Full scale renovation...the quick and easy way

Big Ears has trashed the place and a full reno is required. I can do it the hard way, or get some ideas on some shortcuts. Please help me with any tips on the following.

Plastering..I need to wash and sand back all the walls before painting. Would WhiteKnight or another "paint anywhere" surface preparer be any good??? (It would save time and effort).

Painting...Roller vs Spray gun. Pro's Con's

Sanding floors....Any tricks?? What should I have as Kitchen floor??

Rendering brickwork...Any ideas??

No lawn, just weeds.....I thought of getting a bobcat; scrape the top inch off and then turf....any other quick and easy ideas??

Any other general time & dollar saving ideas appreciated.

Cheers,

Noddy.
 
Big Ears has trashed the place and a full reno is required. I can do it the hard way, or get some ideas on some shortcuts. Please help me with any tips on the following.

Plastering..I need to wash and sand back all the walls before painting. Would WhiteKnight or another "paint anywhere" surface preparer be any good??? (It would save time and effort).

>>Depends if you are keeping the property or selling. If keeping, wash walls well with sugar soap, if selling don't bother

Painting...Roller vs Spray gun. Pro's Con's

>>I bought a spray gun and found it pretty good, but you need to mask everything up very well and put drop sheets down and make sure you clean the nozzles reallly well after use.

Sanding floors....Any tricks?? What should I have as Kitchen floor??

>> Haven't done it before, can't give any tips

Rendering brickwork...Any ideas??

>>Provide details of what is to be rendered and how many square metres are to be done

No lawn, just weeds.....I thought of getting a bobcat; scrape the top inch off and then turf....any other quick and easy ideas??

>>That sounds pretty quick and easy to me!

Any other general time & dollar saving ideas appreciated.

>>Don't try to renovate and work 60 hours per week at the same time...it doesn't happen. Have plenty of cash spare. If you don't have a ute or trailer and contemplate doing the reno quickly, hire a ute. Buy a cordless drill (best tool you will buy).

Glenn
 
The fallacy of quick reno's

I believe that the quick reno concept is actually a bit misleading. So many people fail to account for their own time and the pressure that it puts on relationships along the way. Gmott's comment with this regard is the best piece of advice you can be given.

If you are planning a series of reno's, then spend the time you would have engaged in slaving over a wet wall looking instead for a number of semi-retired quality tradesman who will work at 'mates rates'. Better still, find yoourself a retired builder or project manager who will work for a percentage of the NET return. This will encourage him to keep costs down and boost the margin wherever possible.

This serves a number of purposes:
1. Your current appoach limits you to a few concurrent projects at the most - it is not scaleable.
2. The professionals will know how to get the job done in half the time with twice the quality of finish
3. The professionals will make plenty of suggestions along the way to save you time and money
4. There is an awful lot of knowledge locked up in our semi-retirees that many of them love to share. Leverage this, help them keep busy, and you can both profit from the result.

As a 35yo, I have done a number of properties now and have benefitted from the incredible knowledge of a few really talented semi-retired tradespeople with whom I have been happy to share my margin.

Happy renovating.
Anthony
 
2. The professionals will know how to get the job done in half the time with twice the quality of finish
Someone at work is doing a reno and has been very disappointed with the quality of the tradesman he has used so far. He says they work slowly and often don't achieve the result he asked for.

He says if he has to be there to supervise them he might as well do the work himself.

My advice is don't use tradesman unless they are recommended. Ask the tradesman for references and check them out.

Mike
 
The idea of using semi-retired sounds good...I will investigate that option. How do you find them???..local paper ad??

Time is not my biggest pressure as I plan to spend a week solid on whatever needs to be done. As I have the time; I would rather get involved and learn how to do the things that are "smarter" and easy rather than pay someone else.

I plan to do the painting and the landscaping. I think I will hire for the floor sanding and polishing. The rendering of the brickwork I may try but I am thinking that I'll let a trady do that & I'll just paint it. (I have thought about adding oxide to the mortar mix which means no painting???))

I like the geoff doige concept, however I am trying to adapt his concepts to Perth conditions. (No big queenslanders...damn!!...Ever tried to move a double-brick house further along a block :( )

I am thinking of the $10 Collander conversion into a vanity, as well as the "10 quick ways to add value".

Apart from WA Salvage; any other "discount" suppliers in Perth?(preferably SOR)


Noddy
 
Geez, Noddy,

Better rethink THAT one:-

I am thinking of the $10 Collander conversion into a vanity, as well as the "10 quick ways to add value".


