A Disaster, A Nasty Surprise and A Risky Option - Answers Every Homeowner Must Know !!

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Here's a story about a home makeover project that went wrong, badly wrong. so wrong in fact that ... well, hold on, let me back up a bit ...

 

No two Home Makeovers are ever exactly the same. Even when a developer constructs two apparently identical versions of the same layout and design, they're really not the same, even if they look that way.

 

Appearances can be deceiving. For example, very often, different craftsmen and labour have worked on the properties. This will introduce variations in the way the work is carried out - perhaps from differences in skill levels or attention to detail. The weather is likely to have been different during the works. That can have unpredictable consequences - like concrete poured on very hot days that can dry out too fast. And that's just to point out a couple of invisible ways, identical properties actually differ.

 

So when it comes to one-off, unique, standalone home projects, even one's that sound similar are, in reality, likely to be significantly different. And that explains why, even though your contractor may have a long track record of delivering - say kitchen replacements - he will never have done one that is exactly like yours. And this can cause unexpected problems. You employ an "expert" who's done this stuff before - they have lots of examples of doing what you need - and even references from happy clients. But ... and there's always a but ...

 

So I know a family who experienced this in an unexpected and disappointing way. Off the back of Covid and discovering that home working is likely to be a feature of their jobs going forwards, they started to investigate constructing a detached garden office on their large plot in a beautiful, rural location at the edge of a village.

 

They particularly liked an oak framed option, manufactured and constructed as a shell, by a specialist contractor - an expert in all things garden buildings. They visited a show site and fell in love with the exposed oak beams and traditional aesthetic of the show building - it seemed such an appropriate solution for this countryside location.

 

In short order, quotes were prepared, designs were developed and discussions progressed about the interior which was to include various entertainment spaces for their growing family and, of course, a spacious home office.

 

Since the specialist contractor limited their input to the external structure, a separate contractor was needed to construct the foundations. And also, once the oak framed shell was completed and the roof installed by the specialists, that contractor would be needed to fit out the interior - including internal walls, electrics, lighting, plumbing for a bar and toilet / shower, finishes and so on.

 

This led to a suitable contractor visiting the property for a briefing and before long their quote was submitted.

 

But then something awful happened ... I wonder if you can guess what it was ? Completely unexpected and all the more devastating because of it.

 

If you'd like to find out what went wrong, then I'll share the rest of this frustrating story in just a few moments ...

 

Hello and Welcome to Home Makeover Project Secrets, the show that equips Home Owners with the skills and understanding to execute successful home projects, that goes behind the scenes of Home Build Projects to unlock the secrets and share insider tips and strategies to save money and time on any and every home project. What you learn will give you the confidence to embark boldly on your next project and you’ll know what to do so your story has the happy, dream home ending you deserve.

 

I’m your host, Andrew Philips …

 

When I talk about "Home Makeovers", I include renovation, remodelling, alterations, additions, going up into attics and down into basements, redevelopments and even ground-up new builds. Any and every project where you're going to be appointing professionals, designing something, buying materials, carrying out construction work, employing contractors and sub-contractors, suppliers and manufacturers and even if you're doing some or all of the work yourself. All things home build.

 

I'm delighted you've joined me today.

 

Because we're dealing with what might be quite complicated information, especially if you are unfamiliar with some of the terminology and processes, the show notes and transcript will be uploaded to our website www.the diypm.com so you can easily revisit any episode and refer to the key information shared each week. And of course, if you prefer to watch or read an episode, rather than listening, you'll find links on the website as well. We also include any links to resources, free gifts and other useful information mentioned during episodes.

 

And now, back to that devastating bombshell that arrived out of the blue ...

 

It appeared in the form of a letter from the local council who, yes, you've guessed it, refused Planning Consent for this dream addition in their garden.

 

How on earth could this have happened ? After all, they had consulted a specialist manufacturer who has only one job - manufacturing and installing oak framed buildings in customers' gardens. As part of their service, this specialist has successfully applied for and received Planning Consent for every building they've ever constructed. So what went wrong this time ?

 

Well, that 100% success rate is a bit misleading - yes, they have gained consent for every building they've ever installed. But it is equally true that they failed to gain consent for all of the buildings they weren't able to install. And who knows how often that's happened. Only they do. I am not for a moment suggesting they misled the Homeowners, and I suspect they were as disappointed as their prospective clients. It's probably they wouldn't have wasted their own time applying for consent knowing it would be refused.

 

But this brings me to the first question I want to address today. A question asked often - when is the right time to apply for planning consent ? Is there a strategy that works best ?

 

And the answer is - yes, there is a best time and yes, there is a strategy that works really effectively.

 

From the moment you begin to contemplate any Home Makeover project, you should keep in mind the 5 principle laws that affect construction projects. I outlined them in Episode 4 - so do hop over to www.thediypm.com/podcast to listen to that episode if you haven't yet.

