George’s top ten architecture and renovation tips (Cont.)
6. Don’t Compromise on the Important Stuff :
Get what I call the ‘infrastructure’ right – in other words, the services. Don’t compromise on the new boiler system, the rewiring, the plumbing, just because you want to get the space right.
I’ve seen people do a loft conversion, but not upgrade the boiler that’s knackered down in the utility room or half the plugs don’t work downstairs or they’ve got a damp problem. I’ve seen people spend £10,000 on a new bathroom but the kitchen doesn’t work. It’s mad.
If you’re going to spend any money on anything first, spend it on the services, getting damp problems sorted, even improving or fitting insulation, before you start on big renovations.
Think about what spaces need the most work first. The services are probably the most expensive thing, but also the most important thing. If you get a leak in your bathroom because the pipework doesn’t work, you’ll ruin all that new kitchen downstairs anyway. It’s really dull, but you need to get the services right first. I can’t go in and transform a house knowing that a boiler’s going to die in six months’ time. Get it done first, you’ll get peace of mind and you won’t waste money later.
7. Good Communication is Everything :
Communication is really important. You might set your project up really well, you might have made all your design decisions and know exactly what you’re doing, but if you don’t communicate with your builder on site as often as possible in a proactive and positive way, the project will drift.
If you’re on top of them in a reasonable way, they’ll be reasonable with you. If they think you’re not pushing them, they’ll start to lose interest in your job.
If you’re communicating with them every day – I hassle my contractors usually every morning, asking who’s on site, what’s being done, what’s been delivered every day – they’ll be kept on their toes, even if they brush you off a little bit. You’ve got to be on their back in the nicest possible way.
If you leave a project for a couple of days and then go back to site, you’ll find that things haven’t been done – and there’s often no real strong reason for it. If you’re on a fixed price, it’s not too scary, but it’s inconvenient and a hassle when things drift. And even in this case, if the builder knows he’s mismanaged himself, he’ll find any opportunity to charge you extra.
Not all builders do this. There are good builders out there – fantastic ones – and it’s a shame that the building industry has got a bad reputation. If you get a good one, you should recommend him to everyone you know.
8. Make sure you have a signed contract :
If you can get your contractor to agree on a penalty clause, great. If you’re doing a big project like Wembley Stadium, you’ve got the power to get one. So many small contractors just won’t do it – they’ll think you’re getting off on the wrong foot. And if you’ve got a great contractor, you just won’t need one. If you have found someone highly recommended, you’ve visited their former clients, you’ve got a good contract that specifies the job, when it finishes and how much it will cost, you shouldn’t need one, and if you insist on one, you might lose them. What I want to say is, yes insist on a penalty clause – but in the real world you might lose a good contractor to another job. There has to be an element of trust. If you’ve got all that other paperwork in place, contract signed, schedule of works, price in black and white, you’re protected anyway. They can’t run away anyway, you can sue them. If they’re a reputable, established contractor, they don’t want to do a bad job or get a bad reputation, or be sued by you, either.
9. Understand the Builder’s Problems :
If you’ve got a fixed price you’ve got peace of mind you’re not going to be spending any more money. If your contractor’s got reasonable cause for delay, however – maybe he’s waiting for the Water Board to do something before he can finish the plumbing he may be able to demonstrate that he needs to charge you a little more money.
Even when that’s all gone on, don’t compromise on the finish. Don’t pressurise him to hurry it along to complete the job if that will compromise the finish.
Don’t push him too hard at the end – you’ll trash the job and have to get the skirting boards or architraves that they shoved in at the last minute redone, or the rooms redecorated in a year’s time, and so on.
It comes down to communication good relationship with your builder to be reasonable and to understand the problems that they have. Accept any overruns to get the finish that you want, allowing them extra time to finish properly.
It’s a shame once they’ve put all the time and effort into things that you don’t see to rush things that you do see (such as paint finishes and skirting boards) – and those are the things that get tired really quickly. Once you’ve got through that stage – having renegotiated delays, you’ve got your snagging list.
10. Keep a Retention :
At the end of the job, keep a minimum five per cent retention, even when your builder thinks he’s finished the job, and do your snagging list. If you’ve got an architect, he would normally do that for you.
This retention should clearly be in the contract, and will specify that the builder is to put right any defective works.
There are a couple of stages that people forget about – but it’s in the JCT (building contract). One is the six months’ defects liability period.
Once the job is finished you need to go around and make a note of anything not properly completed as per your contract (ie, to a reasonable standard) – taps are loose, the bath has no silicone around the edges, etc.
If you’re a novice at this and are not sure, you’re going have basic standards, but are going to have to trust your builder a bit on this. He then has to agree to it and then do the work.
Once the snagging is finished, you still hold back the five per cent for six months. Unprofessional builders will probably hassle you for their money at this point. At the end of the six months, though, at their cost not at yours, they’re obliged to fix any problems. Maybe there’s cracking in the decorations caused by changing temperature in the rooms – that’ll happen in every house – they need to come back and fix that. This is ‘ideal world’ here – but it’s how it should happen if you’ve got a good contract.
