4. Not having a schedule – or not sticking to it if you do
Failing to plan a project properly really is planning to fail… and the first hurdle is being realistic over how long things will actually take.
These timelines come from The Federation of Master Builders, and might well surprise you:
Work
|
Time to complete
|
Extension
|
7 months
|
Loft conversion
|
6.5 months
|
Interior decorating (whole house)
|
5 months
|
New kitchen or bathroom
|
5 months
|
Adding an ensuite to a master bedroom
|
5 months
|
Convert a downstairs cupboard to a toilet
|
5 months
|
Removing an internal wall for an open plan kitchen/diner
|
5 months
|
Whatever your renovation project, there will be a number of stages, and each step can’t happen until the one before is completed.
Rush things through and you’ll miss important details, miss deadlines, and possibly have to go back to the drawing board (literally) with your architect. In smaller projects – like a new kitchen – not running to time means you might have to reschedule plumbers, electricians or tilers, all at an extra cost.
Meanwhile if you leave things to languish without a schedule, you’ll end up with dead time where you’re incurring more costs with your builder, living in disarray, possibly forking out money on a rental property if you can’t live with the renovations, or not getting any rent in from your rental property if that’s where the work is taking place.
Don’t just leave the scheduling to your builder and hope for the best. Even if project management is in their contract, you need to keep a close eye on what’s happening and when.