Four vital questions to ask your building contractors
Home renovations and re-modelling are a popular alternative to moving home. Why go to all the hassle of leaving an area where you are settled just because you current home doesn't quite meet your needs? It's cheaper and easier to make changes to your home to make it suitable, rather than looking for a new place to live.
Home renovations come in many different guises. Are you considering adding an extra bedroom, or a side extension to your property? Would you like to convert your loft, or combine two small rooms into one larger room? Whatever home renovations you would like to undertake talking to a building contractor is an important first step.
Unless you have a lot of experience dealing with building contractors it can be difficult to know the right questions to ask them to avoid problems later on. Differing expectations and a lack of communication could turn even the simplest project into a nightmare. It is far better to ensure that everything is discussed and understood before the project is started.
Here are four important questions that you must ask your building contractors before they start work.
Is the proposed work schedule feasible?
Sit down with your building contractor and work through every aspect of the project. Set agreed completion dates for every stage, and ensure that both sides understand when the project will be finished. If the building contractor is in any doubt about the completion schedule it is better to air those doubts at the start so alternative arrangements can be made if required.
How will the work be undertaken?
Will all areas of the house remain habitable while the home renovations are in progress? How much mess will be left around the property? Where will the contractors equipment be stored when it is not being used? All of these points should be established from the beginning. Knowing what to expect is vital for home-owners. If you know that you won't be able to use part of the house for a while you can have a contingency plan in place from the start.
When will the building contractors work?
Knowing what time to expect the builders to arrive in the morning, and when they will be packing up to go home can make all the difference between coping with the disruption and becoming stressed because the builders work later than you expected or they don't turn up when you are waiting for them.