Revealed ... The Fifth Force That Shapes and Drives Home Makeover Projects

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In the movie Jurassic World, Chris Pratt's character, velociraptor specialist Owen Grady, saves the life of a colleague who had the misfortune to topple into the velociraptor enclosure. In this super exciting sequence, Chris Pratt courageously positions himself between the aggressive dinosaurs and the guy they're about to attack. He dominates the advancing dinos as he calmly instructs them "Stand down. Stand Down, Blue. Stay right there ...".

 

And that's kind of a metaphor for managing home makeover projects. Each day can feel like having to dominate aggressive dinosaurs in full attack mode. And when you get it wrong, well, things can get out of hand. In case you haven't seen the movie, I'll drop a link to a YouTube clip in the show notes.

 

And talking of movies, I have a question for you ... can you name Tom Cruise's breakout movie ? It was one of his earliest - the 5th I believe. And he was just 21 when the movie was released. I'll let you think about that for a moment.

 

In episode 3, I shared four key forces that shape and influence home makeover projects and I explained that there's a Circus skill all homeowners need to master if you want to run your home makeover project successfully. No spoilers here ... if you don't know what I'm talking about, then make sure to listen to episode 3 which you'll find on our website thediypm.com/podcast or you can now watch it on our YouTube channel ... which you might be surprised to discover is called "Home Makeover Project Secrets".

 

During episode 3, I let slip that there's actually a fifth force that shapes and drives projects. It could be argued, that its influence is even greater than all the others. It affects all home makeover projects - projects of any and every size and everywhere in the world.

 

It's impossible to avoid. And that means homeowners planning home makeover projects must be aware of it and must understand how it affects their projects so it can be managed and kept under control.

 

If you're anything like me, you wanna be like Chris Pratt, right ? To have the skills to stare down those unruly dinos when they appear !!

 

So, can you guess what that 5th force is ? Here's a huge hint - the name of the Tom Cruise movie I referred to a few moments ago includes that fifth, powerful force we're going to be discussing in this episode. In just a few moments, I'm going to reveal just what it is ...

 

Hello and Welcome to Home Makeover Project Secrets, the show that equips Homeowners 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 thediypm.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.

 

Time to draw back the curtains for the big reveal ...

Ok, so you probably guessed it, Tom's breakout movie was "Risky Business" ... which could also be a way to describe Home Makeover projects.

 

And by now you've probably also guessed that the 5th powerful force, that influences home makeover projects, is "risk".

 

Knowing, as you probably already do, how often home makeover projects go bad, when costs spiral and deadlines are repeatedly missed, quality suffers and the end result is anything but the dream outcome every homeowner hopes for, you must realise that there are lots of risks to be dominated and controlled. And just saying "stand down, stay right there" probably won't help you get on top of them before they cause tons of trouble or damage. Although I'd like to think they won't eat you. It's fairly safe to say, Velociraptors are not a common home makeover project risk ... for about 70 million years apparently.

 

I've just mentioned the top three - increasing costs, running over time and missing the expected quality standard. No surprise, there are many, many more. Some are present on most projects while others are project specific.

 

But, before you start to feel like you're literally about to dive into a velociraptor enclosure, let me reassure you. All risks can be managed. That doesn't mean bad stuff won't happen on your home makeover project, but you can definitely be prepared to deal with it when it appears. What you need is a game-plan for responding to the risks that occur on your project, whatever they may be.

 

A simple way to think about risks, in the context of home makeovers, is to ask yourself "what could go wrong ?" Anything that could go wrong is a source of risk.

 

Managing risks on your home makeover project is a process of identifying, analysing and then preparing a response to those things that might go wrong. The reason we do this is that it helps to keep the project on track and achieve the intended end result - that dream home outcome.

 

It may seem negative to focus on all the bad things that could happen, but actually it's a very proactive process. As the old saying goes, "forewarned is forearmed". Being forewarned means you can put a plan in place to deal with a risk event before it causes problems for your project.

 

Some time ago, I saw the horrific footage of two huge boulders that had somehow come unstuck from the side of a mountain and rolled down and through an Italian farmhouse and outbuildings. I believe no one was injured but it could have had catastrophic results other than just crushing some of the building ... which was bad enough. Careful consideration of risks might have had the original builder of the farmhouse move the location out of the path of that boulder. The dead giveaway is that there was already a huge boulder resting on the downhill side of the farmhouse. It seems likely that a previous landslide had left it there. Do check it out for yourself. I'll pop a link to a YouTube clip in the show notes.

 

Most homeowners don't even think about risks in any kind of intentional way. Most homeowners just lie awake at night, losing sleep as they anxiously worry about the bad things that might happen.

 

Well, I really don't want that to be you and, good news, it doesn't have to be.

 

Many companies and industries have their own particular risk management processes so you may already have some experience of how this works.

 

I'd like to recommend a simple, easy to apply, 5 step strategy, any homeowner can immediately start using to manage risks on any and every home makeover project, anywhere in the world.

 

And here it is ...

 

Step 1 : Identify the stuff that might go wrong. List as many things as you can think of but don't bother to include things that are completely outside of your control ... like an earthquake, an alien invasion or the end of the world. And if something isn't likely to result in an obvious problem for the project then you can note it but not waste too much time proceeding through the next steps on that item.

 

Since you're probably not an expert at construction projects, a very effective tactic is to ask your professional advisers - like architects and engineers - and construction team - the General or main Contractor - to let you know if they foresee any risks. And a particularly powerful way to do this is to host a project meeting, ideally on site where you get the key participants in the room together - at the very least the architect and engineers, if you have them, and the principal contractors and sub-contractors - and brainstorm together the risks the project faces. Group brainstorming makes this process very focused, much faster and in one session, you can identify most of the significant risks.

