What about the renovation team on recommendation?

Often, in such collaborations, we let our guard down and over-trust each other. We think that if we know someone, everything will work out, they’ll charge us less, or they’ll definitely do a good job. Unfortunately, this is more the exception than the rule.
We stretch our own rules of cooperation. We’ve often heard that investors would never entrust us with finishing or renovating our apartment without a contract, a specific fee, or an upfront cost estimate. These rules, while important, are often forgotten when the stress of whether everything will work out and there’s enough time for everything is combined with a recommended team and a free deadline. It’s worth remembering this to avoid losing our vigilance.
When a team works on a recommendation, we’re more likely to overlook imperfections and construction errors. Instead of paying attention, we start to wonder, “What will they think of me?” “What if they tell my friends I’m making this up?” These thinking traps are all the more dangerous when we leave the actual errors uncorrected.

1. Always compare multiple cooperation offersBefore you commit to working with a chosen renovation team, compare several offers. This is crucial to understanding the current rates and the capabilities of a given team. Not everyone can install wallpaper or microconcrete. It’s also worth choosing the three best offers and inviting the specialist(s) to your home so they can see what needs to be done firsthand. This will give you the opportunity to further verify the individual, and allow the specialists to prepare a more detailed scope of work.

2. The contract is the basis
Even the simplest contract protects you against a failed collaboration. The contract outlines the renovation phases, deadlines, and fees. It’s essential to specify who is party to the contract and what it covers. The more detailed the contract, the better the protection for both you and the contractor.

3.Determine the salary and deadline at the very beginning
The fee and deadline for completion of the work should be precisely defined after the specialist visits the property and included in the contract. This will avoid misunderstandings and additional, confusing payments during the finishing and renovation work. Because “deadline” and “punctuality” are concepts poorly understood in the construction industry, contractual penalties are increasingly being used if the completion date is excessively delayed.

4. See something wrong? React immediately!
The worst thing we can do during renovation and finishing work is to ignore obvious imperfections. See something that looks suspicious? Do you think it should have been done differently? React immediately! If you don’t have the knowledge to properly assess the professional’s work, ask why it was done that way. This will allow you to verify whether it’s just a test run or the final result. Furthermore, by reacting, you’ll show the professional that you care about the final result and about the work being done correctly.

5.Keep your own “construction journal”
Stay up to date with what the professionals are doing in your apartment or house. This will allow you not only to constantly monitor their work but also to regularly order necessary materials. One of the most common reasons why professionals fail to meet deadlines is… waiting for materials ordered by the investor. Your own construction journal is an additional safeguard if you’re pressed for time or need to combine the work of several different crews. How to create your own construction journal? All you need is a list of tasks provided by the professional, the agreed deadlines, and an Excel spreadsheet.

Inne artykuły