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Pitfalls: what you need to know when starting a repair with a crew
I would like not only to tidy up the apartment, but also to save time, energy and nerves, and to save money. Is this even possible?
Building your dream home is not a chore, but an exciting experience. By completing all the points of the pre-planned plan, you will make sure that the repair is quite affordable, manageable and predictable. In addition, by responsibly approaching the choice of a performer, you will see how much time, effort, nerves and money is saved by communicating with really qualified people. How to make the repair go smoothly, we figure it out together with the specialists of the Leroy Merlin Repair School.
Step one: think over the project
Before starting repairs, be sure to draw up a detailed plan. Regardless of style or design trends, renovation has a sequence of steps. Often, repairs begin with the dismantling of the old finish, then new wiring and pipes are laid, heating radiators and a ventilation system are installed. Then the windows are installed, in the case of redevelopment, walls or partitions are erected. If necessary, the floor is waterproofed, walls and ceilings are leveled. This is followed by a fine finish, and the installation of doors completes the repair.
We decided, got together in spirit – you can start looking for performers.
Step two: find and select the performer
The market for repair services is quite extensive. You can find performers for your project in the construction market, by advertising in the media, on specialized aggregator sites, or simply in a search engine. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Pay attention to reviews. Aggregator sites can provide more objective feedback from people who have already received services. Some resources offer their own system of evaluation criteria. By the number of stars assigned, one can, for example, assess the accuracy, responsibility or efficiency with which the contractor responds to requests.
Study the profile of the selected team, photos of completed objects and video of the work of the masters in the process.
Do not limit yourself in the choice of contractors, select several potential contractors and ask them to make estimates for repairs. At this stage, you will need to voice the list of works from the first paragraph of our cheat sheet. Ask the same questions to different contractors and analyze the answers. You can get an idea of the company’s competence by how comprehensively and substantively its representative, who came to the object for inspection and measurements, answers questions. Walk with him through all the stages of the repair from your plan. A qualified specialist will tell you what you did not take into account when planning. It is worthwhile to be wary if he begins to impose works that do not seem necessary to you, or innovative technologies and materials, the expediency of using which is in doubt.
Ask the representative for a complete list of servicesprovided by the company. Even the most pleasant result will be imperfect if the contractor does not take out the construction waste, does not do cleaning before handing over the object, does not return money for unused materials, or, which is completely unacceptable, does not agree on redevelopment. Voice your wishes, even if during the first conversation some services were not indicated.
Compare and contrast the preliminary estimates provided by different companies. Do not rush to immediately look at the column containing the final cost. Carefully review the estimate and evaluate the amount of work and services offered to you. Check the accuracy of the footage indicated in the estimate. The most obvious budget articles for comparison are the amount and cost of building materials and the timing of implementation. Websites of construction hypermarkets will serve as a benchmark for assessing the cost of materials. The consumption of each type of building material can be roughly calculated using online calculators. The timing of implementation will depend on the size of the team.
Step three: assessing the contractor’s work organization
In a company providing repair services, there must be specialists of several professions. First of all, this is a personal manager who negotiates with you and performs the function of accompanying clients throughout the project. After the conclusion of the contract, you will be introduced to the specialists who will interact with you at different stages – the estimator and the foreman. Each of them performs a certain stage of work and is responsible for its own result.
Estimator is obliged to provide for all the necessary expenses – for materials, work of specialists, as well as the duration of work and other components of the repair. His task is also to divide the project into successive stages.
Foreman – a specialist who manages the work of the team on the site and at the same time your “entry point” into communication with the professionals performing the work. It is the foreman who can provide answers to most of the questions that you, most likely, do not understand. It determines when and which master to go out, into how many stages the delivery of materials needs to be divided, how and when they will be delivered, when to turn off the water in the risers and many other things. As a rule, the foreman works simultaneously with several teams at different objects and is not present in your apartment all the time. However, it happens that the foreman is also a master at the same time, for example, a plasterer or a painter, and he himself participates in the work. In some cases, the foreman may invite you to the site to agree on solutions that may have options.
Step four: sign the contract
According to the law, when performing repair work in an apartment, a household contract or a construction contract is concluded. It indicates the responsible persons, the subject of the contract, the start and end dates of work, as well as, in some cases, the deadlines for completing intermediate stages, penalties, payment procedure, requirements for the quality of materials, if the contractor will be engaged in their purchase.
Typical contract forms can be found online, but, as a rule, companies providing repair and construction services have their own ready-made samples. If you doubt your ability to figure out all the intricacies on your own, it will not be superfluous to invite a lawyer.
At this stage, you decide which of the parties will be involved in the procurement of materials. If you are sure of the contractor’s scrupulousness, you can entrust it to him, having previously studied the prices presented by him. If your contractor is an individual or unincorporated team, you can negotiate the source of the materials. For example, it can be a specific construction hypermarket. So it will be easier for you to return the surplus, and the contractor, if the procurement function is entrusted to him, will be able to collect documents confirming purchases for you.
If renovation in an apartment requires complex work affecting communications, redevelopment, additional structures such as arches, columns, multi-level ceilings or niches, agree that the company will develop a design project. It is on its basis that the final estimate is made, in which all work and costs are specified. After signing it, you have the right to refuse any additional payments, and in some cases – to convince the contractor to perform additional work at your own expense.
Both the design project and the estimate are integral parts of the contract. Sometimes, during the repair process, some unforeseen circumstances are indeed discovered that require your financial participation. In this case, the task of the estimator is to substantiate in detail the need for additional costs and draw them up in the form of an annex to the contract.
As a separate clause in the contract, the conditions for the acceptance of work and their payment must be spelled out. One hundred percent prepayment with the same one hundred percent guarantee will lead to the collapse and “freezing” of the object. Together with the foreman, divide the project into stages that are amenable to visual and expert assessment. It is better to pay for each completed and accepted stage on the basis of the certificate of completion. If in the process a discrepancy with the required quality of work is found, record them in the act.
The flaws that you miss upon acceptance will become your problem as soon as you sign. Do not let your decision be influenced, do not be nervous and do not rush. You have every right to do the evaluation of the results as much as necessary. Disagree if they try to convince you that the flaw is insignificant. Feel free to say that you will not sign the act until all violations have been corrected. If you do not show firmness, then you will have to correct the shortcomings on your own.
Are you afraid that you will not have enough experience and knowledge to check the quality of repairs? You can invite a technical supervision engineer to accept the work. The specialist will carefully check whether the work performed meets the standards. Warn the team in advance that an invited expert will check the work at all stages, and record this in the contract.
Step five: control the progress of work
Despite the fact that the terms have been agreed and fixed in the contract, reality often makes its own adjustments to the implementation of projects. The practice of companies providing repair services is such that several projects are in the works at the same time. With a good organization of the case, you will not know anything about this, but monitoring the progress of work from your side will still be an important disciplining factor.
Fortunately, modern means of communication have made it unnecessary for us to spend time on site trips on a daily basis. Many issues are quickly resolved using instant messengers. So, you can agree with the foreman so that he regularly sends you photo or video reports in the course of work. The formula “the client is always right” is still true, and if you have chosen the right artist, he will hardly refuse to meet you halfway in this matter.