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A Guide to Extending and Renovating Your Home in 7 Essential Steps

Thursday, 28 May 2020

Extending your home may be the perfect solution for anyone with a growing family, or for someone looking to increase the value of their existing property. But where do you start?

Here are 7 essential steps to take for your home improvement project:

1. Plan Your Design & Budget

A home renovation is a hugely personal endeavour, so establishing your needs and vision for your home extension project is the very first step. Decide what you can afford to invest, and brainstorm what you would like for your new home in terms of space, layout, functionality, lifestyle needs such as outdoor areas, and your design ‘look-and-feel’ preferences.

For an added advantage, it’s important to find a business who will not only listen to your needs, but has experienced designers and builders that can work together with you from the very beginning - so you avoid the trap of designing something that cannot be built within your budget.

2. Find the Perfect Builder

Here are some essential criteria to look for in a reputable builder:

Make sure the builder holds a current Builder’s Licence for the state you live in
To protect yourself against non-completion, poor workmanship and inadequate materials being used, ensure the builder offers Home Owner’s Warranty Insurance for your project.
Transparency with a builder is important, so you are fully aware of what materials are being used and what the building process entails.
Longevity is one of the most valuable traits in a builder - nothing beats experience and knowledge when it comes to quality craftsmanship.
Make sure the builder is willing to understand your needs, and will provide a dedicated point of contact you can ask questions and seek updates from.

Tip: find a builder who has gone through the approvals process with your local council before, and has experience building on difficult blocks of land.

3. Secure On-Site Visits

It’s a good idea to avoid a builder who sends pricing based on guesswork and a site unseen, as it leaves you exposed to soaring costs once more thorough checks on your land and potential asbestos have been completed. The Cubitt’s expert team will come and review your site completely free of charge and can provide recommendations based on your land and existing dwelling.

4. Compare Quotes

Unless you have experience in construction, it’s difficult to accurately gauge value when comparing quotes for builders. Beware of financially desperate building companies, who on the brink of bankruptcy are prepared to undercut their competition on price just to generate cash flow. One tip is to check if soil, engineering and BASIX reports have been completed as well as an accurate Bill of Quantities for the quote – avoid quotes riddled with provisional sums based on guesswork and assumptions.

5. Structure Your Priorities

This situation may sound familiar; despite our best attempts to budget accurately for our needs, upon speaking to design consultants we suddenly hear ourselves saying “Did you say alfresco decking?” or “I’ve always liked high ceilings”. More and more scope is squeezed into the budget at the sacrifice of key elements. Structuring and balancing priorities is a good way to give you the highest return, investing into quality build materials for longevity where it counts, while also making lifestyle improvements.

6. Invest in Quality Materials

As with any other industry producing products or delivering a service, you really do get what you pay for. True value lies in procuring an established, experienced and reputable builder who has the scale and longevity necessary to provide quality materials at affordable prices. At the end of the day, this is your home, and your financial future at stake. Enjoy the reassurance of a strong, long-term solution by investing in quality materials.

7. Source the Best Tradesmen for a Streamlined, Stress-Free Experience

There are scores of tradesmen all equally relied upon in construction, from plumbers to painters, electricians, tilers and more. For a stress-free process and polished build, it makes all the difference using reliable, respectful and thorough tradesmen. When you enlist a dependable and reputable building company to deliver your project, you can be confident about the calibre of tradesmen working on your property because the builder is the one with their reputation on the line.

Would you prefer to achieve all the above in just 1 essential step? That step is simply to give Cubitt’s a call on 1300 721 150. Ian Cubitt’s Classic Home Improvements is a family owned and operated business, with over 25 years’ experience designing and building home renovations. Our longevity and strong understanding of the industry has allowed us to source top-quality materials from world-class supplies at affordable prices for our customers. We have invested the time needed to handpick the very best tradesmen in the industry for our team. For a stress-free and transparent building approach, call 1300 721 150 or via email at hello@icchi.com.au to speak with our award-winning customer service team.