Taming the renovation tiger
If you long to renovate your home but have nightmares about the time, money and inconvenience involved, you are not alone.
"Homeowners are often anxious or even scared to begin renovation projects - and with good reason," says Berry Everitt, MD of the Chas Everitt International property group.
"This is a big deal, and it may seem that just about everyone who has ever tried it has a horror story to tell about what can and does go wrong.
However, the worries of would-be renovators usually fall into one of four main categories, and there are ways to deal with these."
Writing in the Property Signposts newsletter, Everitt says the most common fear is of course of crooks. "Unfortunately one hears all too frequently about unscrupulous home improvement contractors who swindled unsuspecting homeowners out of thousands of rands, and about people working for contractors who take the opportunity to scope out properties and return later to burgle them.
"And the way to address this fear is quite simply to be ruthless yourself about working only with established companies and hiring only registered contractors who have been personally recommended or whose references and previous work you have personally checked.
"Their price is likely to be higher, but they will inevitably cost you less in the long run because they will also try to do the job right from the start - and if they do make mistakes, will not try to make you pay for these."
The second most frequent home improvement worry is money. It's a fact that most homeowners underestimate the true cost of renovating. Once a project begins, the work may expose bad or outdated electrical wiring, leaky plumbing, termite damage and so on, and whether planned for or not, these problems will all have to be fixed.
"Consequently," says Everitt, "homeowners planning an improvement project should budget for it to cost at least 30 percent more than they originally estimated. They should also make sure that they have a proper contract (drawn up by their attorney if necessary) which stipulates how much they will pay at each stage of the job - and should never, ever be persuaded to part with their hard-earned money upfront."
Other common home-improvement worries are:
* Disappointment. Most homeowners fear that after spending all that time and
money, they won't get what they really had in mind, and for many, a two-dimensional
plan does not provide enough information for them to be able to visualise what
their projects will look like. The answer is to try to obtain photographs or
three-dimensional sketches of similar work, and to visit décor and home
improvement shops and exhibitions before you embark on a major project.
* Disruption. "There is just no escaping the fact that renovating is tremendously disruptive and invasive, so homeowners need to be mentally prepared to be without their kitchen or bathroom for weeks, and to contend with mess, noise and interruptions to their daily routine," says Everitt.
"And again, your best bet is to deal with a reputable, experienced contractor who understands your anxiety and will keep the disruption to the minimum - so that he or she can earn your valuable word-of-mouth recommendation for the next project."
Issued by Chas Everitt International
For further information call Brenda Smith at
Chas Everitt International Bryanston on 011 463 2033
or visit www.chaseveritt.com