Building Alterations And Remodeling
We have all heard those jokes or even seen the movies where the young married couples decide they are going to renovate their homes and undertake their own building alterations. These cause hilarious story lines, but please be warned; there certainly is more than a grain of truth in those stories because many of them are based on factual events! So why do so many people want to undertake a project like this themselves?
The reasons for wanting to undertake changes to your building or home are normally to upgrade it, make it bigger and better for your growing family, adding more value to it and generally making it more comfortable to live in. In fact there are many reasons why people consider doing this, but only a few reasons for undertaking the building alterations themselves. The biggest reason, of course, is to save money.
Having said that, we would never want to put anyone off undertaking a task like this. But before embarking on it, you must do a great deal of thinking and planning with your entire family. Again, there are several reasons for this. But the main one is that more building alteration failures come about through lack of adequate planning in the beginning, than for any other reason.
Some people, who have actually gone through this experience, would say that most building projects they undertook that failed were due to lack of funds or not having enough money to do what they wanted to do. This is only partially true in that if they had planned things properly to start with then, in almost all cases, they would not have run out of money; or at least known what they were letting themselves in for.
Many people have been so conditioned to all the advertising we come to hear about how simple it is to “do-it-yourself”. In fact, there are several market niches or industries based on this. You only have to look at all the DIY building centers and products designed for the DIY enthusiast.
If you are undertaking any building project that involves adding a room to your home, adding a garage, extending an existing room or even adding a room in your basement, then you must plan it from the beginning. This will normally mean having plans drawn up and getting building permission from your local authorities. Unless you are an expert in this field, or have a qualified friend or relation who can advise you, then seek help and advice from experts.
These people will also be able to give you an idea of what you could be letting yourself and family in to as far as the time frame that this building work will involve. Remember this will affect the whole family, as far as the inconvenience and upheaval of their lives go. Do you have young children who could be at risk, or school-aged children involved in exams, or anyone in the house who could be adversely affected during this period? Plan and discuss it.
Once you have covered this hurdle, there are several more steps to cover from where you will purchase the materials to who will undertake the actual work. And of course, all the other minor details; such as adjusting your insurance and seeing how the entire building project is going to affect your local rates and taxes.
These kinds of things are normally only looked at and attended to as the project progresses and that is where the problems creep in! Do not, for one second, be put off by this small wake up call when it comes to making your own building alterations; because there is nothing more satisfying than completing a project like this for yourself and family. And you can really save a bundle of cash. However, just put a great deal into planning how you will go about doing it from beginning to end, talk to people who have gone through similar projects and then go over your entire plan again to iron out any possible eventualities.
Michael Russell
Your Independent Building guide
Tags: building
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