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How To Find High-Quality Builder Home Renovation?
CategoriesHome Renovation

How To Find A High-Quality Builder For My Home Renovation?

By Period Extensions Team,

How To Find High-Quality Builder Home Renovation?

When renovating your home, it is crucial that you choose a reliable, high-quality builder. The finished product is only as good as the builder you choose. 

Finding a good quality builder can be a daunting task. Getting the balance right between reliability and costs can be a delicate task to accomplish. 

It is hard to stick to a budget if you can’t rely on your builder to stick to the plan or the time table. So, how do you find a high-quality builder?

Look Within Your Community

Going with a local builder has its advantages. They live and conduct business within your community so they have a local reputation to uphold. They are more invested in doing a good job because everyone in the community knows them.

The work they do for you can make or break their reputation as a trustworthy and reliable local builder. Word of mouth and client reviews are vital to their success.

Other advantages of hiring locally are:

  • They are easy to find
  • Communication is easier since you know them
  • Their time on your site is not limited since they live within the area
  • They are knowledgeable of local planning rules
  • Easy access to local suppliers
  • They are part of the community fabric so they are least likely to abuse and take advantage of you
  • Better customer service

Ask For Referrals

A personal recommendation from your friends and family is one of the best ways to find an outstanding builder. Their first-hand experience with a company or a team is your guarantee that you are making the right choice. 

When you get referrals, take the time to visit the homes and other projects of the prospective builder. Go and check out their handiwork firsthand. There is no better assurance and guarantee of excellent work than seeing the finished product yourself.

How Find High-Quality Builder Home Renovation

Check Online

The internet is a vast source of information. Search online for reliable contractors within and around your area. Read their client reviews and verify them. Always do your due diligence when searching online. 

From there you can come up with a shortlist and start calling around for consultations and quotations. Talking to prospective builders personally will help you decide if they are the right fit for your renovation needs.

Verify Their Credentials

No matter how good a builder’s local and online reputation is, you can never be too careful. Always verify their credentials. Check their licenses, registration, and insurance.

Ascertain if they belong to any recognised Industry Associations such as the HIA (Housing Industry Association) or MBA (Master Builders Association).

Make sure the builder has the relevant building insurances and licenses. Does the builder have the necessary skills to complete your project?

For example, if you require a large scale project such as adding a second storey and internal renovations carried out, you would want to ensure the builder has successfully completed such projects.

Also, when it comes to properties with a heritage overlay, you would be best suited to finding a company that is well accomplished with period style extensions and renovations.

How Find High-Quality Builder Home Renovation

Next Steps

When you have made a shortlist of possible candidates, it is important to:

  • Make a detailed list of your renovation must-haves. Make sure that the builder can provide and deliver these.
  • Request for a comprehensive quote. Compare prices. Ask about their vendors and suppliers. Check for product quality and reputation. It is tempting to go with the lowest bidder but considering these other factors is invaluable.
  • Meet with potential contractors. The only way you will know it is a good fit is when you get to sit down, talk, and discuss your design ideas and renovation requirements.
  • Agree on costs. After getting a quotation, it is crucial that you go into details and agree on costs and a timeline for the build before you officially hire a builder. 

Important Questions to Ask Around:

  • Do they communicate regularly?
  • Are they polite and accommodating?
  • Was the project completed on time and on budget?
  • Were there any extra and hidden costs?
  • What are their labourers and tradesmen like?
  • Do they clean up the site after?

Unsure? Give us a call at Period Extensions today. We will take your design ideas and renovation requirements and bring them to life. Tell us what’s important to you and we will listen. Our mission is to make your renovation dreams come true.

Please call us at Period Extensions today on 03 9882 5255 to you can fill out our contact form. We’ll be more than happy to assist you.

