After the pandemic hit the UK, many people found it expedient to embark on home remodelling projects. This arose because of the sudden need for comfort when people had to work from home. As of last year, home remodelling expenses had risen to 36%, and there are indications of a further increase by the end of 2022. Before you start a home remodelling project, it is important to be guided and well-informed. Here are some guidelines you may find useful.
1. Consider long term needs
Experts advise against renovating or remodelling your house to follow trends since styles and designs come and go. And basing your home remodelling project on those two alone may not be helpful. Your long-term needs are most important, especially when you plan to live in the house all your life. Looking at the bigger picture rather than what may look good now is vital.
For example, in the next ten to twenty years, will your home remodelling be able to attend to your growing needs? It is advisable to communicate your future needs to the contractor or architect responsible for the project. This gives them enough background knowledge about what you require from the finished project. It can also save you from embarking on another remodelling project in the future.
2. Be aware of potential damage during the project
Property damage is common during home renovations and could be insignificant or major, depending. Things like foundation damage and hitting an underground plumbing line are major and cannot be ignored. When that happens, would you blame the contractor for the damage caused? On the other hand, the cause of damage may be due to natural elements like flooding.
Do you have insurance to cover damages of that nature? Unfortunately, problems with the insurer may arise, and you will need expert help to recoup the financial loss. You can visit this website for information on this issue.
3. Avoid choosing the lowest bid
The reason behind the request for bids is primarily to compare costs from different contractors. It is understandable if your focus is on cutting costs. However, it would be best to keep in mind that choosing the lowest bid may come with costly problems sooner than later. You may also want to dig deeper to discover why a particular contractor kept their costs unbelievably low. For all you know, they may have hidden costs that you only get to know about halfway through the project.
Even worse, that contractor with the unbelievably low bid may cut corners during your project. One known way contractors cut corners is to use cheap labour or rely on inferior building materials. And that is something you want to avoid as the repercussions are expensive and increase safety risks. In sharp contrast, the contractor with the highest bid may not necessarily mean they know the job. What you need to rely on most is their proven track record which you can access from past clients. Lastly, it would be best to go with a contractor with a work warranty.
Thank you for reading. I hope this post helps you with your remodelling project.
Stay wonderful!
No Comments