What lessons have you learned doing your first reno?

[Learnings]

Hey guys

Im looking at my first house and wanting to buy a fixer-upper. Lookin at the big areas, Garden, Kitchen, Bathroom, Paint & Carpet.

Alot of people say things along the lines of "I learned so much on my first reno!" but dont say what they've learned.

Is it possible for some people to list some common things one could miss, like carpet installtion costs, things that are harder to think of & list when your staring at excel at work

Would be good to learn alot of the lessons before I sign on the dotted lines

 

[wylie]

One of the biggies for us is to constantly remember that we are not going to be living in it and to buy the best looking fittings and fixtures without spending too much. Don't skimp and spend too little either. Find the best quality that will stand up to rental usage without going overboard.

We like to present our IPs as clean, tidy, freshly painted (or at least in good condition) and as we would be happy to live in them. Of course, our own PPOR has more "bells and whistles" than our IPs but I could easily move into our IPs. My children, of course, would baulk at doing without what we have at home .

 

[Above Average]

I have learnt to try to do measurements etc yourself!

Someone helped us out with some measurements & got it wrong so cost us $90 extra in product we did not need.

Also, someone helped us with the painting but to a much lower standard than we use. basically, the job needs to be redone...costing us more time & $$ in the long term.

Make sure your handy people work to the same standards as you!

Above Average

 

[Cartoon]

PLAN!!!!!!!
This is one of the most inportant things i learnt, get a time line going with what needs to be one on what days so you know if your behind or not.
if its your first reno it will take a while as its a learning process also.
Know what u need to get done to compleate the next weeks work.

 

[BAOT131]

Basically what Wylie and Cartoon has said, you need a Plan and a Budget;

Plan all tasks you need to do every day and when you expect to complete them.
Budget not to exceed 7% of the value of your house, try to buy your materials at whole sale price by going to warehouses and negotiate sale price down.

If during reno and your planed date and budget is nearly reached but you still have not complete some of the task due to some unplan tasks or delays by tradie, you just cut the the work needs to be done, ie you plan to replace a new laundry sink and tile the whole laundry walls, instead, just replace the sink and tile just the section above the sink and paint the rest of the laundry walls.


Regards
T

 

[goonandtell]

know your limits and as said above, PLAN it all out.

Planning is important, you want to have any trades lined up because it will often stuff you up if you can't get say your plumber in at the right time which holds up the cabinet build, the tiler, etc...

Leave gaps even though its annoying if you get bumped by one trades person meaning you can't progress you will probably annoy the next tradie and miss the window you had booked, which means you might be looking at going to the back of their que.

Planning it all out will also give you a better idea of costing and timing, i could sit down and estimate a reno a lot better than the first time i decided i didn't like a wall and knocked it out over a beer or two with some mates. Which was great except effectively i finished the job 2 years later.

Doing your research on costings means you won't either spend to much or worse run out of cash for the project. Again maybe tripple it, i don't want to put you off, but it adds up quickly, even things like rubbish removal, paint, door knobs stuff you didn't think of adds up fast.

The know your limits is something i have to keep telling myself. I have to think can i do this up to an acceptable standard and would it be 'cheaper' to get someone else. Put a value on your time, figure out how long you think it will take (then double it), does that cost more than a pro? then why are you busting your balls doing it? Are you going to do it so that it doesn't last as well? do you have all the required tools?

You say first house, will this be your PPOR? If so get as much done before you move in, it will make it a lot less stressful and also quicker. Washing dishes in the bathroom or laundry sink sucks, having a shower sitting down because the splash back isn't in sucks, there is a long list. Also having to mask up everything/move stuff around when you do stuff takes up time. If you paint a room that is empty and doesn't have carpet you will save a heap of time and not put those few drops that snuck under the drop sheet onto the carpet.

 

[eggnog]

DO NOT HAVE THE TV ON WHILST RENOVATING bloody distracts you and you end up accomplishing very little.

What I did with my current reno was got some mates through who are renters and asked them if they were to rent off me what would they like done to the house. Items were then pointed out that required updating/fixing. Great way to identify areas to reno without over-capitalising.