 

Planning is one of the first to consider. Now Planning consent is generally only required if your home makeover will change the external appearance of the existing property - making it bigger - when you add an extension, or taller if you go up into a loft and reshape the roof or add another storey ... or like this example, add something in the garden. It is worth noting it can be more subtle - affecting for example the materials you may be allowed to use if you alter the appearance of the property or even just adding or changing windows and doors.

 

So, as soon as you start to become serious about your project and if you think you will be or even might be changing the external appearance of your property, you need to find out what planning restrictions exist relative to your property - if any. The timing is as soon as reasonably possible.

 

A simple but effective way to do this is to arrange a consultation with a local architect who specialises in similar work to the project you are considering. Invite them to visit with a view to their submitting a fee proposal to provide you with architectural services for your project.

 

When you meet, outline the project and ask what their opinion is of the potential planning situation. If they know the area they should be familiar with local planning regulations, and would be able to give good insight into the level of risk which might range from "no problems envisioned at all, seems straightforward" to "highly likely to be refused consent, forget it". You can probably get this insight for free during that initial consultation.

 

I am not suggesting you mislead them, as there is a strong possibility you may ask them to manage the Planning Application on your behalf if their advice suggests your circumstances may be more risky or complex.

 

If they do advise caution and, depending on how much latitude they believe may exist, you might then move to a follow-on step and consult a specialist planning consultant. A local expert whose focus is on advising clients on and obtaining planning consent on complex or contentious projects.

 

Again, an initial, free consultation, will at least give you insight into whether it's at all worth pursuing your dream project or whether you need to go back to the drawing board to find another way to achieve your goals. And of course, both the Planning Specialist and the Architect would be able to give ideas about would be likely to achieve consent if not the original dream idea you were hoping for.

 

In the case of the home office catastrophe, it's possible there was too much optimism from the specialist contractor who simply didn't realise the complexities of this particular location. And so a family's dreams were cruelly crushed and the garden entertainment centre and home office has been scrapped.

 

A word of warning, judicial precedent doesn't always apply to Planning law. Explained very simplistically, a particular ruling from court proceedings can establish a principle such that in a similar future case the court would apply the same ruling - in other words, if the court rules in favour of person A, then this may establish a judicial precedent that means that another, unconnected person B in similar circumstances can achieve the same outcome at a different, future time.

 

But, in Planning Law, obviously varying in different countries around the world, just because your neighbour gained planning consent to extend their property, doesn’t mean you can expect to automatically be granted consent to extend your property in the same way.

 

An example could be two neighbouring properties back to back facing onto parallel streets - one is in a conservation area where development is restricted but the boundary line runs at the back of that property so the neighbour just a few yards away is unaffected by those restrictions.

 

There is another, follow-on Planning question about when can or should one pursue an appeal ... this is when you challenge a planning refusal either by submitting alternative designs or you actually believe that you can overturn the decision of the Planning department. Which really does happen, quite often actually. I don't want today's episode to be dominated by planning questions, so I'll answer that during my next faq episode, in a few weeks’ time.

 

In Episode 2, I was explaining what makes Home Makeovers so complicated and this is what I said : "Construction, in the context of a Home Makeover Project, is an art-form not a scientific endeavour. Your Home Makeover Project is art in action, creativity in real-time", rather than a controlled, scientific, manufacturing process. And then I went on to explain what I meant - if you haven't listened to that episode then you can do so by jumping over to www.thediypm.com/podcast and scrolling down to the link for Podcast episode 2.

 

When you bring together a truly creative process with an entirely new combination of layouts,

products, materials and people, we have a recipe for ... well, yes, I suppose it could be a disaster and sadly, often does end up that way ... although that isn't what I was actually going to say. If you've listened to any other Home Makeover Project Secrets episodes then by now I hope you know that my mission is to help homeowners avoid home project disasters. With the right know-how, easy to understand strategies that don't require any prior expertise and a few crucial step-by-step play-books, I believe any homeowner can deliver their home makeover and achieve a truly satisfying end result. Yes, you can do it yourself.

 

Going back to all those moving parts and the infinity of variables, what I was going to say was, that any Home Makeover is a recipe for lots of questions.

 

I am a strong believer that no question is too stupid, just a learning opportunity. If you already know an answer, then it probably means you're a bit further along on your home makeover journey.

 

Experience makes a huge difference. But because all projects are so very different, the answers can vary - what seem like similar projects can yield very different outcomes.

 

I love watching the Property Brothers TV shows. I am often astounded at how successful their remodelling projects are. They regularly take a dysfunctional, outdated, claustrophobic layout and by demolishing a few walls and repositioning a few bits, and some new furniture and decorations, they totally transform homes for obviously delighted families.

