How do you manage renovation projects while people are living in the home?

Q: Renovations can be tricky for a number of reasons – most notably, the homeowners are still around. How do you manage renovation projects while people are living in the home?

Firm: Craig Diffey Builder Ltd.
Principal: Craig Diffey
Location: Levin
Staff: 1 builder

I’ve done countless renovations, where the peole were still living in the house, and I’ve found that key to success is communication.

I make sure to give the homeowners a work plan at the start of every week and then update them daily on what we’ll be doing.

This is particularly important, if you need them to move some of the home contents around, or if you need them to be completely out of the way.

It’s also wise, and respectful, to let them know if a day’s work is going to be particularly loud, as they may want to ensure they’re not around, let alone having anyone to the house.

You also have to be doubly cautious about any hazards on the worksite. While builders are accustomed to avoiding them, homeowners often aren’t.

Any work done on the exterior of the house should be fenced. Unfortunately, that’s not usually possible inside, so you just need to make it clear to the homeowners that it’s important to steer clear of any work as much as possible.

At the same time, most clients understand that renovations will cause some level of disruption – you need to make a bit of noise to make a bit of progress!

Firm: Smith & Sons
Principal: Luke O’Connell
Location: Napier
Staff: 7 carpenters, 3 apprentices

Renovations are always going to impact the homeowners, if they live in the home during the process. I’ve found the key is to make the situation as painless as possible by tailoring your work to suit their way of living and ensuring a good level of communication.

“I ask for feedback after every project

I’ve found that varies from client to client. Some want to be updated every day, if not every hour, while others would rather you only contacted them when necessary.

Like most good builders, I learned some of this stuff the hard way – you have to crack some eggs to make an omelette and listening to your customers is a great learning tool. I ask for feedback after every project and there’s always at least one comment or suggestion we take on board.

With homeowners on site, managing hazards is paramount. However, while you can protect most members of the public with construction fencing, you can’t do that inside, so communication with the homeowners has to become their fence.

Firm: Hassett Builders Limited
Principal: Glenn Hassett
Location: Whangaporoa
Staff: 1 builder

For me, the most important thing to remember when carrying out a renovation is respect. It’s essential that you show the utmost respect to the house, the contents and the homeowners. In my experience, it’s particularly important to get on well with the woman of the household – if not, you’re out!

This means cleaning up your work area at the end of every day, probably a lot more than you might if the homewoners weren’t around. It might take an extra 10 or 20 minutes a day, but it’s worth the effort to show your customers that keeping their home as clean as possible is a priority. It also means ensuring you hire subcontractors, who share your ability to respect the house and its occupants. You can be the most well-mannered builder they’ve ever had but if you get a subbie in who isn’t, it taints the entire job.

It’s also in your best interest to work around the homeowners’ schedules as much as possible, particularly in the mornings. Try and start work after the family is organised and out the door.

Last, but not least, extra care has to be taken regarding safety. Make sure to cover your tools when they’re not being used and, if there are kids in the house, work with the parents to ensure they know that they can’t go anywhere near you when working.