What to consider when making structural changes at home

If you are thinking about making structural changes to your property there are a vast amount of factors to consider. The Creative Build team has mapped out a few key things to remember when planning your next domestic project!

Thinking of renovating your home? The most important factor is to plan! This will help to avoid project delays or being stung with unexpected expenses! Don’t get too excited and buy a sledgehammer - grab a pen first and start mapping out your thoughts.

Make your mind up!

When planning most household changes, you usually have options which then leads to difference of opinions between tradesman, family and even close friends. Ensure you find out what is achievable and commit to the decision you have made. Changes to the plan made during the project can lead to delays and additional costs.

Expert Advice

If you are unsure on a particular part of your project - seek advice! It is worth paying a specialist tradesperson a small fee before potentially creating issues that need to be rectified and causing additional expense. Maybe you need to hire a designer or even an architect? Allow for this additional costing within your budget if needs be. If you are building a large extension for example - in some cases planning permission may need to be granted. You should also check as to whether your property is restricted in any way such as being a listed building or being with a conservation area.

 Attention to detail 

Unfortunately, contractors are not usually mind readers therefore you must be incredibly accurate in presenting exactly what you want done. Visual representation, sketches and regular update meetings will ensure that every part of the project is completed to the standard you desire. Ensure that any quotes are detailed with a breakdown of what work will be done and anything that will not be included (This includes price of materials!)

How long is this going to take?

If you are paying a team of contractors ensure that a timescale is set out as a goal for when the work will be done. If you have been accurate when planning the project an experienced contractor will be able to give you a fairly precise time frame of how long the project will take from start to finish. Unforeseen circumstances that may delay the project however need to be taken into consideration here; bad weather or as 2020 has proved - even a global pandemic could occur which could delay delivery timescales for materials etc. If you consider yourself as a project manager and tick off the vital parts of each job you will be able to keep track yourself on the progress of your project.

How much should I be looking to spend on my project?

If possible, always seek to get a variety of quotes. The cheapest price will not necessarily be the best option. Sometimes you get what you pay for, but it is very easy to overpay for a job if you have not researched what is involved. Reviews from a contractor’s previous clients may be your first step to finding a trader you can trust and agree a price with.

The type/quality of materials used for your project along with the conditions of working will be factored in here. If there is more manual labour due to lack of access for machinery or if there is more risk of something going wrong - such as essential roof work needed - then a tradesman may be likely to charge extra for his services. You also need to factor in unforeseen problems, issues that may arise during the project which could not have been planned for.

Make sure you factor in costs for waste removal if it is not included within a trade quote, this can drastically increase project costs… and you do not want a pile of waste left to one side for you to sort through at the end of the project.

Make the tea!

Having workers in your home is inconvenient at the best of times but do your best to make workers feel welcome! Offering a tea or a coffee goes a long way!