Renovations (kitchen, bathroom, etc.)

Kill_Face

Hello!

We've just put an offer in on a house that hasn't been decorated since the 70's... very old carpets, kitchen, bathroom, fitted wardrobes, etc. ...

We're looking to completely renovate, starting with bathroom and kitchen...

What tips can you give about getting honest quotes for the work and ensuring that work comes in on budget? We're both bad at DIY and short of time, so we don't mind paying to have the work done, but beyond that... we don't know where to start!


Thank you!

diywhynot

Kill_Face wrote: »

Hello!

We've just put an offer in on a house that hasn't been decorated since the 70's... very old carpets, kitchen, bathroom, fitted wardrobes, etc. ...

We're looking to completely renovate, starting with bathroom and kitchen...

What tips can you give about getting honest quotes for the work and ensuring that work comes in on budget? We're both bad at DIY and short of time, so we don't mind paying to have the work done, but beyond that... we don't know where to start!


Thank you!

Ask friends, family, colleagues etc for personal recommendations. Check qualifications/registrations of anyone who walks through the door eg. gas registration, electrics. Avoid sites where trades paid for leads and aren't vetted. Get 3 written quotes for works and compare. Make up your mind about what you want to have done and stick to it....chopping and changes as work progresses will add to costs. Let trades source the materials then they will hold the can if there are problems with goods. Take a look at the 'Planning Portal Common Projects' (as new user can't posts links so put these terms into the search engine of your choice) lots of excellent info on the legalities/your responsibilities as the property owner.

Hope it goes well.

Leif

What diywhynot said.

Leif

Oh, and don't forget you might need to replace ceilings, have walls skimmed, replace window boards, skirting, architraves, doors, rewire electrics, new consumer unit (fuse box), add insulation, new heating pipes, new radiators, new boiler, remove wallpaper and discover why there is wallpaper, and so on.