19 20 ORGANISING THE RENOVATION Book Companion course

In chapters 19 and 20, I looked at how to organize your renovation effectively. Your aim, of course, is to create a system that can be repeated time and time again. In this video, I reveal some valuable techniques for organizing your renovation and choosing the right tradesperson. In the bonus section, you'll find my very own Finding the right Tradesperson checklist list. In renovating for profit, it's the simple things that work. First, plan what needs to be done and when. Seek out competitive quotes from tradespeople and builders and invest time in this activity. Get three quotes. Don't go with the cheapest, but do get recommendations. Shop around for materials. Take the time to source everything from timber to appliances at under retail prices. If you have a tradesperson you like, ask them who they like. Working with great tradies, like working with other great traders. And here is a top tip. They also do a lot of the organising themselves, so you don't have to go and pay a project manager 10 to 20% to manage a project. Understand your skill set and how long your skills will hold things up. It might take you three months to paint a house that a professional painter could have done in five days, like it did for me with my first property. Now, should you consider a project manager? They can take the stress out of a renovation. Well, let's be honest, they can take some of it out of it, but you need to start interviewing them now as time is money. Now remember, if this is a cosmetic renovation, it is in and out in the shortest amount of time, which is especially, especially important. It's also important to shop around for materials and contractors. You need to track your budget and schedule. So let's have a look at each of these. Planning in module 8, bang for your buck will go into details on what you need to do in your renovation specifically to add value. You should have from your research when looking at a property already a good idea of what you'll need to do to the property and what properties that have been renovated in the area look like, ie, what's the quality of finishes? Now let's have a look at your builders and trades. Hiring tradespeople isn't as easy as thumbing through the phone book and picking the one with the biggest ad. Follow these tips so you know what to expect, what to look for and how to hire. Get three to four quotes and remember, the cheapest may not be the best. You need to discuss how variations or timing issues are going to be handled. Get the quote and everything it includes in writing. You also need to decide on whether you are going to have a fixed price contract or time and materials. Make sure you check references, phone the referee and ask past customers about the workmanship. Do they turn up on time? Did they get it done on budget and anything they need to watch for any concerns and did they return to fix issues in a timely manner? Check insurances and professional qualifications and trade certificates. So what's the perfect tradesperson? Well, we all like the dream team to work on our Renault, but that tends to be just a dream. There are some tradesmen that offer great, excellent customer service to the general public. They are savvy small business operators who call when they say they will and always clean up after themselves. One such business owner once said to me that he charged twice as much as his competitors because he carried a vacuum cleaner. Which was true. He did. He also had all his team dressed in clean blue uniforms that turned up on time in nicely branded vans. This team of plasterers who specialised in restoration and repair, had an impeccable reputation for leaving a client's house in better condition than when they arrived. As a result, the majority of his work came through word of mouth from one delighted client to the next. This is an excellent business model for the tradesman, but not so great for us, the renovators. Why? Because I don't want to pay a tradesman double his normal rate to do a job such as cleaning. That can be achieved for half his normal rate by someone else. A tradesman has a specialised skill and every moment that is not being applied to that skill is taken time and money wasted. If a tradesman is working on an hourly rate, then cleaning up is a terrible use of your money and their time. And if he has quoted for it, then you will likely be paying a premium for the convenience. It is far more cost effective to use a labourer or clean up yourself. Then there's the Dodgy brothers. At the other end of the spectrum is another type of tradesperson that works directly for the general public, the Dodgy brothers. These people do not take pride in their work, seeking to cut corners at every opportunity and they will charge as much as they think they can get away with. The Dodgy brothers don't get regular gigs with builders because word gets around. Hence they mostly require new unsuspecting clients every time. The other type of tradie, and the one that I look for, is a person who shows pride in their craft. Amongst good tradespeople there is an honour code, a stage status associated with being a good tradesperson. Such tradesmen typically have a regular set of builders that use them consistently and don't typically work as much for the general public. They are also a lot cheaper than the perfect tradesperson. Good tradies work together. Good tradies like to work with each other. They like to work with someone else who values their skills. A good tradesperson respects another good tradesperson's ability. They also don't want to be working with a hack that will cause knock on problems for them. One of the most reliable methods of finding tradies is to simply ask your best guys, do you know a good fill in the blank, tiler, plasterer, etc. Another good place to look for tradespeople is in the local builders, yard builders, hardware stores. If looking for a plumber, ask for recommendations at the plumbing supplier.