CategoriesDesign Inspiration

From a Dull Facade, this Camberwell Home was Returned to Glory Days

By Period Extensions Team,

[vc_row content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_column_text]We start our design process by first talking to the client about what they want to achieve from the renovation & extension and then familiarising ourselves with the architectural history of the property. Only then do we undertake to design a vision for their home. And then, in collaboration with our Drafting Department, we produce a customised design that considers the client’s needs and respects the architectural history of their home.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]

FROM AN OLD STUDENT ACCOMMODATION TO A MODERN HOME

This home, which is located in the leafy suburb of Camberwell, was rented out for student accommodation. It was a tired old property in need of modernising, with the team at Period Extensions perfect for the task. The original house had large wonderful rooms that could certainly be enhanced, and with our team’s design ideas, the owners of this home could enjoy it for years to come.

This house had been neglected. There were sloping floors, rotten window frames, a leaking roof and cracking plaster. The house required major renovations as well an extension to accommodate the needs of the family. The owners were very much part of the journey to renovate and extend this house. Like our design team, they saw past the neglect to the potential of the house.

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EXTENSION INTO LIGHT-FILLED LIVING AREAS

The new owners wanted an extension of a spacious, beautiful and functional home with light-filled family and living areas as well as an outdoor entertaining area that could be used despite Melbourne’s weather.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3182″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-30t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3183″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

FUNCTIONAL AND LUXURY BATHROOM DESIGN

The bathrooms are aesthetically pleasing and more importantly functional, modern, and luxurious. The grey stone tiles provide a stunning backdrop to the bespoke white cabinetry, and the oversized wall mirror frames the double vanity to perfection. Lastly, the free standing bathtub completes the room in this room extension.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” desctop_pt=”padding-lg-30t”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

INCREASED PROPERTY VALUE FROM OUTSTANDING RENOVATION RESULTS

The team at Period Extensions pride ourselves on designing and building extensions that not only meets the client’s brief but surpasses their expectations. The success of this renovation project can be judged on the fact that when the owners of the property saw the end result, they were so overwhelmed with the result. They decided to capitalise on the value added by  the work of Period Extensions, they immediately put the property on the market and achieved an outstanding result.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”3184″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

CategoriesPeriod Home Renovation

Improving your Period Home with an Extension

By Period Extensions Team,

Melbourne is full of lovely period homes in a variety of styles, from Victorian to Edwardian, Inter-War to Queen Anne. Looking at these heritage homes can allow you to envision yourself in the early days of the blossoming city. If you are lucky enough to live in a period home, you will want to take the necessary steps to restore the home so that it maintains its character and place in history.

Many period homes have a lot of memories, but not a lot of space. Extending your home can uncover its true potential and make it the perfect home for your lifestyle and the modern age.

WHY EXTEND YOUR PERIOD HOME?

Extending period homes requires an expert who understands how to manipulate the old foundations and still keep the original or unique character. It is a bit more of a challenge, but the end result is worth it. Like any home extension, there are many reasons why you might benefit from adding onto your current house, such as:

YOU LOVE THE HOUSE, BUT NEED MORE SPACE

You have got a stunning home that is filled with character and classic beauty. However, if it’s too small for your growing family, you may need to consider an extension. The age of your home or its classic style shouldn’t deter you from getting what you want out of a house. Builders who are specialists dealing with old houses will be able to seamless renovate your home.

INCREASE THE RESALE VALUE

Extensions, while costly, will undoubtedly increase your home’s resale value, making it a very good investment. You are surely not the only homeowner in Melbourne to be charmed by a classic Edwardian finish or bold Victorian lattices. These houses, however, elegant and alluring, cannot always stand up to modern standards of living. Many homeowners fall for the classic facades of period houses, but the rest can all be changed to meet modern standards. Where you can’t renovate outwards, second storey extensions are bound to increase the value of your home.

By choosing a builder who has experience maintaining the character of a period home during renovations, you’ll get to keep the authenticity in home design. Add an appealing library or study that flows seamlessly with the Edwardian feel of the place, or perhaps a sunroom with a lounge to make it truly Victorian.

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