First home renovation project - complete newbie

euromike

Hello everyone. I recently bought a 1500 sq ft two-level flat, and accidentally found myself needing to learn about renovation, interior design, dealing with builders, etc:) It had been my idea to buy a ready-to-move flat, but with London's insane prices I realised that I really needed to buy something which needed work, and then go through the whole process of doing it up.

I know nothing about construction, DIY, etc, so decided to hire builders. We're still in the planning phase, but we're looking at (1) new bathrooms (there are 3 in the property) (2) new kitchen (3) new wooden floors (4) painting everything (5) knocking down some stud walls, but no load bearing walls (6) installing new stairs (short flight of 8 steps).

The guy came recommended by a friend, and has so far been very professional. I'll have the opportunity to see some of his earlier projects before we sign any contract. He hasn't quoted me anything but indicated that (1) the cost is going to be, roughly, 100% of what I'll spend on materials - so say I spend 35k on tiles, floors, bathooms, kitchen, paints, etc, he'll charge me another 35k. (2) he indicated "50k for nice quality, 70k for top-end quality" total cost. All of these discussions have been very preliminary and we both agreed that a detailed spec of work to be done is needed to agree on a quote.

I have no idea where to start... I'll ask too many questions, please feel free to answer just some of them, or tell me to break it into sub-posts..
(1) Do I pay cash in hand, or bank transfer? the former would save me 20% VAT, him some tax too, but I take it not writing a detailed contract of what needs to be done is asking for trouble? and with a contract cash in hand isn't really an option?
(2) If I'm looking at higher end kitchen, and overall "penthouse" quality finish, does it make sense to hire a designer? I've been recommended a "sensibly" priced designer, say 7k for the whole project. But the look of her portfolio wasn't really "wow, I see a professional hand here". I have a good sense of aesthetics and I'm going for minimalist style, should I attempt to work out the design between me and the builder? If not, where to get a designer in london, are there websites with reviews, testimonials, ratings?
(3) where do I start?? It's a serious question. So far I've been analysing the floor plan, thinking about ways we use the flat , and came up with a rough idea of what layout we'd like (where the master bedroom would be, where sofa and kitchen table would go, that sort of thing). I've also been spending time on the Houzz app, bookmarking designs that I like. But what next? How do I go about the whole process of designing the place, or should I really leave that to a pro?
(4) if knocking down internal stud walls, I'll end up creating a massive open plan space, which will include kitchen, living room, entrance to the flat, and stairs. Should I trust the builder, or do I need to check some fire regulations etc?

I appreciate the patience of whoever reads this, even more so if you reply!;) Thanks

phill99

Congratulations on your new purchase!

I'm a builder/maintenance contractor. Here's my advice.

Get firm written quotes and specifications before the builder starts and before you give him a penny. Him saying "it'll cost double what you spend on materials" is not a professional way to start a relationship with your builder and, respectfully, it shows naivety on your part. You need to know what your money is buying. It also means that in the event of a dispute, you have something to refer to. If you don't it will be your word against his and that will only cost more.

In terms of cash payment: don't. Pay the VAT. Effectively you are only paying VAT on the labour, as the material costs already have VAT on them. If there is no receipt or paper trail for the money then he will not have to offer any guarantee and will deny liability in the event if a problem (and there will be problems).

If you have no receipt for the money and no specification for the work, he is effectively in complete control of your project and can hold you to ransom.

You need him also to draw up a programme of works, so that you know when certain works are to be done. It will at least give you an indication of time frames.

Having to pay a higher price for 'quality' work is rubbish. You shouldn'thave to be paying more to do a decent job.

If you are proposing an open plan kitchen/living area in a 2 storey flat, you will need Building Regulations Approval. YOU need to satisfy yourself about this as when you cone to sell and you don't have BR, you will come severely unstuck. Certain builders will tell you that you don't need BR, but that's because they don't want to work to that standard or to wait around for inspections!

In truth, your builder sounds a bit of a cowboy.

You would be well advised to get other quotes.

I can't comment on whether its best to have a designer.

euromike

Phil - thanks a lot for the input. Building regulations are something I'm looking into at the moment.

"It'll cost you double what you spend on materials" -> TBH it was me pushing him for a "rough indication" of the total costs, I brought him along to the second viewing before I made the offer in order to find out (1) if there were any structural problems with the property (2) what the total refurb may cost in total, so that I could figure what maximum offer I could afford.

He was reluctant to give quotes at that stage, but as I was (and am) almost a complete newbie to all of this, I didn't know whether it'd be say 25k or 125k. And I needed an indication in order to not find myself saddled with a property that I can't afford to refurb to livable standard.

On a different note, I see people do this all the time. I called a solicitor and in answer to my question about his fees he wanted to know how large a deposit I was putting down - basically, measuring what I could afford. He quoted me £1200 I think (+VAT), I said too much, he said £950.

Back on building regs - currently the kitchen is connected to the living room, and there's no fire door there, just a partition wall which leaves an opening. So I guess knocking that bit down won't be an issue? But then there's a large door, which my builder says isn't a fire door but I'm not sure myself, between the entrance hallway and living room. And the stairs leading to upstairs bedrooms are on the other side of that door i.e. the kitchen is separated from the staircase. Taking this door out may be a problem I take it?

euromike

Phil, thanks for pointing me out to the fire regulations / open plan issue! I just read http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/2014/11/10/open-plan-and-the-building-regulations-open-plan-layouts-and-safety/ incidentally, my desired layout is quite similar to the one in the photo - one would enter the flat straight into the large kitchen/living room area, and there would be a staircase (not separated, I imagined..) leading to upstairs bedrooms.
Sounds like I may need to give up that idea, or spend thousands of £ on sprinkler systems:(

Babbawah

Whilst I try to get my head around the 8 steps staircase !

Could you please give us an indication of your budget.

euromike

Budget -> I was thinking up to £70k builder's fees + materials, designer fees on top of that

bpk101

Hire a good building surveyor to act as an impartial advisor and help you spec out each and every job you want doing thoroughly including all materials and methods to be used.

This document will then act as the basis for quotes and as an agreement for how the work should be executed and to what standard once you've found your builder. Your surveyor can then inspect the works at the end of the project and make sure things have been carried out as agreed before you make any final payments.

I really wish I'd done this sooner in my first renovation... instead I was assuming the builder was my advisor on how works should be carried out properly. #wrong!

Head to the RICS website, get yourself some help, arm yourself with a fully detailed specification document and then get quotes based on it!

Oh and don't be afraid to ask your surveyor what the silver, gold and platinum options for each job might be, everyone's got a budget they need to work to.

Good luck.

euromike

Are all builders the same though? How do I compare quotes? Surely there's differences in quality of work between building teams, and I shouldn't choose purely on the basis of who quoted cheapest for the exact spec that I sent them

phill99

euromike wrote: »

Are all builders the same though? How do I compare quotes? Surely there's differences in quality of work between building teams, and I shouldn't choose purely on the basis of who quoted cheapest for the exact spec that I sent them

If they are basing their quotes on the same spec, and the spec includes quality if materials to be used, then the only difference is the price. Thats why you have a spec as it sets a datum line to which all quotes can work off.


The other thing OP is that you will more than likely need freeholders consent to remove internal walls, even if they are not load bearing. You will need to check the lease for this.

euromike

freeholders consent... hasn't even occurred to me:( I haven't exchanged on the flat yet, I'll be going through the estate agent to find out. How likely are they going to (1) object (2) want money for permission?
I have no idea who the freeholder is at this stage.

phill99

They are unlikely to object, but as sure as apples are green, they will want a fee to confirm this!!