Your home is one of your biggest investments – why would you skimp on quality? The following mistakes are made by many homeowners.
RIGHT TEAM
Choosing the right team to assist you with your building project will ensure that quality is upheld and that your project remains within the budget and programme. Working with the cheapest builder, an unqualified architectural draftsperson or managing the project yourself is a recipe for disaster. A friend once told me that the eye specialist advised him not to sleep with his contact lenses in, he ignored the advice and was left with a terrible eye infection and had to wear glasses for the next few weeks. To prevent your building project from creating an eye infection and ending in a disaster – appoint the right team.
D.I.Y
Beautiful, well-designed spaces you see in the magazines are thought through and designed. These spaces look effortless but believe me, a lot of candle light was burnt to create something special and unique. Standing in your home with a hammer in hand, knocking walls down as you go, trying to duplicate a picture in your mind will not lead to the end result you desire. Architectural professionals take many things into account when designing a space, such as structural design, light, ventilation, harmonious lines and space planning. By appointing a good architectural professional to assist you, you will save money and have functional well-planned spaces that you will love.
APPROVED PLAN
If you’re “doing it yourself”, it is possible you have not submitted plans to council and have gone ahead without municipal approval. This will open a whole can of worms and could lead to a demolition order from the municipality. A professional architectural designer will know the basic limitations such as building lines, height restrictions, zoning and bylaws applicable to your building project and area. By appointing the right designer to guide you, you will save a lot of time and headaches and keep the worms in the can.
MATERIAL
“Oh, I didn’t think it would look like that. Why is the paint peeling off? Should it be sagging?” Using sub-standard materials is another common mistake made by homeowners who want to ‘save’ money. The sub-standard builder will install the cheapest material to suite the very limiting budget all to the lack of a specification done by your unqualified architectural person. If the right materials are not specified it will not be built. Building plans not only give the contractor the information to build your dream space but also instructs the builder to use the right materials.
In conclusion, your home is one of your greatest investments. Appoint a reputable builder as well as an architectural professional that is registered and accountable. Spend the right amount of money at the beginning, rather than overspending, in the end, to fix mistakes and patch bad workmanship.