If you did that, you will need an onsite plumber (or cleaner) full-time !!!

;)

(You need a bowl, not a collander)
 
Whilst we are on the subject of full scale renovations, has anyone here attempted extending a house doing the bulk of the work themselves?
I am especially interested in the possibilities of pre nailed frames that are delivered to your site (specific to your plan) that you can theoretically just assemble yourself. Has anyone done this, or is it just worth the extra bit of cash to get a carpenter in?
 
Prebuilt walls are great if you know how to put them together.They can save a lot of time. Maybe think about renting a nail gun for the time you are putting the walls together.
Also you can get premade trusses for your roof although I would not recommend doing this if you have never put a roof together.
Jason
 
Jason thanks for the advice,
Any idea what the costs would be compared to say just getting an onsite carpenter? If I need a carpenter to do the roof trusses anyway, would it be cheaper just to get them to do the whole lot?
Do you know any company in Melbourne that makes them? Do they suppply all the fittings etc.. or just the frames? Instructions?

I'm assuming that they are custom made to your plan..

Definately the nail gun will save time. Guess If I work fast enough I could hire it for a couple of days and get the frame up then use it for the weatherboards too.


Thanks,
 
Hi Dan,
here is the yellow pages link to all the prefab wall makers in Melbourne. Unfortunately I really don't know of any I could recommend.

To save some money you could do the walls yourself as long as everything is level and square and then get a carpenter in to do the roof although if you go with a weekend carpenter as opposed to a licenced contractor you will not get any type of warranty on his work.

As far as carpenters I guess it all depends on the time frame, if it can be done over a weekend you may be able to get a carpenter in for about 20-35 per hour plus material (ball park figure).
If it is going to be longer you might need a contractor and unfortunately it is going to be a lot more because he has to cover his expenses as well e.g. wages for others to help him,insurance etc.
Hope this helps
Jason

http://yellowpages.com.au/yp/search...=&pShowZoned=false&searchType=refine&isSuper=
 
Greetings, all

just referring back to noddy's query re locating semi-retired tradesmen... I recently contacted an organistaion called the "Grey Army" after a friend commented very favourable on quality and cost of a tradesman at her place (which coincided with a bill of $77 from a plumber for changing a washer in a hot water tap in one of my IPs!!)

anyway, the organisation is a central booking/arranging agency for semi-retired tradespersons and a phone call (13 11 98 in VIC & NSW, unsure of other states but easily found through whitepages.com.au) will get you a very pleasant discussion about scope and range of trades available, costs (good news), pride in work (even better news), etc, etc.

needless to say, I've notified my IPs Managing Agents that "Grey Army" is to be contacted for all future maintenance...

regards
AOK1
 
More info on Grey Army. Seems interesting.


Grey Army
Honest Reliable Service At Very Competitive Rates
FOR ANY RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL SERVICE YOU REQUIRE
*CARPENTRY *PAINTING *CLEANING *PAVING *CONCRETING *PROPERTY MAINTENANCE *DECKING & PERGOLAS *RUBBISH REMOVAL *ELECTRICAL *TILING *GUTTER CLEANING *WINDOW CLEANING *HANDYMEN *LAWN & GARDEN CARE

The Grey Army was established in April 1997 to find employement for, and raise the image of, people over the age of 45 and at the same time provide reliable home services to the public at a reasonable cost.

From over 400 original applicants (including ex bank managers, engineers, executives and tradesman), 50 loyal service providers were chosen and, in their neat uniforms and ID badges, commenced providing hom services for those who wanted experienced, reliable and trustworthy work done in and around their home at a fair cost.

The concept was immediately embraced by the public and the Grey Army now does work ranging from changing tap washers and gardening to painting, home extensions, plumbing and electrical work.

The Grey Army team has now grown to over 2000 service providers. Our motto of "Old Fashioned Values and Integrity" has been applied to every facet of the business. We belive that business is not only about making money, but it is also about building something of which you can be proud and bring back the values of when your handshake was your bond.
Dubbo NSW 2830


Freecall: [+61] 13 11 98


Cheers,

Sunstone.
 
Re: rendering.

Use an acrylic render that contains colorings. Depending on the render you can also get all sorts of fancy textures etc. You'll need a professional to apply it, however, but the savings in painting costs and time may still make it worthwhile.