 

Step 2 : Evaluate the risks. For each risk identified, identify who or what is at risk and how. Ask "what are the consequences of that bad thing happening ?" Consider if there is any time limit to the risk occurring.

 

Take bad weather for example. Imagine you're building an extension. Now, if you're digging foundations then rain or a huge dump of snow might make it impossible to continue working resulting in a delay to your project. But if that bad weather event happens after the roof is on and the extension is weathertight, then you can probably keep on with the interior fitting-out without any delay or negative impact. So timing can be relevant.

 

This leads to Step 3 : Grade the level of risk. Not all risks have an equal impact on the project. You can use your intuition and the experience of your professional and construction team to categorise each risk as low, medium or high.

 

If you want to or need to, usually based on the size and complexity of your project, you can even use a bit of rocket science ... well, not really rocket science - if I can do it then you definitely can ... and I promise I'm no rocket scientist !!

 

Basically, you rate each risk in terms of both likelihood of happening and impact if it happens. For likelihood you could rank from one to five where one is very unlikely to five which is very likely. For impact you can also rank from one to five where one is low or minimal impact and five is severe impact.

 

You then take those two numbers and multiply them to generate a risk value. Some risks are unlikely to happen and even if they do, the impact is low - so that might be 1x1 which equals 1. At the other end of the scale, a very likely risk event with a huge impact would generate a value of 5x5 which equals 25.

 

You can then use those values as the basis for your grading low, medium or high.

 

This in turn leads to Step 4 : Plan your response or reaction. This is where you decide what you'll do if a particular risk event actually happens. You should focus on the high-risk items, those items with a higher value. With your team, you can develop a strategy to mitigate the problem that would arise if that thing happened.

 

Let's go back to that extension we imagined. And let's say you identify that rain before the roof is on will be a big problem then you can put in place a plan to procure some type of weatherproofing if the need arises. This doesn't mean you actually go out and buy tarpaulins or plastic sheeting but you at least work out where you'll be able to get what you need and how quickly you'll be able to get it on site. Then closer to the time, by monitoring weather forecasts and actual daily weather, you can make a go / no-go decision to implement your bad weather plan without wasting time.

 

And finally Step 5 : Monitor your identified risks regularly. I recommend weekly or every two weeks. Some risks will become less relevant - like bad weather once the foundations have been excavated - and you might even identify new risks that weren't visible or obvious when you started the process.

 

As a result of the Covid Pandemic, for example, at different stages it has been difficult to get certain materials like wallboard because manufacturers literally had to stop production. This led to backlogs and in some cases price rises.

 

There are two additional steps you can take as part of step 4 Planning. These are 4a – Allocate ownership and 4b - Timing.

 

Allocate ownership is exactly what it sounds like - allocate taking action to a specific person (not just to a company or contractor). Again, using that weather example, maybe make it the responsibility of the general or main contractor to organise the weatherproofing materials if the weather gets bad enough. Try not to hold too many of the risks yourself or you'll be overwhelmed - it's more efficient to just do the monitoring to make sure risk owners are taking the agreed action if a risk event happens.

 

Timing is also straightforward - consider the timing of the risk so you can monitor it at the relevant time. Some risks may run throughout the project while others will only be relevant for a short period of time. Most will expire at some point when the risk is no longer a problem.

 

Take risks around materials arriving on time. Let's imagine that you're ordering some purpose-made glass sliding doors to provide access from your new extension onto a new external patio. Over the lifecycle of those doors, the risk of them arriving on time reduces once the manufacturer or supplier confirms a delivery date. The risk reduces again when they actually arrive on site. Once they are installed and complete then the risk item can be removed.

 

I can hear a few people asking "But Andrew, how do I keep track of all this ?".

 

A very powerful way to formalise this risk management process is to create a risk register where you record the 5 steps mentioned for each risk identified. This should be a live document that you update in real-time or at least very regularly and share with the whole team. You can easily use Word or Google Docs or Excel or similar software.

 

And finally, there are two very important tactics you must apply in your project risk management process.

 

The first tactic is to retain perspective. I can just about guarantee that not every single risk you identify will actually go wrong. If they did, you would have experienced uniquely bad luck. It can seem that one should worry about risks compounding ... stacking on top of each other - especially when our risk register is usually formatted as a list.

 

Thinking about risks as a stack can make them very scary. So scary that, when we think this way, we sometimes give up before we've even started. In reality, that seldom happens. Risks are better considered as a series of items all positioned side-by-side. Some will happen. That's inevitable. But the consequences may be limited and only sometimes compound or stack on top of each other and even then only a few at a time. This is a realistic approach.

 

The second tactic is to have a relentlessly positive mindset. The unpleasant truth is that, like life itself, home makeover projects are unpredictable and bad stuff does happen. But having a positive mindset will empower your ability to problem-solve.

 

When you learn to swim, coaches will often tell you "When you panic, you drown". They teach you to stay calm and float over onto your back, putting your head level with your shoulders and bringing your feet to the surface. This helps you to float and conserve energy. You dramatically improve your chances of survival.

 

Following this risk management strategy on your home makeover project, retaining a balanced perspective and a positive mindset will super-power your ability to manage bad stuff that might otherwise derail your project leading to you losing money and wasting time.

 

So, a quick summary of this super effective strategy ...

Step 1 : Identify potential risks

Step 2 : Evaluate those risks

Step 3 : Grade the risks

Step 4 : Plan your response, allocating ownership and taking timing into account

and

Step 5 : Regularly Monitor the risks identified.

 

Throughout the project maintain your perspective and adopt a deliberately positive mindset.

 

Which wraps up this episode.

 

Next week, we'll be addressing some interesting questions raised by listeners in our next FAQ episode.

 

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.

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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