After scanning the real estate market you’ve finally taken the plunge. Your new home is in a fantastic position. The price was a little higher than you wanted to pay – but it was doable. And then comes the word ‘Potential’. Yep, your new home has a lot of potential! And there’s room for a future Custom Home Extension to boot!
Inspired by the reno shows on TV, you’ve looked at what is and your mind is wandering to what it could look like with a bit if TLC. The Real Estate Agent kept plugging with more acronyms statements like “DIY, it’s the way to go. It’s not like you’d need the budget of BHP. There’s a great garage for your BMW too. Have a chat, and if you need to ask anymore FAQs just call me tomorrow. So do we have a deal?”
Well now you’ve signed the Contract of Sale, and the cooling off period has elapsed. And you’ve now got your busy life as a CEO to attend to, and your significant other has begun ordering the new curtains and packing boxes ready for the big move in three months’ time.
Walking through your new home, after settlement, you notice the freshly painted walls and the cracks begin to show plaster underneath. The floors creak a lot, and an investigation reveals the stumps are rotted and in need of replacement. The kitchen taps leak like a sieve and the bathroom has fuzzy green stuff oozing from the grout around the base. A sense of shock sets in when you realise that you should have followed your best mate’s advice and booked a Pre-Purchase Property Inspection. But you didn’t! So now all that’s left to do is work out the best way forward, and start taking DIY classes!
It’s true not everyone is handy with building tools and decorator ideas, but there are ways to improve your home that don’t have to cost a fortune, and that means you’ll have more money to spare when it comes time to invite your Custom Home Builder around for a quote to put on that extension you need for baby number three.
Here’s Our Best DIY Tips:
Get professional help where you need it – but get more than one quote.
There are thousands of tradespeople you can call in for the big stuff, but do shop around and get a series of quotes. Look at the fine print, ask questions, and always remember your budget. Building companies and individual tradies will price your job, but there are often a whole host of extras (or variations) that aren’t included in the price. Once your chosen contractor or tradie starts, and problems arise, you may find yourself in the position of having to just say yes and pay the extra – but its likely going to hurt your back pocket – a LOT! Choose a company (with a good reputation) that puts everything in writing. Then you’ll know exactly where you stand. By asking lots of questions, you’ll also likely find someone who will help you with suggestions on how you can keep the costs down. By doing a bit of DIY pre-preparation, and taking care of the painting yourself (for example), you may be able to make the whole project more affordable. Maybe you can clear away shrubbery, lift the floorboards yourself, or organise and purchase your own new appliances. The thinking, preparation and planning can save you in many ways if you can do it yourself.
Do get a Pre-Purchase Property Inspection preferably ‘before’ you purchase your home.
An older home may have some hidden issues that could be a potential recipe for disaster, and make that future wish to have a Custom Home extension much more expensive than you expected. A Pre-Purchase inspection, by a qualified person, will give you peace of mind about some things, and point out other hazards – like old copper electrical wiring, rising damp, faulty engineering or workmanship in your subfloor, dodgy plumbing, broken roof tiles, termite damage, and heating ducts that may have slipped off (or never been properly connected). A good inspector will give you an unbiased report and take photographic evidence of all those limited access areas and the issues therein. This will then help you negotiate with any tradies you go on and engage to fix the problems. Your inspector will also let you know what renovation and repair jobs require urgent or future attention, and what’s a simple DIY fix. It’s well worth the investment.
Painting isn’t rocket science, but taking the time to get the right colour and great finishes takes patience and a degree of skill
Inside or outside painting jobs rely on good, solid preparation. Choose your colours carefully, buy sample pots first, do a patch test in the room or on the exterior surface itself and, if you need to colour-match, take a sample of the colour with you to your supplier. Do patch up any cracks with filler, although spend a little extra time, first, investigating if there is a sinister reason behind the cracking. It could be that your stumps are giving way. On the outside, don’t just paint over those borer holes and splits. Again, you can replace those weatherboards yourself, but take your time. It’s like any DIY project – if you do it properly the first time, you’ll only have to do it once. And do keep a record of the colours you’ve used so that you can easily re-purchase the right tones to blend with any extension plans you have for the future.
Clean and clear your gutters and storm water drains regularly – if you can.
It’s a simple job, albeit generally up a ladder or on a high rooftop, but it can save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Blocked gutters lead to blocked stormwater drains, which can result in rusted roof areas, rotten roof bearers, and leaking ceilings. These issues are usually hidden from view, and they can become real money drainers when you start to plan your new Extension Renovation. By protecting your asset and maintaining the DIY jobs with due diligence, you’ll be in a much better position to afford a Custom Built Extension that will flow on more easily from your existing home, without the need for major roof and plumbing surgery. Prevention hurts a whole less more than finding the subliminal cure.
Before you start planning your new Extension Renovation, check with your Local Council first.
As highly sought after Custom Home Builders, at Interline Constructions, we’re called in to give a quote for Extension Renovations regularly. Unfortunately, many property owners haven’t done any investigations with their Local Council first. This can result in disappointment. There are restrictions in all areas of Melbourne (even on acreage sites). Where you can and can’t build, set-backs from fence lines (even for a garden shed or pergola), height restrictions along boundaries, and the percentage of your land that can be built on are all major considerations. Talk to us and we’ll happily give you some sound advice based on where you live. We have years of knowledge and a reputation for honesty. We’ll help you plan your Customised Extension in all the right ways.
Start Saving NOW so you can expand your horizons with less long-term financial stress.
Doing DIY renovations on a credit card is not the best idea either – particularly if you can’t pay the balance at month’s end. Just as it’s always best to think first, measure three times, and then start cutting the timber, the same applies to anything DIY. By all means look at the big picture and dream of what you want your home ‘with a lot of potential’ to eventually look like – but do your homework, get the best possible advice from registered and qualified building companies, complete whatever projects you can yourself, and THEN call in the experts (such as Interline Constructions in Melbourne). You may have to suffer a little bit of delayed gratification, but it will all be worth it in the end when your new Custom Home Extension finally begins.
With us as your Custom Home Extension Builder it’s simple. You’ll get the right advice, a budget to suit what you want to do, and a top quality experience – and all based on what suits you!
Adam Waugh, Managing Director, Interline Constructions
Contact us at Interline Constructions today
At Interline Constructions every exquisite new home we build is a winner, and we look forward to making your new custom home extension in Melbourne our next award-winning project.