Renovations!
On my calender I will rename October 2006 to "Reno-tober" 2006 and what a reno it has been!! My husband and I purchased my daughters apartment and came up with the bright idea to reno the whole apartment before we rent it out! What a nightmare that was! I am including this blog on my website to assist any of my clients who may think of purchasing a property and then doing a renovation on it.
The most important decisions you make are who to hire for your trades people. Cheapest is not always the best choice! I cannot emphasize that enough. The old saying the "you get what you pay for" definately holds true for trades people.
Our first trades person who was supposed to start our tiling job on October 1st still hadn't started by October 23rd. After numerous phonecalls and messages left for him we proceeded to find another tiler. The second tiler started the job and showed up for work at 11:30 pm to place a few tiles then leave for the night. Of course, he required half the money up front, and after working for 2 days and laying down about 25 tiles, he disappeared and was never to be seen again with half the money we paid him. By the way, more than half the tiles he laid had to be ripped out and installed property by a professional tiler.
We then acquired a very professional, courteous and responsible tiler who has been diligently working on getting the tiling job done for us on time.
This experience has prompted me to add a section to my website where I can promote various trades people who come with great referrals and can be relied upon; a list I wish I would have had one month ago!! I will continue to add to this list, or remove from the list if necessary but will keep it updated for my clients to rely upon should they require a good tradesperson.
The reno is almost finished now, certainly not without its obstacles along the way. With the assistance of a couple of my dedicated clients (whose names will be included in my Tradesperson list), my daughter and her boyfriend and my son, my husband and I have made it through this reno and we are actually still speaking to one another. One lesson we have learned is that we will never build a house!!
Happy Reno'ing everyone and remember check references of your trades people before hiring them, write out a concise contract to be signed by yourself and your trades person, and do not pay half the money up front!! Most importantly, remember, "You get what you pay for!!"
I will post the before and after photos once it is all done and over with! Can't wait!!! Check back soon.