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When to start your home build and renovation project. Is now the right time?

15/1/2019

18 Comments

 
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You probably can’t wait to start building your new home, or renovating your current home. But, is this the right time? There is much to arrange and sort out before construction can begin. 

Considerations that may impact your home construction start

  • Have you got sufficient finance? You don't want to run out of money part way through the job leaving you with a half finished project. It's often costly to restart the project later. You will run into legal and contractual problems if you can't pay your contractors.
  • Will you have time to supervise construction, or visit showrooms to choose fittings and fixtures? If there’s a new baby coming soon, or you’ll be particularly busy at work for a few months you may want to delay the start. Even if you've employed a builder to take care of the complete project, there'll still be many decisions and selections to be made. Anyway, it's important to regularly check progress on the project to ensure that the work is of good quality and everything is as you expected it to be.
  • What activities could impact the project? These could include planned holidays away, visitors who will stay over, and even big events, such as weddings or major birthdays. You might not want to be in the middle of renovations when friends and family visit!
  • Are builders in your area busy? When there's lots of building work happening in your area then building suppliers and contractors are busy. Not only could there be a shortage of materials, equipment and skills, which could slow your project down, but suppliers and contractors will add more profit to your project when they price it - so you'll pay more. The best contractors may even be too busy to take on your project. But, when work is scarce suppliers and contractors often become desperate for work. There's a surplus of people. Building companies and suppliers will drop their prices, offer discounts, so that they can get your business. Delaying your project to a time when there's less construction in your area could mean that your new home or home renovation costs 10 to 15% less.
  • When are the holidays? Many contractors close for a couple of weeks over Christmas which means your project will stand for several weeks. If you in the middle of a home renovation it could mean that your home is open to the elements for longer.
  • What will the weather be? You possibly don’t want to be starting construction in the middle of the rainy season, or when it could be snowing. Ideally you’ll want to get the roof on before the onset of poor weather. Bad weather slows construction and the project will take longer.
  • When can you get time off work? If you’re planning to do some of the work yourself you may want these activities to happen when you have time off work.
  • Will all the materials and items for your house be available when required? If you've incorporated items and materials which have to be specially manufactured, or which come from other countries, then it could take several months for the items to arrive. You don't want to start construction, only for work to come to a halt when items aren't available.
  • Is the design complete? You don't want to be waiting for information part way through construction. Contractors will charge standing time. The construction will take longer - adding to the costs.
  • Are you happy with the design? Changing things during construction is expensive. Often work has to be redone to accommodate the changes and the project will take longer.
  • Is everything in place for construction? Building on a new property will require a water and power connection - sometimes this can take weeks and months to arrange. If the builder has to organise a generator and water tanks there'll be additional costs for you. If you're doing a home renovation then usually furniture and other items have to be removed from work areas and things that could be damaged must be protected.
  • Is access to the property available? Sometimes the local authorities are working in the area, digging up the roads, or possibly there's lots of other building work on neighbouring properties. This could make accessing your property difficult and slow down construction. On the other hand, starting work ahead of when your neighbours will start their building may make your construction easier.
  • Are the planning approvals in place?

​Planning permissions – is the red tape sorted?

Most construction work requires planning permissions from the local authorities. Usually there’s a fee payable to get your building plans assessed. Unfortunately some authorities work slower than you expect. Verbal promises of when you can expect to receive the permissions are often broken. Then, when you finally get feedback it’s to say that there’s a problem which you have to fix before the permission can be granted. Invariably this delays the start of the project.

Starting the project before permissions are received could result in work being stopped, even work having to be torn down, or monetary fines to pay.

If you’re responsible for obtaining all the permissions ensure that these are submitted timeously, in the correct format and with all the required supporting documentation. Employing an expert could speed up the process and prevent mistakes which cause delays. Talk to the authorities and ensure that you thoroughly understand their requirements. Give them exactly what they want – even more. Continually stay in touch with them to see that the process stays on track, and that paperwork hasn’t been lost.
​
Don’t give your contractor a start date, only to find that you haven’t received permissions by this date. Your contractor may charge you standing time waiting for the permits and permissions.