Check out http://www.granosite.com.au for an example (a division of Wattyl); I think Dulux also has similar products.

Very nice.

edit: Depending on your substate, a lot of these products are "roll on", so are practical for the DIY'er. In your case however you may need a trowel-on finish?
 
Hi All.

This is my first contribution for a while.
I have not posted as most discussions had seemed to get off track.
Must admit, I am quite impressed by the contributions so far. The new forum layout is great.
As a renovator, I thank all who contributed such useful information. You can teach an old dog new tricks! Keep up the great work. Secondly, congratulations to all of you who are out there making it happen. Enough mush.

There are some great places to find bargains.
First up: The Trading Post newspaper or website (Melbourne).
Fowles auctions for carpets and tiles are hard to beat.
The best I have found for appliances are The Good Guys.

AS for tradespeople, I have found that the best ones are ones that are referred. I did a recent reno where the guy spent more time complaining than working. I was peed off when he made me rip out the bathroom, and then dissappeared without trace. Now we had to put everything back. He in fact did us a favour, as we needed someone quick. This is when I stumbled across Grey Power. Similar to the Army, I assume. Tommy is a great old stick and semi retired after a mild stroke. Never complained, and good work ethic. Best part: only $15 per hour! I rang the other guy and thanked him for quitting.
Anyway, enough waffle. It is Friday,and I enjoy a drop red or two, hence the casualness of this posting.
I hope it is useful to some.
In the meantime, let me know if you have a good cheap kitchen maker.

Regards, and keep up the great contributions.
Sam Vannutini.
 
Noddy,

Sounds like you're in for some work there! I like your turf idea- just be sure to water it in well for a good 10 days after going on. Nothing worse than looking at a house and walking over crunchy brown grass to get to the front door :)

Don't let anyone tell you quick renos aren't possible. With good planning and a schedule, you can do an awful lot. My last one took 10 days of straight working (with tradesmen, of course) and that included a new kitchen, sanding floors, lots of painting, wall knocked out, new window coverings, screens, letterbox and clothesline, heaps of gardening ( I still have the short nails to prove it) and the various 101 other "little" jobs that crop up when you least expect it (resealing leaking patio, new valve on hot water system, flooded water meter box, new skirting boards in two rooms, extra electrics etc etc) It's all good fun, depreciable and adds value to your property, if done properly and in the right area. ( I notice overcapitalisation has been discussed already)

Keep us posted of your progress and happy renewing!
 
And I thought it coudn't get worse :(

Got possesion on Friday and found the following:

Flea infested. 6 Flea bombs hopefully have fixed it.

No air-Conditioner. It was there when I inspected it, but now there is a board nailed in it's place. I will have to get one and charge the "removalist" for it.

Extra features in the walls. When moving furniture out, isn't the idea to NOT hit the walls as you go?

Door & window keys. Shoudn't I get all of them??. On a positive note, it keeps the house locked, but it does make going out the back a very long trip via the front.

Bonus furniture. Lounge suit, two matresses and a table. Who said you don't get anything for free these days?. Would be nice if they threw them out if they didn't want them, but what can you expect these days?

Well. Thats day one. I am sure(please!!!!!) tomorrow will be better!.

Noddy
 
Originally posted by AOK1
Greetings, all

just referring back to noddy's query re locating semi-retired tradesmen... I recently contacted an organistaion called the "Grey Army" after a friend commented very favourable on quality and cost of a tradesman at her place (which coincided with a bill of $77 from a plumber for changing a washer in a hot water tap in one of my IPs!!)

anyway, the organisation is a central booking/arranging agency for semi-retired tradespersons and a phone call (13 11 98 in VIC & NSW, unsure of other states but easily found through whitepages.com.au) will get you a very pleasant discussion about scope and range of trades available, costs (good news), pride in work (even better news), etc, etc.

needless to say, I've notified my IPs Managing Agents that "Grey Army" is to be contacted for all future maintenance...

regards
AOK1

Grey Army is/was in Adelaide as well. I tried twice to get them to do some work in the front garden....first one quit before he started the job and the second one was well......:eek: was going to be told not to bother coming back if he rang back ( he didn't ).

Ended up using someone who had an ad on a shopping centre notice board and had no problem with him.

I think between family and friends the only trade I am missing is carpenter ( know one but he is too busy )

Your local job network member may have a few older unemployable trades people on there books that may jump at the chance of a few days work here and there.

As with most things find the service that is right for you and stick with them :cool:
 
Back
Top