This is the simple basis of any building contract. If he won’t put things right, you’ve got every right to get someone else in and not to pay him this money.
gibarch
on Jun 13th, 2009
@ 10:22 am:
In your tips there is the contract with the builder but how does it work with the architect.? Are they normally on a percentage of the project or a fixed fee. In your experience is it better to have a separate project manager or can the architect do this?
George Clarke
on Jun 15th, 2009
@ 1:35 pm:
Hi gibarch…the architect is normally appointed separately to the builder (although with my practice we carry out a combined design and build service where needed so all services can be rolled into the same contract) but they are often separate. It is up to the architect how they charge their fees but it is common for it to be a percentage of the overall construction budget and the percentage varies depending on the scale and complexity of the build. The RIBA have a ‘scale of recommended fees’ which can advise clients on how much they would expect to pay. visit http://www.architecture.com for more info. If the project is very small scale (say up to £100,000) the architect can project manage the build for you. Any larger than that I would consider getting your own project manager on board. My employ my own experienced project managers who deliver my projects for me. It all depends on the project and the role/experience of your architect. Good luck with your project! George
Sharon Black
on Jun 15th, 2009
@ 10:00 pm:
Hi George
I can just hear you saying these tips! Love it. Love the show – highlight of my week (seriously, I have to get a life). Our house was built in 1870, but that’s all I can find out about it. Very frustrating. I LOVE my house, except for the awful 70′s kitchen extension (a true kitchen nightmare! Sorry Gordon). I’ve been agonizing over our kitchen extension design for 2 years now! Is the space big enough for an island (it’s 5.4m x 3.5m), but it has to incorporate a dining table and w/m and dryer? Folding doors or 2 sets of french doors? Flooring….? The list goes on and on. We no longer have the budget to go with our original design – so are having to compromise massively – but I can’t decide on final design. Would love your thoughts on my dilemma…I’ll be watching whatever. Keep up the good work! Sharon x
George Clarke
on Jun 16th, 2009
@ 8:22 am:
Sharon…any chance you can email me a very quick plan of what you have?…if I get a minute I’ll do a quick sketch over it and send back my thoughts…can’t make any promises but I’ll do everything I can to help. Even an old estate agent plan would do…whatever you have for me to sketch over. Send to george@georgeclarke.co.uk. George x
Karen
on Jun 27th, 2009
@ 8:46 pm:
Hi George
My partner and I are new to the world of development but in the process of renovating what will be our family home and are now nearing the stage of putting the job out to tender. We’ve recently been rather disillusioned by our architect who informed us that our original budget (which we’d never discussed with him – oddly enough) would need to double.
Having asked loads of people (builders, architects, quanitity surveyors) for a rough price per square metre, excluding fixtures and fittings, we’ve had answers ranging from £750 to £1500. How can we really know what is the true market price in the current economic climate, and how can we avoid being ripped off?
thanks
Karen
PS Love the show – you’re a genius!
George Clarke
on Jul 3rd, 2009
@ 11:41 am:
Karen, £750 per square meter (even in this market) but you are right there can be an enormous range and difference in prices. The best way to decide is to go out to tender to a range of builders and when the prices come in arrange to visit at least 2 of their projects. This will give you an idea of the standard and quality of their work and make sure you have a conversation with the clients/owners to find out the true cost of the build and what they were like as contractors. This will help you make a decision on which contractor is best value for money as you can actually see the quality of their work and their relationship with their clients. You will then be confident in the choice you make. The old saying ‘the cheapest is not always best’ is absolutely true! Good luck with the build! George xxx
Sharon Black
on Jul 5th, 2009
@ 12:51 am:
Hi George
Have sent another email following up from before – could you have a look – please!? Just want to get the design right! D’you know I’ve never met anyone who is entirely happy with the work they’ve had done on their house. However ‘happy’ they are there’s always a ‘but I wish we’d….’ something or other. Sure I’ll be just the same! Cheers, Sharon x
Kevin
on Jul 15th, 2009
@ 6:22 pm:
hi Goerge,
I just bought 1 bedroom flat in central london recently, barbican(the views got me unfortunately).
I love the area and the whole architecture but the only problem is, these buildings are grade 2 listed and even making small alterations with existed doors requires planning permission and big time waiting from the city of london…technically and structurally the flat doesnt need any alteration ( like heating, electricity or plumbing) but would appreciate if you can provide us with some links or info about these type of flat-renovations,ideas, what can be done, or have been done before even only furniture ideas maybe.(we did a small research in bookstores and libraries but really lack of information about this area)
thanks and keep up the good work, your show and designs are truly amazing.
_Kevin
Monica Dent
on Oct 4th, 2009
@ 6:30 am:
Hi George
Thanks for such a fantastic website – lots of great tips and info for the likes of us who are about to buy a Grade II listed property in need of renovation. We’re complete novices on the home improvement front and would welcome advice as to how we can make best use of the downstairs living space which isn’t the most coherent.
If you can spare a few moments to look at the downstairs floorplan please let us know and we’ll send it across to you.
