Kitchen home improvements is a simple phrase; it is also a way to describe kitchen remodelling. Really, we think both are more a matter of kitchen replacement. The old kitchen is rarely worth saving, and if one tries what tends to happen is that good money is spent trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.
So the replacement proposal is always on the cards.
We talk about designing and building here:
On site:
Deal with OH&S – safety is very important.
First we seal off the area. Electricians make wiring safe and the plumbers cap off various pipes.
Then working to a well-prepared plan we set about kitchen home improvements. Almost always this will be removal of the old – off we go to the rubbish tip.
The demolition phase is followed by the clean-up, fix up program. There are often little jobs of work, patching plaster. and setting timber frames exactly as wanted.
The carefully-manufactured kitchen arrives in pieces and is assembled by craftsmen, people who know their job and get right into it.
The plumbers and electricians come back with the painters and hey presto – a new kitchen.
Technically, the description “kitchen home improvements” could mean replacing appliances, but this is not what we are talking about.
KITCHEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS – THE COST.
Kitchen makeovers, which usually means kitchen home improvements of the replacement type start a bit below $20,000 and the sky is the limit.
As experienced builders, we have been involved in a huge amount of design and the installation of hundreds of kitchens. So we are not new chums, O.K. Being humble, we do know a bit.
DEALING WITH CLIENTS FROM DAY ONE.
The first problem is to set a budget. To be honest, many people understate their budget. We understand the reason, but it is not a good idea, not really. You say a fair bit less than what you are really thinking and we believe you. This influences important decisions and advice.
KITCHEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS – AN HONEST BUDGET.
For example, and remember this happening, a fellow says he wants to spend less than $300,000 on an extension or rebuild. We do not suggest a “knock-down rebuild” because we couldn’t do it with that budget. Then, after we have partly demolished the old house and we have framed up for the extension, the same man says he can go to $400,000, and he wants a few extras on this extension.
These extras would be variations to the contract. Deal with this later.
The thing is that $400,000 is an amount that would have had us rethinking about our advice to do an extension rather than a knock down, as a brand new house will usually provide a better outcome than any add-on piece.
Well, by that stage, with works well underway, it is a bit too late to start thinking about doing a “knock-down rebuild” isn’t it?
So it is good if we are all frank and upfront, don’t you agree?
KITCHEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS –VARIATIONS.
Another thing is the idea of variations. Builders do not like variations.
Owners feel that they. too. should avoid them. They get lots of good advice on this point. But they cannot help themselves, and we are both understanding and sympathetic. We are not typically keen on doing the variations but tend to oblige.
Owners often think of extra things and they expect the builder to oblige.
We hope that you understand the difficulties.
For instance, take the amount of money for an example. You now want the kitchen in solid oak instead of laminate. O.K.
It means we have to change a fair few things. The oak is more expensive and we think the variation is in the amount of $4000.
But you, the owner, feel that this price is too high, and you start to think that maybe the builder is a bit greedy.
In our thinking, we are, as you see, worlds apart.
From our point of view, the calculation would legitimately be:
- Begin with the estimated cost of the work,
- plus a builder’s margin,
- plus a bit extra for “changing horses mid-stream,” and
- maybe a bit more in case there is an extra, unforeseen cost, typically brought about by doing things “on the fly” so to speak.
This is not unreasonable.
But the owner thinks it should be priced at cost only, and the owner actually imagines the cost to be lower than it is in reality.
Believe us when we say that this sort of thing does happen.
Anyway, the point is that the price is often an issue when it should not be.
VARIATIONS, TO DO, OR NOT TO DO.
The problem is not only the price.
If the builder says “yes,” to a variation request, then he has an extra burden, and he/she must also deal with cost/price issues. Our opinion is that even if there was a bit of money in it, the average builder might likely prefer not to do the variation.
If the builder says “no,” he may be vilified. Some people expect the builder to do any amount of variations.
But it is not merely a matter of the price and the inconvenience. It is not merely a matter of having to remake plans that have already been “planned out to a T.”
There is a real fear of mistake.
There is also a risk of legal action. You may not know it , but…..
“Variations are among the common sources of domestic building dispute in Victoria.“
SOURCE: https://constructionlawyermelbourne.com.au/articles/building-contracts-newhomes-variations-guide/
Who wants to increase the risk of litigation?
KITCHEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS – MISTAKES COST MONEY.
There is the hidden issue of ERRORS BY VARIATION CHANGES.
By this, we mean that doing multiple variations, especially when underway, can easily lead to big, bad errors that cost someone something, and this is usually the builder, who cops a loss, and sometimes the loss is a significant sum.
Sometimes it is not the builder. Sometimes others must pay. They pay because they have a responsibility and they have stuffed up.
For example, we recently had a discussion about a job long ago. We are talking about one particular house. The owner wanted a change to the roof colour. He requested a variation. By that time, the roofer had already quoted for the job and the job was his. But when he came to order the roofing iron, he ordered by referring to the colour that was shown on his quote. Unbeknown to him, there had been a variation, a simple and inexpensive variation that was request by the owner and effected in order to change from green to red.
The contractor made the mistake of using the quote for his roofing iron order.
The correct procedure is to look at the official Work Order, which detailed a “fresh” colour and this was also identified in the accompanying plan. Both showed a new colour.
This was a costly mistake for the roofing contractor. One feels sorry, and yet it is his mistake.
Once a whole house lot of windows was changed on a job. Someone changed the plan to effect the variation.
But the window quote was already in-hand, and, sadly, this led to a big mistake, too, for no-one changed the plan or got a new quote. Eventually, windows were purchased and installed.
Due to the variation they were the wrong windows.
KITCHEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS – GOOD BUILDING PRACTICE.
Now this is not a matter of “oh, well you made the mistake you pay for it.”
It is a matter of avoiding making the mistake.
It is about good building practice which does include NIL PROVISION for variations once under construction. The owner should accept this declaration when they sign a contract, and they should respect it. If the builder goes along with the request in those circumstances he is doing the customer a favour. Builders often do owners a favour. And the opposite can be true. Some owners have done us a favour or two.
In conclusion, we urge you to follow our advice. Please “put in the hard yards.”
The overriding principle is “get all things sorted.
Avoid having to ask for a variation. If you do ask, try and do it before work on site commences.
Most builders prefer pre-commencement of works type variations.
We know that variations effected pre-start are less likely to impact adversely on the builder and/or the builder’s contractors.
Let’s all work together, in harmony, with mutual respect and full cooperation.
cheerios. the team