What You (Really) Need to Know Before Renovating Your Home

Hey, so you just bought yourself a house or you’re simply looking to refresh that abode. The right team working with you will make all the difference in the world.

Building or renovating a house is no simple task and although you may choose to take a DIY approach, you will still need experts to help you realise your dream vision. Now, which experts are we talking about?

1. General contractor – Think of this guy as a military general. He is the strategist. A general contractor will take full charge of the construction or renovation process. He decides when the time is right to subcontract work such as plumbing, electrical, roofing and other special skills that may fall outside his abilities. He will then assume the position of oversight to ensure that these guys are performing their tasks accordingly. Like ensuring the carpenter properly mounts the porch handrails. He is also responsible for making sure that your building permits are in order and are in adherence to your city or country’s building ethics. You do not want city building inspectors stopping your project and ordering a start over.

Hiring the best general contractor is critical since he is ultimately responsible for the success of your project.

The owner as a general contractor? You may think to yourself: “Isn’t this what I do at the office on a daily basis? I supervise staff, delegate duties, organize multi-million dollar sales campaigns and therefore, I can be my own general contractor.”

Good for you. You will actually be saving yourself money. However, before you take this big step, answer a few questions;

• How available are you?

• Do you have the required expertise?

It is very likely something will not go as planned in the remodelling process and you will be required to come through in a big way. It might mean moving around town looking for some piece of material that is needed urgently. An experienced general contractor will have subcontractor and supplier contacts that may come in handy.

Going into a project without fully assessing the situation and understanding what will be required of you, will most likely result in failure.

Therefore, if your only motivation to be your own general contractor is to save money, you need to ask yourself whether it is worth compromising the quality of the project.

2. Subcontractors – These are specialists hired by the general contractor to offer a particular set of skills as part of the overall project. They include carpenters, electricians, painters, roofers among others. A subcontractor will come, perform his role and go on his way. If the subcontractors are excellent in their jobs, then it translates to a smooth project for you. This is why it pays to have the best of the best general contractors. He will get the best of the best subcontractors. Makes sense right?

3. Design-Build Firms – Instead of hiring a general contractor or acting as your own, you might opt to enlist the services of a design-build firm. These are companies that provide the remodelling/construction services as a single entity. They have their own architects and all specialist required and hence offer start-finish building and remodelling services. The main advantage of using design-build firms is that you do not have to deal with some of the inconveniences that may arise from subcontracting. For example, if a problem arises, sometimes the general contractors, subs and architects may start shifting the blame between each other with each refusing to take responsibility. On the other hand, design-build firms take full responsibility for everything. You can literally hand over the keys to your house and come back when everything is done.

4. Carpenters – Sometimes, the remodelling work needed may be pretty simple and straightforward. For example, replacing kitchen countertops or adding a built-in bookshelf on your living room wall. You do not need a design-build firm for that. The best option would be to call a carpenter. Actually, anybody that considers himself a handyman can do this for you but it is important you see some of their previous works. This is if you do not want your bookshelf looking like some misplaced object in your living room. Always work with experts.