WHAT WE WISH WE KNEW BEFORE WE STARTED... & HOW WE KNEW 'DUSTY DEREK' WASN'T THE GUY FOR US
When we first started out in the reno game back in 2014, it’s fair to say we were total rookies. Nine years on, and 15 renovations down, we still look back and laugh at how green we were, like one time when we hired a trade to do the plaster-boarding (dry-wall if you’re American 😉).
Can we tell you the story of ‘Dusty Derek’?
We got three quotes and couldn’t resist the guy that said he could get the job done quicker and cheaper than the others #winning
BUT - we missed the warning signs.
He said he worked alone – which we didn’t realise at the time makes this task very difficult. You see, when lifting large, heavy pieces of plasterboard into place, you need more than one set of hands.
So, our one-man band took twice as long to do the work; truth be told, he never finished. We eventually had to bite the bullet, let him go and bring in a team of plasterboard people to finish the job.
This cost us time and money.
If only we’d known how to choose the right tradie (aka contractor) from the outset. Selecting the right tradies is just one element you need to get right. There are so many other pieces to the renovation puzzle that you need to know.
A (NON-DEFINITIVE) LIST OF THINGS WE WISH WE KNEW EARLY ON
How do I write a Scope of Work?
What should I look out for when comparing quotes other than price?
How do I use a tradie checklist to weed out the rockers from the shockers?
How much contingency should I set aside in my budget?
What tricks are there to get my tradies to return and finish the job?
What steps do I need to take to ensure I get what I paid for?
What to do when my builder says, “Nope, you can’t do that”?
Why do my freshly painted walls look blue when they should be white?
How many downlights is too few … or too many in a home?
How to make sure my floorplan will still work for my family in 5 years' time?
COMMON TILING TRIP-UPS
Even if we just look at one narrow aspect of renovating – TILING - there are so many places you can get tripped up, for example:
Where to put the half-tiles on the walls – do I have them at the bottom or the top of the wall? And what about the floor? Do I put the half tiles at the front or back?
How thick should my grout lines be?
Can my preferred tile work in a niche?
What type of finish do I want on that niche? A mitred edge or a metal trim?
Can this size of tile allow for the necessary fall in my floor?
Will my large floor tiles have to be cut into multiple pieces to allow for the right fall?
Should I choose regular grout or epoxy grout? What’s the difference?
Am I ok with a 3cm step up into my bathroom? How do I avoid that if I don’t want it?
How many different tiles should I have in my bathroom?
Which wall is best to use a feature tile on?
How high up the wall does my waterproofing need to go?
Do I continue the tiles around the window frame or stop at the window?
Are all my tiles coming from the same batch? Why does that matter?
What are the 10 different ways I could lay my subway tiles?
When should I check my tiles and what issues should I look for?
What’s the difference between porcelain and ceramic tiles?
Do I want the individual tiles to pop or blend? How do I make that happen?
Why do I need to have chosen my tiles before my bathroom reno begins?
Why do penny-round tiles cost more to install?
Is it ever ok to go against the advice of my tiler?
Can I have different grout colours in one bathroom?
Why would I pay more for real terrazzo vs fake?
Should I choose tiles that are matt or glossy … or a mix of both?
When do I need to be on-site with my tiler, and what do we need to discuss?
Will ordering more tiles than I need really save me money?
There are hundreds of decisions you’re going to have to make with your renovation and the scary part is, you don’t even know what most of them are. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know.
But don’t worry – because WE KNOW what YOU NEED to know!
Our Three Birds Reno School exists to get people, just like you, ready to reno!
Instead of feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed, you’ll feel knowledgeable and confident – which is pretty important when you think about how high the stakes are.
You're about to make a bunch of BIG decisions that are complex, interconnected and unfortunately, swarming with pitfalls. You will likely spend more money than you ever have before (possibly your life savings) and you will literally have to live with the consequences - good or bad.
If you can use our experience and templates to fast-track your knowledge, build your confidence and get you ready to renovate, you can reduce the stress and enjoy the experience, knowing we will be holding your hand and supporting you every step of the way until it's done.
When you think of it like that, the decision to join Reno School should be an easy one.
