Two tips for a hassle-free renovation project
There are a number of things you can do to minimise the chance of things going wrong during your home renovation project. Here are two such things.
Don't ask for major changes to be made to the original plans midway through the project
At the very beginning of the renovation process, your contractor will consult with you, to ensure that they have a clear understanding of what you want the end results of the renovation project to look like.
It is extremely important to make sure that you are satisfied with your choice of materials, design features and colours at this point in the process.
The reason for this is as follows; if you ask your contractor to alter the layout, colour scheme or design features of a particular room after they have already ordered the original materials that you requested and begun to use these materials to perform the renovation work in this area of your home, there could be disastrous consequences.
In this situation, your contractor would have to pull up the materials they have already fitted (such as for example, the cabinetry, carpeting or shelves), return these items, order the new materials and begin their work all over again.
In addition to significantly increasing the cost of your renovation project, this could also lead to long delays, as your contractor may not be able to continue with their work until the new materials have been delivered.
If the materials take weeks to arrive and your contractor has another project scheduled to begin at that point, they may have to postpone the installation of these materials until they have finished this other project. If this should happen, you may be left with a half-renovated room for several weeks.
As such, it is best to avoid requesting major changes to be made after the renovation work is already underway.
Inform your neighbours of your intention to renovate before the project begins
Home renovations can be very loud; activities such as hammering, tearing down wall plaster, drilling and sawing timber all produce a great deal of noise.
It's important to recognise the fact that you will not be the only one affected by this noise. Your nearby neighbours will also be able to hear the sounds produced by your renovation team and they may find these sounds both distracting and distressing.
If you do not inform your neighbours of your intention to renovate and tell them when they can expect the noisiness to come to an end, they may make an official noise complaint with the local authorities, which could impede the progress of your project.
As such, it's important to discuss this matter with your those living nearby before you begin and to make an effort to avoid conducting loud renovation activities at inappropriate times (such as very early in the morning or late in the evening).