 

And after all, that's why most of us embark on home makeover adventures in the first place - we are looking for that transformational solution for our own homes.

 

I don't know if you've noticed but there is often a moment when, typically during the initial strip out or opening-up phase of the remodelling project, the Property Brothers have to take their clients to one side and present some frustrating and almost always costly discovery. Usually something they didn't know they didn't know - to quote Donald Rumsfeld (US Secretary of Defence) as I did in Make Complex Simple, my Free Bonus Strategy Training available to Podcast Subscribers. You can visit https://makecomplexsimple.thediypm.com and you can also find the link in the show notes for Podcast episode 8.

 

This brings me to a question I have often been asked ... what should homeowners do before they start their home makeover projects to keep those nasty surprises to a minimum ? 

 

I think the Property Brothers know more than they let on in the interests of creating compelling reality TV. If they are as surprised as they make out, then they are much less qualified than they should be. For professionals, this is basic stuff.

 

I'm talking about taking down a wall and suddenly discovering a drain pipe inside it or realising that the wall is actually holding up the floor above.

 

Here are a couple of tips and then I'll share a strategy for getting experts to spot potential problems for you, for free.

 

Here's a common fact - pipes - like drains and water supplies, electric cables and wires, air conditioning or heating ductwork - these are very often buried inside walls to hide them from view. That's fairly obvious. So if any project you are planning will require any walls to be removed then you can expect there may be stuff concealed inside. That's a red flag. However, you can check for yourself very easily. If there are any light switches or plug sockets on the wall then electric cabling runs through it somewhere. If the wall is next to a bathroom or kitchen, there may be water or drain or even gas pipes hidden in the walls.

 

And if you have a multi-storey property and the wall you plan to remove is below a bathroom or utility room on the floor above that has water supplies, toilets, baths and showers, those types of things, then there is a risk the pipes travel through the wall below. So you need to try to find out where those pipes actually run.

 

It doesn't definitely mean you can't remove the wall because there are things inside it, but it does mean there will probably be extra costs to move or replace the cables, re-route the pipes and so on. It becomes very expensive and sometimes impossible when those pipes are part of a larger or more complex installation - like air conditioning or heating ducts which may be linked to machinery, for example, in the roof space or in the basement below. A new route will need to be found which might cost more than removing the wall is worth.

 

Another problem that often emerges when demolishing walls is whether they are structural or not. This means they might be supporting part of the house above like the roof or an upper floor. This can be more technical to work out so, if you’re not confident of your own expertise, you can either ask your architect during their very first visit to the property - along the lines I suggested for getting that free planning advice. Or use this next, two-step strategy ...

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Step One : When you start to consider who will be your general contractor or main contractor or even specialist sub-contractors - like plumbers or electricians - invite them around to view the job site, describe what you are planning, ask them if they would be interested in being considered for the project and then ask if they foresee any issues.

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Specifically, draw their attention to work scope involving demolitions and removals, point out the position of upper floors, roofs and services. Specialists, like contractors and sub-contractors, are usually quite willing to demonstrate their expertise and will happily do so in the hope it will build trust with you so that you might consider having them work for you. Using this part of the strategy, you may get the benefit of informal expert guidance. It won't be conclusive but it will give you a better idea of possible or probable issues when you commence the work.

 

But not everyone will be helpful and nor can you be certain they are right - whatever they may indicate - so you also need Step Two : It's impossible to always accurately forecast hidden dangers.  So this step relates to how you build up your budget.

 

If you are demolishing anything - old stairs, walls, rooms, removing bathrooms, fireplaces - and particularly when you are working in older properties - always increase your budget to add a Contingency specifically related to the demolition works. This means asking your contractor or professional advisers like the architect or engineer - to suggest an appropriate reserve in case you do find something you didn't know you didn't know. This reserve is called a Contingency.

 

If, as a consequence, you have to make compromises on the budget somewhere else then it's worth doing at an early stage. It's always a huge problem when you have a tight budget, no spare funds and then you hit an unavoidable but costly problem.

 

In my Episode on Project Budgeting, in a few weeks time, I'll share a strategy you can use to manage your costs so you get the most out of any project even if you do hit unforeseen snags and have to raid your contingency. This strategy helps you maximise what you can afford and always get the most bang for every buck you spend.

 

The third question today is one lots of Homeowners ask : "Should I buy the materials and products for my contractor and then employ him on a labour-only basis ?" Great question.

 

In case you're wondering why this question is being asked, this happens a lot on major construction projects. Construction experts, particularly on larger projects and where they are buying significant quantities of materials, regularly do this.

 

For Home Makeovers, it's a bit more tricky. In podcast Episode 6 I drew attention to the fact that when a contractor buys materials and products to install into your project, they typically add Overheads and Profit onto the cost of every single item.

