- Research what is required for your renovation – I don’t mean just the materials and such, as your builder should know and should have quoted you for this already. Though if you have specific needs for special circumstances or have niche requirement it’s always good to have some idea about the materials required. I’m talking about finding out about the projected build process so you can fully appreciate the work that is going on and project manage more effectively. Learn what different legislations you may have to adhere to as a result of your renovation – what council approvals are required, do you need waivers, what licences and special materials are required to meet legislations or just go to tip #2.
- Surround yourself with QUALIFIED experts – your parents and friends are great and other peoples experience are valuable but a good team of trades like builders and carpenters, plumbers and electricians who have worked on similar jobs or multiple jobs like yours or even project managers who have that experience will be more valuable on the job. These niche qualified experts should be able to guide you in the right process, time manage, and be budget savvy.
- Have the plans visually set in your mind – BUT – allow for some flexibility – you never know what works and what doesn’t work for your property. It isn’t until building commences that you know when there are unknown changes. Which leads to this next tip-
- Ask for a project timeline – A great way to follow the steps and tasks in a build is simply by following a project timeline provided by your builders. To be fair I say this with scepticism, as mentioned above, building projects are filled with unknowns and little tasks are always impacting the bigger building timeline but that is what contingency plans and additional lag times are for and your experienced experts should have allowed for this.
We recently did a project where a third-party engineer missed a crucial part of the land surveying and as result additional work had to take place. These things happen but a good estimator and builder would have allowed for those “unknown problems”. Which we did, and fortunately did not extend the build time, in fact we finished earlier than projected.
- Keep in the know with regular project catch ups – weekly catch ups with your builders on what the plan for the week is important to evaluate any potential changes in time and money. It’s a great way to track how the team is doing, where you are positioned in the timeline and possibly pick up on any overspends.
TIP: Get all the warranty’s for any products that are purchased through a 3rd party from air conditioners to kettles or toys- you never know what may happen and when you may need it.
Summary of how to project manage your renovations
