Home Renovating
Just over a year ago I got the bit between my teeth and embarked on what I thought would be a pain free home renovation… Little did I know what my lack of experience was letting me in for!![caption id="attachment_3652" align="alignright" width="200" caption="renovating"]
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I hope that this article will help provide you with the advice you need to meet new people who will aid rather than hinder your project.
Why it’s important to listen to this advice
No one knows better than me how project managing a renovation project with no experience can come back to bite you in the back side! I thought I knew enough to get through what I thought was a straight forward set of home alterations. I can’t tell you how badly I was conned out of excess money I could ill afford by tradesmen that knew all the tricks to fleece hard working home owners out of their hard earned cash.
Also I’ll give you a few tips on improving your home in exciting ways!
My tips for a successful home renovation
1. Choose your tradesmen VERY carefully – never underestimate the importance of this top tip! NEVER ever blindly employ someone who you happen to stumble upon, no matter how much of a hurry you might be in! ALWAYS get at least one glowing recommendation from someone you trust. And always insist on checking the quality of that tradesmen’s work before employing them to tamper with your home.
2. Always get a quote and agree on a price before committing to any work to be done. Tradesmen are historically renound for their inherent ability to squeeze more money than necessary out of unwitting homeowners. Think like they do. Most tradesmen will try and get you to agree on an hourly rate as this means they are under no pressure whatsoever and and amount of hanging about on the job will come at your cost.
By agreeing a price that you are comfortable with you will avoid a nasty shock when they invoice you for the time it took to eat their chips during their 2 hour lunch break!
3. Watch them like a hawk – when you have tradespeople in you house REMEMBER it’s your home not theirs! They will never respect or care for your home as much as they do for their own. This is human nature and you must be very mindful of this as they pull out saws, cables, electrical devices!
Summary
In general it’s a sad fact of life that most plumbers, joiners, electricians etc are all driven by money rather than customer satisfaction. I know of many tradesmen who have admitted that when they approach a house they are already working out what to charge the owner based on the grandeur of the area, what car is in the drive. So don’t think that you will avoid this. They are not spiritual charity workers but often shrewd business people who seek financial opportunity in ‘helping you out.’
The best tradesmen I ever had in my home was a joiner. We agreed a price, so he worked hard to get the job done quickly. I was heavy handed with him initially so he respected me more and I made it clear that I had experience.
Set the ground rules immediately and stand your ground, This way you can avoid the many rogue traders that unfortunately lurk around ever corner these days.
meet new people at http://www.bongal.com
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