 

[Buying_Freedom]

I learnt not to skimp on taps. We bought a mixer tap for the kitchen at auction for $20 and within 3 days it was leaking water. Our plumber then installed a tap from Reece and we haven’t had a problem with it.

Also, learnt to get recommendations for tradepeople rather than look in the Yellow Pages. We had a horror electrician who came 6 hours late and left a puncture hole in our new kitchen benchtop.

We also got 3 large gum trees along with an elm tree removed. The elm tree shot suckers up all over the yard after it’s removal. Make sure the person removing the trees poisons the tree upon removal if it’s known to produce suckers.

 

[eggnog]

for taps go for ones that are approved by an industry body like watermark or have the 5 (?) quality ticks. These taps will have their respective trademarks (big W or the 5 ticks) etched at the back of the taps. You can buy them cheapish on ebay at ~50-70$ instead of the $100+ at retail outlets.

 

[Learnings]

Wow brilliant feedback

It will be my PPOR & ill be getting the FHOG, ill need to 'live' there for 12months.
But im planning on trying to get atleast a month headstart by paying rent a month or 2 over the end of my lease but not signing a new one.
In that time i want to do the bathroom as we dont do alot of cooking. mainly microwave/oven stuff.

Coming from a 1bed flat we (gf+I) dont have a huge amount of stuff so were hoping to keep it that way until the bulk the the work is done.

The plan is it reval every 12months, hopefully dipping under %80lvr in the first year, from a %97 loan. Year 2 pull some equity to purchase 2nd place.

Appreciate all the tips, i keep adding stuff like door knobs and paint rollers to the list.

Keep em coming

 

[goonandtell]

i also find going to the correct place helps, like a timber yard instead and a paint shop instead of bunnings. The advice and service was a lot better.

I usually get 'trade' price simply because i look the part and speak some of the right terms.

 

[RumpledElf]

DO NOT HAVE THE TV ON WHILST RENOVATING bloody distracts you and you end up accomplishing very little.

Aww, I dunno, we have the tv on all day. It serves many purposes:
a) we know when the power is on
b) we know what time it is. Just after Judge Judy starts, someone has to go collect the kid from school
c) Don't have tv in the ppor! TV is brilliant! did you know you get ADVERTS on commercial tv? For local businesses? Wow!

That aside:

Everything costs more than you think it will
You'll always forget *something* (yesterday we got some plasterboard delivered, we've got fill, we've got adhesive, we forgot tape)
You always need more no more gaps than you think
Things take longer than you hope

We've been renovating our new aquisition for 9 months now, we wanted it done in 6 for $6000-10,000 and we're looking to finish up at about $15,000. But it turned out so well we decided *not* to rent it out, and to move into it instead and sell my old PPoR, or rent it out if it doesn't sell by July.

 

[RightValue]

Hey guys

Im looking at my first house and wanting to buy a fixer-upper. Lookin at the big areas, Garden,

A garden is NOT is big value add.

Yes it adds to saleability but don't spend heaps on a garden and expect it to add value.

Also if it becomes a rental property expect the garden to become a weed infested jungle.

I go into a rental property every day ... rarely do I see one with an even reasonably maintained garden. There is a reason renters like townhouses ... they don't want to garden.

Renters who want a yard usually have a dog ... that will destroy any garden adn they never pick up the poo unless the kids play in the yard.

Before anyone contradicts me ...yes there are exceptions to the rule but the rule is the general rule.

$2,000 can get you a great looking hardy garden, use lots of stone and bark and low maintenance plants.

Also concentrate on the front garden not the rear garden ... the front garden is part of the first impression ... by the time a buyer looks at the rear yard, they have already made up their mind on the property after walking past the front garden and through the house.

cheers
RightValue

 

[twobobsworth]

If it needs more than painting, don't touch it.

If you plan 2 days to paint, it will take you 4.

 

[Dazz]

Alot of people say things along the lines of "I learned so much on my first reno!" but dont say what they've learned.

Only one thing - never again.

 

[justjudy]

A Gantt chart would be a great help organising your reno= good luck with it .

