Renovation Nightmares ..... Anyone else have one they would like to share?

[hargrlynet]

Thought I would would start this thread, 'cause we are having a few atm

[i-need-a-martini]

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@lurker172602 wrote:
Phew! Thanks, I was getting very worried.

So, the question still remains. Where/who do we go to first?

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First step will be your local council. They will give you a cheklist of what needs to be submitted for DA and environmental approval.

If you know what you want and have already done a rough sketch then you can go to a draftsperson with that list and he can draw up the plans so that they are council ready. You will need to tell him that the plans need to be detailed enough for tender pricing. Make sure he inspects yourt house before he draws up plans and in particular that he uderstands how your new roof is going to connect to the old roof.

However before he starts building you will need to give him a lot of information - construction materials (which brick? What windows? floors) and finishes/fittings (paint colours, lights, toilet, basin, taps, tile selection, door handles etc). Basically if he doesn't put it on the plan, then the builder doesn't cost it and your budget gets blown away. Also if it isn't on the plan, then you are more likely to make mistakes down the track as you scramble to get this information together for the  contractors.

Then once you get the plans, you can issue to them to a range of builders. If you don't have any recommendations then I suggest you interview at least 5 builders and give them copies of the plans so that they can come up with costs. When the prices come back, check them thoroughly to make sure they have all included the same things (I like to create a table so that I can break the costs up in columns to make the comparison easier). Don't take the cheapest one. If the prices vary drastically it will mean that the plans aren't clear enough or that the builders have misinterpreted  something. You will have to get to the bottom of this.

The builders will come back with a contract and their price. If you aren't experienced enough with building, then I suggest you give the contract to someone who knows construction and costing to make sure that all is on order and that they have included everything. If the builder doesn't give you a contract, don't even consider him regardless of how cheap or nice he is.

If all of this sounds too much, you go to a local architect and he will do all of the above for you.