Renovation Project Case StudyThe many variables make it very difficult to price up a renovation project. The size of the windows alone means new double glazing will require several quotes from different glazing companies. However, if you are looking at a property that requires complete renovation you will need to work out approximately how much the project will cost you before you can make an offer on it. As you are unlikely to be able to take a team of tradesmen around with you, you will need to do a few sums when you return.
Typical Job
There are many jobs to which a variation on these rough principles could work, so as an example we will take a look at bathroom tiling. You can apply the same principles to each job individually. 1 First off, you will need to know how much it should cost. Starting here; www.checkyourprice.co.uk we learn that the approximate cost would be £30 a square metre for standard wall and floor tiles and £40 a square metre for mosaic tiles. 2 www.whatprice.co.uk This website has a tiling cost calculator, which based on some helpful parameters provided a price of £42 per square metre. It also alerted us to the fact that removing tiles, patching plaster, and bumpy walls could affect costs. 3 www.buildingsheriff.com This website includes a good write up about the trade itself and what the tradesmen experience. It also provides its own case study: An 8’ x 6’ bathroom with one window, walls ready for tiling and the bathroom suite in place, will take two men two days and cost £600 plus materials. So, that’s £150 a day per man. It also includes a per square metre price of £25 for standard sized ceramic tiles and £45 for stone tiles. 4 www.toptradespeople.co.uk Suggests a price of £35 per square metre. 5 So, with that information in hand you could then visit: www.mybuilder.com www.ratedpeople.com www.checkatrade.com and www.myhammer.com which are useful advice avenues, but more importantly, a great source for tried and trusted tradesmen – membership of professional bodies will be listed and clients review their work on the websites and in some cases the tradesmen even have to pay just to see the job specification. For example, a quick search for “Bathroom Tiling” on www.myhammer.com pulled up hundreds of quotes for very similar projects to the one we were looking at. Similarly, a quick search of the “Advice” section on www.mybuilder.com pulled up lots of queries about the problems such a job can throw up. 6 In no more than half a dozen websites, you will be able to learn as much about the job that you feel you need to. You will be able to cross-reference potential problems that your particular job may entail, such as rotten floor boards or big holes in walls. You will then be able to gauge an approximate price. Most importantly, you will be able to find tradesmen that are proven to be reliable and honest. There are other websites out there and plenty of written literature that can help, but hopefully this provides an orderly system which can be applied to almost any challenge a renovation project may provide. |
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