 

[Perp]

Doing your research on costings means you won't either spend to much or worse run out of cash for the project. Again maybe tripple it, i don't want to put you off, but it adds up quickly, even things like rubbish removal, paint, door knobs stuff you didn't think of adds up fast.

I can't emphasise enough how mysterious renovation costs are. I allowed what I thought were really generous allowances for everything, and it cost more - even though I got the builder and main subbies (electrician and plumber) to help me estimate the costs. You truly will be staggered how many "little things" add up.

Also, learnt to get recommendations for tradepeople rather than look in the Yellow Pages.

Great tip. If you've got one tradie you're happy with, ask him for recommendations, as they'll probably recommend people with a similar work ethic/quality. And if they like working together, it's more incentive for them to turn up.

Everything costs more than you think it will
You'll always forget *something* (yesterday we got some plasterboard delivered, we've got fill, we've got adhesive, we forgot tape)
You always need more no more gaps than you think
Things take longer than you hope

I can see you speak from experience! All this is true, but in addition to "no more gaps", I'd add masking tape, measuring tapes (where do they all go?), sandpaper, paint, and energy, patience, stamina, fortitude, and self-control.

* Make sure you know exactly what you need permits for, and what you don't, and that you have them all applied for in plenty of time.
* Make sure you're properly insured during renovations - both for your contents, for the tools on site, for the work being done, for any damage caused by you or your workers to neighbouring properties, etc.
* Keep on top of accounting for costs as you go - it's a nightmare to reconstruct later from piles of receipts! And if you can, pay for everything with one credit card or account, and nothing else - it helps double-check you've remembered every cost in your accounting.
* Use uni students for unskilled/low skilled labour, such as removing rubbish, some prep work (eg washing walls), maybe painting if you have confidence in their skills and/or unfussy about finish, etc. If you employ them, rather than your builder, make sure you buy a workers' compensation policy from your state government (costs very little, < $100) which will even cover day labourers (ie not formal employees) working for you on site.
* If your works are likely to affect your neighbours in any way - noise, traffic, dust, etc - then make sure you've met them and explained what you're doing before you start, and try to keep them on side. Complaints from neighbours to Council can cause grief. Even if you've tried to do everything by the book, complaints will cause their inspectors to look hard for something wrong, and despite your best efforts, there'll probably be something that isn't quite right, and it could be expensive. (In my case, they found a window - existing when I bought the property, and which I wasn't touching with my renovation - which didn't have an approval, and it cost me about $15K in architects, certifiers, and delays to get it approved. )

 

[Adria]

What I did with my current reno was got some mates through who are renters and asked them if they were to rent off me what would they like done to the house. Items were then pointed out that required updating/fixing. Great way to identify areas to reno without over-capitalising.

OMG that is such a good idea!

 

[DavidMc]

I haven't started mine yet, but the number 1 thing is to work out your end/target value before you start by looking at local sales in the area. If you can't find them at the price you want, it's prob not worth doing.

 

[Reach]

Hiya,

could of things id point out:-

consider freq flyer poitns etc or loyalty schemes before hand. - that add up real quick on 15k renos. - and can provide a free holidays or flights etc.

plan - everyones said this to death - its very important. particularly if your not prepared the small decisions.

prioritise - ive found on some renos - ppl can spend 2 weeks on 1 part - and then completely miss other things. Make sure you understand what will add the greatest value - particularly if your timwe is limited. (kitchens and bathrooms tend to be high up the list)

understand you skillsets. - 2 hours for you could be 10min for someone else? what can and cant you do well? If possible get family friends with some diverse skills

there will be problems - ALWAYS is.(see point above) have a cup of tea - think about solutions. - there is always more than one solution. think ouside the box. - if you rush in sometimes you make it worse.

learn to negoiate - everyone wants a sale - big dollars can be saved if you learn to ask the right way.

dont panic - when you start all you see is the details. thousands of them! remember to see the big picture. part of the challenge is doing the little things whilst managing the big ones.

contingency - plan for failure/overexpense/delays - would it put you to the wall? would you need more time off? how would you fix? would you have to rent for another 6 months....etc etc etc.

All the best - renos can be quite an adventure and can create memories youll remember forever - hopefully ones you can laugh ab out later.