Eastlife February 2019

Property
Rebuild, Remodel,
Research!
It’s easy to get carried away when you start to
plan a home improvement project. With the
help of Pinterest, Instagram and home interior
adverts, we quite often find ourselves lusting
over dream extensions, perfect kitchens and
dreamy bathrooms. However, a large scale home
project takes time to plan and manage and
shouldn’t be done in haste.
According to new research by the Federation of Master
Builders (FMB), the largest trade association in the UK
construction industry, homeowners must plan up to
seven months ahead if they want a successful home
improvement project. After all you want a space to be
enjoyed once complete and ultimately add value to your
home, there’s no fun in spending more time and money
fixing snags.
Existing research from the FMB revealed that consumers
should expect to wait at least four for a quality builder to
be available. However, the FMB’s latest research reveals
that when this notice period is combined with the length
of time various home improvement projects take to
complete, homeowners will have to wait a total of:
• Seven months for an extension
• Six and a half months for a loft conversion
• Five months to paint the entire interior of your home
• Five months for a new bathroom
• Five months for a new kitchen
• Five months to convert part of a master bedroom into
an en-suite
• Five months to convert a cupboard under-the-stairs
into a downstairs toilet
• Just under five months to remove an internal wall to
create an open plan kitchen/diner.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB
(www.fmb.org.uk) said: “A successful building project
requires careful planning and our research gives clear
guidance to consumers on likely timelines. Not only do
homeowners need to consider how long a project takes
to complete, they also need to remember how long they
should expect to wait for a quality builder to be available
to get going on their project. If homeowners want to work
with a good builder, they should be expecting to wait at
least four months and as a general rule, the larger the
project, the longer the wait. When looking to appoint a
builder, alarm bells should ring if they say they can start
next week. Experienced and professional building firms
are booked up far in advance and it’s always worth waiting
for these firms if you want a stress-free experience and a
quality finish.”
Berry continued: “To bring this to life, if homeowners want
a new extension fully completed in time for Christmas
2019, they should be contacting builders for quotes
by May at the very latest. If you want your new kitchen
installed by the start of the summer, you should be getting
in touch with builders now. We’re urging homeowners
who are keen to crack on with their renovation project to
start getting in touch with prospective builders as soon
as possible.”
He concluded: “Refurbishment projects don’t come cheap
and it’s worth protecting yourself as much as possible
to ensure a positive experience. Ask for references from
the builder’s previous clients and if possible, speak to
them directly about the builder. Furthermore, always use
a written contract and never pay for the whole project
up-front. If a builder is reluctant to use a contract, and
demands a disproportionate amount of money up-front,
alarm bells should sound. Professional building firms do
not work in this way. In the longer term, we need to end
the cowboy builders’ reign of terror once and for all!”
eastlife.co.uk 85