Many thanks
Len
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 9:10 pm:
Hi George,
I have applied to the show for your services to sort the layout of our 3 bed detached bungalow(2 beds and e-suite in the roof). There is a un-used chimney right through the upstairs bedroom/ensuite divide down through the Kitchen taking up so much space.
Having re-furbished a 3 bed semi in the past removing the chimney was so easy and the layout without extensions was a formality.
This time an extension/garage conversion is needed, stairs to be moved from the kitchen diner to large the entrance hall. The layout does not seem so obvious this time. Has the show been comissioned yet.
What our the costs of your design and drawing only services.
Cheers for any help in advance
Len
june kings cross
on Jan 27th, 2010
@ 11:25 am:
hi george
i am think of renovating my bathroom but it belongs to a housing association. my walls have that crackling paint effect on the drylining. unfortunately i have no idea how to fix and the HA are unco-operative. in addition, i was wondering when renovating a room what is the order of work because i have been told so many different manners of completing the project. love your shows. june
Blueberry Taylors
on Apr 19th, 2010
@ 3:25 pm:
George
I just adore the show’s you have done, realy inspiring to be creative. We are doing up the house we currently live in, 1970′s box, we are then planning a self build in the garden using a lot of your ideas from the show, we are sure that we will have to fight for planning consent as we are within a national park, any advice on this greatly appreciated.
We are updating the kitchen, my question is how much should we be aiming to spend, we will live in the house whilst the new house is built so probably 2 years. I thought about £20.000 including the removal of a supporting wall, appliances and granite work surfaces.
Chris
on Apr 22nd, 2010
@ 3:07 pm:
Hi George,
Thanks for the tips. I just wanted to point something out regarding Tip 8.
You mention trying to get penalty clauses in the contract but a true penalty clause is legally unenforceable. Without getting into too much legal detail, there is an important distinction to be made. A penalty clause is a term of the contract whereby the parties agree that a certain sum will be paid/or forfeited on a breach of contract and where this does not amount to a genuine pre-estimate of loss. This is unenforceable. In contrast, what is known as a ‘liquidated damages’ clause is enforceable and means that the clause, effective upon breach, provides for a sum that amounts to a genuine pre-estimate of loss. This distinction means there is an inevitable danger of relying on any such clause without legal advice.
A good alternative is to make an agreement in terms of positive obligations. Instead of thinking in terms of ‘penalties’ for a breach of contract, think in terms of how to positively ascribe a price in relation to purpose of your contract and the different possibilities you hope to avoid. For example, if it was time for completion then think not in terms of (i) this is the fixed date, (ii) if you breach that then you will pay this. Rather, think of (i) this is the date I’m aiming for, (ii) if you are late by one week then the price will be £100 less, and so on. This latter option is not based on a breach of contract because it operates on the level of the primary obligations of the contract, rather than the secondary obligations to compensate for a breach of contract, and it therefore does not attract the penalty clause rule.
Hope this helps.
helen hill
on May 18th, 2010
@ 5:14 pm:
hi george what a lovely show renovation man we purchaced a3 storey 1800 town house with quite a lot of history ,we would love to be on your next series . we live in kings lynn an old historical fishing town , we are doing moast of the work ourselves , to raking out motar and re pointing to fitting windows we would love youre advice and experties, let me know when you are comming and ile put kettle on
Alex
on Jun 8th, 2010
@ 2:02 pm:
Hello George,
My partener and I have fallen in love with a three storey terraced house, we’ve made a bid on it and
the structural survey has come back showing some subsidence in a rebuttal wall in the kitchen with some dampness. My question to you is do you think (with your vast experience) whether a polymer deep injection technologies are better than the more conventional methods of underpinning walls? Adore your show. Thank you.
Alex Scott x
alison walsh
on Oct 12th, 2010
@ 12:27 pm:
once the snaging list has been completed can I hold retention if this condition had not been previousley agreed.
cd agarwal
on Apr 17th, 2011
@ 12:21 am:
Hi George,
My patner and I got a builder to do a complete renovation of a 1930′s build. The builder who took the job confirmed that he will positively finish this 4 bed house in 6 weeks. however, he did not adn we had ot move into rented as our previous house was sold. We currently had around 10% of money to be paid. But we asked them to finish the work to good standard and then come back to us with the final invoice on the payment. The builder is threatening us of calling baliff and also that he will take the boiler out if we did not pay. I am very scared with all this and don’t know what to do. Please advice.
Thanks,
cd
Jo Homewood
on Aug 23rd, 2011
@ 4:57 pm:
Hello George,
I have watched your shows & have always been interested in Architecture & design. My ambition has been to buy a house that I could gut & design to suit my families needs. Recently we bought a 1930s detached house. I draw up lots of different designs then I came across your ‘Home Bible’ book. I read it from cover to cover, it is brilliant. It gave me the ideas I need to complete this project. Keep making the shows & writing the books.
Thank you
Jo
Lynette
on Nov 24th, 2011
@ 5:10 pm:
Dear George,
Can you recommend a good website about how to find a derelict building to buy and renovate in Ireland. Thankyou
Leonie
on Jan 8th, 2012
@ 9:00 pm:
Hi George
Can you tell me what is should pay per square meter for to build a 4 bedroomed house ?