to keep in mind when you are looking for a qualified builder to take your project you might want to look only at building firms that are members of the Association of Master Builders. This is because in order to become a member, a business has to adhere to and comply with some strict standards of quality. They also have strict rules concerning their customer service standards and they are also required to have a minimum level of insurance coverage. Therefore it is a better chance to find someone really good and trustworthy if you search this directory instead of looking in Yellow Pages or other similar catalogues.

House renovation builder – image marin

After you choose your builder, prepare the agreement you both need to sign before starting the work. This agreement should contain all details regarding the works to be done, the steps of the project, the specifications of each task and the cost of each operation. The more specific you can be the better. For example, if you are having a new kitchen then specify the brand and model of the new appliances you want. If things are not clear from the very beginning, you may end up having to spend a lot more than you initial budget in order to have the job done. Misunderstandings can occur and hidden costs may appear, therefore you should try to minimise them as much as you can by being very specific in the contract.

If you are in Remuera, Grey Lynn, Epsom, Parnell or Ponsonby and want a house renovation Auckland has plenty of potential building companies. However not all of them are able to undertake big renovation works as some only build new homes on new sections. So look for renovation specialists like Repair & Restore. They carry out very high quality renovation jobs for their customers as this video shows.

If you have a major house renovation then following the advice above will make your building project less stressful and should bring about a much more satisfying outcome.