Most engineering Professionals prefer building New buildings to renovating existing ones.
With good reason.
Renovations are tricky, expensive and require flexibility and innovative thinking.
Who needs all that Stress?

Yet, some of us find renovations refreshing. Its fun & extremely rewarding to see what can be made of a Plain flat, an upgraded building or a remodelled space.

Over the next couple of days, I'll highlight points to note if renovating. From Choosing ur contractor to keeping costs under control, We'll discuss it all.
1pm every Day, I'll put up fresh feeds.
Please Join Me.

Hello,
Today's feed is early.
This will happen on occasion depending on my programme.
Don't let it worry U.
Enjoy.



Day 1-
Client Side
Depending on the extent of your renovation, You should consider getting drawings for your project.
Request floor plans As Is and for projected changes as well. Looking at drawings on paper gives U perspective but it does not guarantee that U won't be shocked when you see the actual scale.
If Elevations-Frontal/Side- aspects of the building will be affected, you could also view this on Paper too.
This allows U take better informed decisions. You can ask opinions or take time to view the changes to be made. We do not all have 3D imagination and U may already be taken by the persuasiveness of your contractor. Slow him down. View on paper first.

Contractor Side
The care U don't exercise when inspecting the property will come back to haunt you. Its hard because sometimes U have to pay for drawings even though U're still bidding for the job. It happens. But as is drawings and thorough inspection allows U gather needed info that help U bill properly. This really is the crux. Clients hate to pay for what U discovered late. It causes arguments, delays the contract and payments. For an abandoned building with buried wiring, you have no business assuming you can reuse wires without having powered the building to test if the wiring works well.
Locations of Pillars, beams, piping networks are all part of what must discovered before U sign up to receive an advance. Do your homework properly. Do not rely on your ability to explain to get more money or time out of your client when U run into an unforseen problem.

Key Points for all:
Ensure workability on paper. Have an idea and a plan for getting out of the tricky situation U will undoubtedly encounter when U start to renovate. Agree the Idea and the Plan.

People,
Apologies all around. Work thingz.
Have new respect for bloggers and columnists now.
Today, its a 4 part meal. Up to day 4.




Day 2
Client Side
When renovating a commercial property, your priority is probably functionality. Well done, easy to maintain, cheap to do.
Renovating your home allows U more than this. Frequently, when we build, we take what we can get. Cash constraints mean you can't get it perfect then. Several years down the line, renovations allow you to put it right. Everything from Roofing, ceilings, position of windows, addition & collapsing of space, within structural limits, renovations allow it.
Don't deny yourself. Renovations go beyond redoing tile and adding POP/Painting new walls.

Contractor side:
Most clients in their 30s-50s are not done building yet. The chance to renovate is an opportunity to get a client for decades. Manage your enthusiasm and be truthful. You can't always predict timelines and budget overruns in a renovation. Let your clients know your reservations. Similarly, use the opportunity to intimate them of the available possibilities. Let them be the ones to determine what's on and what is not.

Key Points:
Renovations allow full expression of what's needed to make a house enjoyable. But expectations must be open, managed and cost itemised.

Day 3
Client Side:
Payments follow similar patterns in Renovations.
Lump sum advance. Payment on milestones.
Problems arise because unknown factors come into play from day 2 or a little later. For the contractor to move forward, he allocates cash to the new problem, thereby breaking the agreed milestones. If he is working in the home U occupy, this can be disconcerting.
Solution is to get a daily progress report. Seperate his contract payments from his variations. Infact, without telling him, allow the job a little extra funding. 10-15% of contract value. If he cannot justify it, hold ur cash. If its a legitimate need, release and seperate from contract value. Do not deceive yourself. If the renovation is large scale, there will be unexpected costs. Prepare for it.

Contractor Side:
You have agreed the walls to be broken down. Have U agreed who will cart away debris?
If U have not agreed little details like this, there will be issues. Fixing a lump sum for breaking a wall to some clients indicates your willingness to cart away the debris. You may even be willing to cart away at the end of the project but the client expects immediate removal. He lives in an estate and the regulations forbid massing debris!
Be specific. Outside corporate clients, no one will allocate you funds for miscellaneous expenses.
Be specific.


Key Points
Monitor the contract. Don't pile up variations. Ask questions. Receive answers. Ensure specificity.

Day 4
Client Side
There is a difference between a renovation and making good. Renovation involves scale. As the root word which is Latin for rebirth, it means bringing alive once more. Making good means repair so that what is functional becomes optimal.
Renovations involve substantial sums of money. Do U use One contractor or several? It depends. One contractor will cast his shadow over his team. If he's an idiot, nothing will get done. If he's stingy, he'll have high turnover of staff which is bad for your security and time line. If he does not delegate, things will move at his pace. So pick your contractor well. For a large job, a contractor who comes to site alone to take measurements and carry out inspections while bidding for the job is a bad sign. Carpentry, Plumbing, electrical work all require specialty. He shld visit with his team when inspecting substantial work.

Contractor Side:
If You do all your inspections yourself, you will miss out on stuff.
Its also futile to leave ur subcontractors to work without supervision. Your carpenter may be good but your bricklayer is average. Where their jobs intersect, there will be friction. Anticipate this and allow for it. An onsite supervisor is a good idea. Costly, yes. But if he's doing his job, he's worth it. Letting ur clients settle issues with your workers is wrong. At least not always. The principal issue is most contractors use subcontractors not permanent workers. This will be discussed another day.

Key Points:
You can't have a capable contractor and incapable workers.

Continued, Folks.
Howdy?


Day 5
Client:
One main contractor or several subcontractors?
It depends. Several factors play in to this. Nature of renovation to be done for instance. If U're getting a solar panel fitted as part of what U need done, Yes, U'll need a subcontractor for that. If U're heavily into colors and special effects painting, U'll need a skilled sub contractor. The bottomline really is the competence of your main contractor. If U're using an experienced bricklayer or housing agent as your contractor, its understandable that U'll have issues. But if U can afford a skilled professional with demonstrable capacity to perform, U're on the way to getting a good Job done.

Contractor:
Your size will determine your success, partly.
For large renovation Jobs, your work is made harder by operating with subcontractors only, no skilled coy staff. It does not matter how long U've known the sub contractor, he'll have his own plans and program. Worse, he may not let you into his schedule. You find yourself managing the job and managing the guy's schedule. If its a line critical job, you will end up disappointing your client. Painters within the Christmas period for instance. Same as plumbers, electricians etc. Every one has their program. You also know it can be tricky getting a new plumber to finish what another started.
Solution: as U grow put apprentice staff on salary. when people depend on you for their monthly upkeep, they tend to behave better. For contractors, stagger payments to receive lump sum after critical work has been done.

Key Points:
Use sub contractors for specialized work. Contractors who have skilled workmen on staff have better control over project pace.