Renovating Your Home - Some Tips
You can make your renovation decision according to needs and budget. There are three types of renovations you may want to consider:
- Renovations reflecting your lifestyle
- Renovations necessary for the upgrade of your home
- Renovations involving essential maintenance and repair
Realistic Design
Not everything is going to be achievable. Planners may prevent many of your most extravagant schemes. Alternatively, you may be able to negotiate or persuade, and get what you want via Permitted Development Rights. Listen to objections. Use the regulations to your advantage. If you achieve 80% of what you want you`re doing well. Think in terms of an evolving design that you could extend as your circumstances improve.
Planning Permission
The planning system is designed to protect the environment in the public interest. Certain changes can be made to your home without planning permission. These rights are called `permitted development rights.` Specific advice should be sought from a building surveyor or architect. General repairs, replacing like with like, are exempt.
Getting Quotes
1. Engage a quantity surveyor at the beginning of the project. This enables accurate budgeting, which provides you with a benchmark to evaluate costings.
2. Use a quantity surveyor is to seek tenders from at least three contractors. If the prices from all three are similar, there is a good chance they will be realistic and accurate.
3. If you run a labour only contract, this requires you to act as project supervisor for the entire process, including organising your own builder, sub-contractors and purchase of materials.Alternatively, put the project in the hands of a builder who is prepared to give you a total cost, which covers everything, including materials, engaging sub-contractors and full site supervision and coordination. Unless using a skilled building professional, employ a professional project manager. The small cost will be more than compensated for by the huge gains in organisation, scheduling, quality control and peace of mind a professional can bring to your project. When selecting a builder, a proven track record is all-important. Registered Master Builders and Registered Certified Builders are professionals who have met strict criteria to become members of these associations. These builders can offer guarantees that provide you with additional reassurance and peace of mind about the quality of their workmanship, in both home and garden.
Selection Of Materials
Walls
Walls come in three generic types, load-bearing masonry, framed and clad, or reinforced poured or sprayed.
Roof
Roof finishes can be divided into pitched or flat roofs. Clearly the shallower the pitch, the more reliance is placed on the performance of the surfacing material. Traditional tiles and slate offer the greatest length of life.
Timber and joinery
Timber can be highly sustainable simply because it is a renewable product. Sustainable timber is sometimes defined as a tree that is replaced upon felling, i.e. from managed forests.
Paintwork etc.
The most damaging chemicals are used in the manufacture of paints and preservatives. Look out for the label to see just how toxic the product is. Overall, water-based paints are environmetally better than oil-based.
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