 

Then in Podcast Episode 7, I introduced the concept of Aggregated Marginal Gains - I was using it to explain that one of the effective ways to keep project costs as low as possible, is to have an awareness of every aspect of cost and avoid any add-on costs that aren't essential. You can find links to both episodes by visiting www.thediypm.com/podcast ... especially if you've never heard of aggregated marginal gains and how you can use them to benefit your projects.

 

By purchasing products and materials themselves, a Homeowner can avoid the contractor's overhead and profit markup. That gets a big tick because it's a way to save money. It may also help smaller contractors with cash flow. Instead of the contractor having to pay for things and then wait for their client to pay them back, the client pays direct to the suppliers. And the Client, the Homeowner, also benefits because those products they have purchased belong to them, they can control quality checking, manage delivery to the jobsite and so on. So, those are a few more ticks.

 

But there are also some risks to take into account.  Here are a few to consider ...

 

When a contractor provides a cost to do something where they supply the materials and the labour then any risk around how they use those materials is on them. Most contractors will buy a bit extra - maybe 5% to 10% to allow for damage, waste, off-cuts. That extra is included in their price. But if you buy the materials then they have no reason to work carefully and not to waste the product. If they run out, they'll just ask you to buy more.

 

Now, this may not be a big deal if we're talking about bricks or concrete blocks or sand for concrete. But it's a much bigger deal when it comes to a product with a higher cost - take expensive stone floor tiles for example. Let's say the contractor is fitting them to the wall in your new bathroom. If they're careless and break some slabs, they can just ask you to buy more slabs at your cost. They'll be much more careful if they bought the slabs.

 

And when it comes to slightly more complex items like say a toilet - there are a few components needed by the plumber. So let's say you're supplying the parts. The plumber arrives on site as planned to install the toilet. Then he discovers you didn't buy one critical component and now he can't continue with the install. If you can't immediately go and pick up that missing item from a local supplier - literally within a few hours - then the plumber wastes a day. Some contractors will be reasonable and if they can, they may go to another jobsite and work there for that day. But if they can't or won't do that, they could charge you for their wasted day and charge you for coming back another day when you can confirm the missing part is now on site, for the installation to go ahead.

 

If the plumber is supplying the parts and he forgets to buy that critical component - then it's on him. He either tries to find the part in a hurry or he has to come back and that return visit will be at his cost, not yours.

 

Sometimes it can make sense to split a package even though it may have complex elements. And bathroom components are a good example. You might choose to purchase the bath, or the shower screen, or the expensive mixer tap but have the plumber buy all of the associated components - like the copper or PVC pipes. You buying light fittings direct while the electrician buys the cables and control switching is another example.

 

One other consideration is that Contractors can often get better discounts from suppliers than Joe Public, especially if they use a supplier more regularly and for larger volumes than a homeowner could for their one-off project. It can happen that the contractors' cost, including mark-ups is actually lower than the best price the homeowner can achieve.

 

My recommendation is to carefully weigh the risks against the potential cost benefits. For complex, specialist items - perhaps like electrical components, plumbing parts - other than the big-ticket items perhaps - get the contractors and sub-contractors to supply and fix. For less complex materials, ask the contractor to tell you how much to buy before you buy them yourself.

 

If you've never done this before, then you may want to let the contractor supply and fit on your first project, watch and learn and then you'll be able to work out what materials you could safely buy yourself on the next project.

 

A final note is to be aware that not all contractors are willing to work on a labour-only basis. The contractor makes money from the overhead and profit markups on the materials as well as by charging for their expertise and labour. Because they're professionals, buying materials is not very onerous, nor very risky, so it's relatively easy money. If they only get paid for expertise and labour, then in the same time period they will earn a lower return - which either means they increase their labour charges to maintain their profit ... which cancels out your savings anyway or they simply refuse to take on your project.

 

As always, I suggest being upfront and discussing it openly with the contractor. Try to reach a compromise position. Perhaps you offer to pay more quickly if he reduces his overhead and profit margin on those materials. Win, win solutions are much more likely to help you get your desired end result.

 

And that's all we have time for today. But I will be answering more FAQ’s in future episodes.

 

To make sure you never miss an episode, why not subscribe to Home Makeover Project Secrets on our website at www.thediypm.com where you'll also find our blog posts and details about our upcoming Project Masterclasses and Training Courses.

 

If you have a question about a project you're planning or already running, please reach out and email me on faq@thediypm.com.

 

If you have a challenge to overcome then I can just about guarantee others are also facing the same or similar challenges. It’s always reassuring to know you’re not the only one battling away …

 

It's been great to have you with me today and I look forward to having you back for the next Episode of Home Makeover Project Secrets.

 

All the best on your Home Makeover project adventures.

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Andrew Philips, Project Management Coach