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Property/DIY

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Renovation advice to deal with shortages and rising prices

1 reply

ExtraSticky · 23/05/2022 21:25

Those of you who have taken on major renovation and/or extension projects in the past few years, would you have any advice to share on how to deal with shortages of building materials and rapidly rising prices? We've not done any major work for 10+ years, so I'd welcome any advice on how taking on a big renovation and extension project has changed in recent years. I know the contingency budget needs to bigger. Much, much bigger but apart from that, are there any tips and tricks that help in terms of budget and time management?

OP posts:
Geneticsbunny · 24/05/2022 09:53

Someone once told me that when getting work done, there is cheap, good quality or quick. You can have 2 of the 3 but never all three. With this in mind we plan jobs, shop around to buy the materials and store them and get a labour only quote with a contingency for materials that we haven't accounted for like plaster/ tile adhesive etc. We aim to book people at least 6 months in advance but will wait much longer for the right person. I would also highly recommend going on personal recommendations. Because of the high demand there seem to be quite a lot of people who are "having a go " at trades at the moment with not much experience and are a bit crap.

If you are really struggling for money then I would always pay more for the important long term stuff to be done properly, like having a bathroom laid out how you want with access points for repairs, and save money on the bits which can be swapped out later like the taps / toilet/ shower bits/sink/ bathroom cabinet.

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