Conclusion - ensuring everything is ready for home build project

We all want to get our project started as soon as possible, but, it's important to check that everything is ready for construction so that the project isn't held up.
Sometimes delaying the start of your building project may even make it cheaper.
​Carefully consider the best time to start your project.
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​For more valuable tips and advice read: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' and 'Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home'

​This is an extract from: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 2' by Paul Netscher. Available in paper or eBook from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU and all online bookstores. To read more

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© 2019 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

18 Comments
Matthew Bastick link
26/4/2019 06:34:43 pm

great blog !!!!!!!

Reply
Paul
28/4/2019 10:09:24 am

Thanks Matthew. Please share the blog link with others who may find it useful.

Reply
Groundworks Brentwood link
26/4/2019 06:41:30 pm

nice blog! i really like your blog. its really help us to improve your home using groundworks in brentwood.
keep sharing bloga

Reply
Pier Pressure Foundation Repair link
9/5/2019 01:53:00 pm

Impressive post specially the points you mentioned about the strategies could help me in my business. Some of the points were familiar to me and some them is very new for me.
Thank you so much for sharing this post with us. I’ll follow your blog posts from today onward.
Great Job!

Reply
New Builds Westerham link
10/6/2019 08:17:43 pm

great article!

i like your thoughts and ideas about your new builds home Westerham and renovation. this is right time to start your home projects .

keep sharing blog............

Reply
Ellie Davis link
12/11/2019 11:43:55 pm

I liked that you mentioned you need to consider starting your home renovation project when there is not any holidays coming. My husband and I are thinking about remodeling our house, and we are looking for advice. I will let him know about your recommendations to plan our home renovation project properly.

Reply
Builders Franklin link
23/12/2019 01:08:07 pm

I really loved reading your thoughts; obviously you know when to start your home build and renovation project is now the right time what you are talking about!Your site is so easy to use too, I’ve bookmark it in my folder.

Reply
Paul
24/12/2019 03:01:49 pm

Hi, thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it. Please share the article on your social media sites. Regards, Paul

Reply
Donald Mayers link
18/3/2020 04:30:58 pm

Great blog. A lot should be considered when owning or renovating a home. This is a good read.

Reply
David Coleman link
28/4/2020 12:09:33 am

Good work blogger and I appreciate you for this quality work. Nice post!! These tips may help me for future renovation projects. It’s a nice and helpful piece of info. I love to read content that you have shared in your post are very good and interesting. Thank you so much for sharing this post. Keep sharing

Reply
Praveen Kumar link
7/8/2020 07:41:31 pm

Excellent insightful post on renovation. Thanks for writing and sharing with us.

Reply
bilco roof hatches link
22/2/2021 06:11:24 pm

The facts that have been discussed here are really important. Thank you so much for sharing a great post.


Reply
Arkaa link
10/9/2021 07:20:47 pm

I enjoy each and every one of your blogs and look forward to them. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Bathroom Renovations Edmonton link
13/1/2022 09:35:49 pm

As with all home improvement projects, a home renovation comes with lots of planning and, hard work, but it is a phenomenal way to breathe new life into an old home, it will put your mark on the property and not to mention, add to its value.

Reply
Smart City link
17/1/2022 06:51:28 pm

There are so many blog i read right know but any one of them satisfy me but this one is so informative blog..

Reply
Drywall Bend link
20/1/2022 08:29:57 am

Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.

Reply
Catie Benett link
21/1/2022 06:15:58 pm

Thanks for sharing a wonderful article with us. It’s a really informative article.

Reply
Greg Rusch link
27/2/2023 10:00:44 pm

You must always find out when is the right time to start home renovations. When you have the time and money, get on with it.

Reply



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    Author

    I’m a construction professional, author of several successful construction management books, and a home owner. I’ve made mistakes in construction management, I’ve seen others make mistakes, but importantly I’ve had multiple successful construction projects and I’ve learned from the mistakes. I want to share these lessons and my knowledge with you.
    'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' are my latest books. packed with tips and information to ensure your home construction project is a success. Get your copy today from Amazon and other online stores.

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  • Construction Home
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  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
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