Pre Construction/Refurbishment Considerations

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Blog #2 Pre-Construction/Refurbishment Considerations

I am a strong believer in asking questions not just of yourself but also the people you entrust to deliver your Project, even the smallest project such as a bathroom refurbishment can generate unforeseen problems, especially if works become intrusive to substructures as often considerations are made on assumptions.

This is where the good old provisional sums come into play that Contractors often put in to safe guard you and them. But what I have experienced on many projects, Contractors underestimate provisional sums on purpose in order to secure the work and make their costs seem cheaper than others knowing their unforeseen works would be greater than the provisional sums.

This has much debate in the industry, where provisional rates could be applied etc however, this only really comes into play on larger projects where there are larger works as often rates can become not applicable as they are out of sequence, smaller areas or somewhat different in task.

The major retailers whom operate in Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedrooms, Windows and Doors are notorious for their terms and conditions, very much not going in your favour.

I highly recommend when dealing with these companies, pay using your credit card as you have far more protections. I have seen with all major suppliers there will be a Facebook group or internet posts of a variety of complaints, you do not what to be one that falls foul, I see most of these companies remedy the complaints however, most people read the headline post.

Now with regards to larger projects, I shall highlight some important points to consider, some of which may not be applicable to your project;

Sure, here are 15 bullet points for someone in the UK considering a residential building project:

1. Budgeting: Establish a clear budget including construction costs, materials, labour, permits, and a contingency for unexpected expenses, there is plenty of data online to give you average costs of construction work per square foot, but there can be massive variables but this should give you a ball park. I have seen quotes for basic things such as decorating a 4 bedroom house to new plaster and costs I received was £3300.00-£7600.00 with no explanation as to why there is such a big difference (sub-Contractors will say, buy cheap you get a cowboy, which is not the rule of thumb but fair to say is a good rule of thumb), same for bi-fold doors, I had quotes up to £18,000.00, where at the final order was placed for just over £5,000.00.
2. Design Preferences: Define your design goals, considering space needs, architectural style, and sustainability, again allot can be found online but what is important is to look for your aspirations, largely I would focus on what you want the project to achieve and have examples of finishes you want, things like paint colours etc are not essential at this stage, but if you are undertaking an extension to include new kitchen, bathrooms etc, It’s important to understand what new arrangements you are planning, new bi-fold doors etc as it’s important to understand general arrangements, the more you plan upfront the cheaper it will be for you and the more cost certainty you will get too.
3. Architect/Structural Engineer/Interior Designer/Builder: Research and hire qualified and time served professionals with experience relative to your project. One thing I have found is an architect for example when you meet them can easily on a “fag packet” come up with some principals of what could be achieved based on your goals and often will come up with ideas you may not even had thought about, this is the type of Architect I would go for, someone with a bit of inspiration and brings something to the table, the same is applicable to all disciplines. In my experience Structural Engineers for example on smaller projects, they will design the same way, then follow up with structural calculations etc for Building Regulations approval.  You can get so many design inspirations online often for free.
4. Planning Permission: Understand the local council’s planning permission requirements for new builds or extensions. Many types of works can be undertaken by permitted developments however, it is important to get this checked out first, Local Authority planning departments are very busy however, if you can speak with a planning officer, they are often quite helpful albeit sometimes can be unresponsive like our elected leaders.
5. Building Regulations Compliance: Ensure the design complies with UK building regulations for safety, energy efficiency, etc.  You can use a local authority building control department or an independent building control inspector.
6. Sustainable Building Practices: Consider eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient designs, possibly including renewable energy sources.  The UK government often provide grants annually for various schemes for homeowners utilising green energy and eco-friendly insulations.
7. Construction Insurance: Obtain site insurance to cover the build phase and warranty insurance for post-completion. This is a complicated area, your builder is required to have public and employers’ liability insurance however, most home insurance won’t cover you for costs associated from dodgy builders, there are insurers which provide “renovation insurance”, so if you’re investing a substantial sum in your project, it may be worth investigating as things can go very wrong from time to time. If you are having building works at your property, it’s important you notify your building insurers.
8. Contractor Selection: Vet contractors, builders, suppliers for reliability and quality of work. These people are ultimately responsible for the delivery of your project. One thing that’s very important when speaking with any Contractor is ask them about how they plan to carry out the works and ask do they have any concerns, and make a note, I would not waste your time speaking to dozens of contractors, I would select 2-3 and hopefully negotiate with one of them, never under any circumstances accept a lump sum price, unless it’s for something that’s perhaps less than £20,000.00, any competent building/contractor shall be able to give a reasonable breakdown.
9. Project Timeline: Develop a realistic construction timeline, ask your builder and Architect for guidance in this, when you speak with your suppliers for finishes such as doors, windows, kitchens and sanitaryware, sometimes the lead time can be 10 weeks, thus its important these dates are factored in.
10. Legal Considerations: Be aware of any legal considerations like party wall agreements with neighbours, also depending on size of the works, you may want to get your builder to sign up with a formal contract, JCT supply these in a standard form and readily available online and fairly simple to complete and at a reasonable price.
11. Utility Connections: Plan for connecting electricity, water, gas, and internet services. This mainly relates to new builds, but if you’re relocating or installing new services, this is not only expensive but utility companies are a law to themselves and often require long lead in times.
12. Long-term Maintenance: Consider the long-term maintenance needs and costs of the property, I personally always would provide a client an operations and maintenance manual upon completion which include details as regards to maintenance but also all the product and suppliers contact details, so you have one manual to revert back to once works have been completed.
13. Resale Value Considerations: Think about the potential resale value and market trends in the area, this is helpful when ensuring you are adding financial value to the property however, it could be that you are undertaking your project for your personal lifestyle. Most local estate agents will provide an unregulated valuation and provide some comparable’ s in the area, this could help should you need refinancing.
14. Contingency Plans: Have a plan for dealing with unexpected delays, cost overruns, or other challenges. This is very hard to undertake, but I would consider adding 10-20% to everything, this being time, financials, there are often many unknown factors on most projects as often perhaps cannot be foreseen.

15. Once you have completed and considered all the above, everything ought to be rosy, joking aside a bit of planning pays massive dividends to the smooth success of your project.

I would say, some of this will not be relevant, but print the page and use it as a tick list and mark off as you go along.

Please feel free to comment.

Warm regards

Brad

p.s on a side note, I have an excellent joke about construction but I still need to work on it.

21 November 2023