Villa Renovation Builders - Getting The Best Value
HOW TO GET THE BEST VALUE FROM YOUR VILLA RENOVATION
If you are considering a villa renovation, the most important aspect is before you even start. You need to be very clear about what you want to have at the end of your villa renovation. If you have doubts or are not clear, then you may end up spending much more money than you were planning to. Alternatively, the end result might be what you were anticipating. Many times, we have seen people changing their minds part-way through their projects. This inevitably adds more time and expense to the project, but it can cause a lot of stress to customers too since they don’t know their time or financial commitments. That is why we highly encourage our clients to take a bit more time at the beginning working with us through the range of options to be sure that they have a sound project plan.
WHAT DO YOU WANT AT THE END OF YOUR VILLA RENOVATION?
This is the most important question to ask. Your answer to this question will determine how much time and expense you are likely to have.
For example, do you want more space, to upgrade your kitchen, or to modernise your home with an indoor-outdoor flow. Each of these requires different amounts of work, and thus differing amounts of time and money.
WHAT PROJECTS SHOULD YOUR VILLA RENOVATION INCLUDE?
There are two ways to look at this. One is to carry-out renovation projects at different times, the bathroom, the kitchen and so on, though there are numerous problems with this – each part of the home will age at different times, but perhaps the biggest problem with this is that you are continually living in a building site.
In our experience, the best way to approach this is to have your villa renovation as one whole, integrated project. You can tie-in the appearance of the whole villa, coordinating your style and finish for the entire home. You will find this a much more pleasing outcome to live in, and when you come to sell, potential buyers will prefer a continuity of style and decorative look.
TYPICAL VILLA RENOVATION PROJECTS
We work on a range of renovations in villas, ranging from big kitchen upgrades, replacing bathrooms, creating open-plan rooms and more.
Knocking out walls to create a big open-plan area can have a dramatic effect on the apparent size of a house. It makes the whole house look much bigger without having to extend the footprint of the house. However, if the floor area is a bit small, we can add an extension to create additional living space.
WHICH RENOVATIONS INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR VILLA THE MOST?
The answer to that question will depend on the villa’s current state, as well as the area where you are located. However, generally speaking, a new kitchen adds the most value, followed by bathroom upgrades. However, good landscaping can add a lot of value as well. Though we don’t do landscaping ourselves, we recommend that you include modern landscaping as part of your overall renovation project – we can recommend companies in your area if you don’t have anyone in mind. That will allow you to match the appearance and feel of your villa with its surroundings.
Looking at things from a different perspective, in our experience, villas that see some of the best capital growth, are those where a full renovation has been done. This not only updates the home with luxurious bathrooms and the newest kitchen appliances, but also takes full advantage of the latest heating technologies to reduce energy costs and improve sustainability for the building, as well as making the most of the potential space available.
TOP QUALITY WORKMANSHIP IN VILLA RENOVATIONS
Another important factor in increasing your villa’s value and your overall satisfaction with the job is the quality of work that is done. Auckland has many builders, but unfortunately they are not created equal. Here are a few key things to look for when choosing your builder.
Accreditations – Look for accredited builders. At Cain Built you know you’re hiring professionals, as we are not only Licensed Building Practitioners (a government building standard) but we are both Registered Master Builders Association and New Zealand Certified Builders Association accredited and have been through an extensive vetting process – we have to undergo regular training and meet nationally approved standards. This also means that we provide a ten-year guarantee plus we have to hold insurance cover for public liability.
Testimonials – Ask previous clients or look at testimonials so you know the builder is experienced enough for your project. It’s also important to find one that you can build rapport with and feel comfortable having in your house. Cain Built have tons of great reviews you can check out on our website and over on NoCowboys.
Portfolio – Ask to see their portfolio of other house extensions. Cain Built take great pride in the high standard of our finished workmanship which you can view here.
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR VILLA RENOVATION PROJECT
The idea of getting a villa renovated is a concept that appeals to many people. Having seen renovations on TV shows, people “want some of that.” The old Kiwi DIY approach is always strong but a villa renovation is a massive undertaking, especially if you also work full-time and have a family. It can be very hard to find the time to do it, and will take far, far longer and cause a huge amount of family strife – not to mention most work can legally only be carried out by a licensed building practitioner.
Other people think it might be easy to hire tradespeople and manage their own villa renovating project. That appears to be a good idea but trying to manage as many as 20 different tradespeople can be a hugely stressful job. It is a hard-enough task for professionals to deal with, but for the average homeowner, it can turn into a logistical nightmare. You can easily end up with idle which means expensive tradies, the wrong materials or materials not turning up on time. Project managing a renovation job is not for the faint-hearted.
HIRING A TOP-CLASS DEVONPORT VILLA RENOVATION BUILDER
It may seem incongruous but usually the lowest cost option for a big renovation job is to hire a well-known top-grade villa renovation company. Even though you will be paying for a significant amount of labour, you will save huge amounts of time, money and emotional energy in other ways.
For a start, you do not have to research, assess and select 20+ different companies. You don’t have to try to source good value materials, and the only person you have to manage is the lead building contractor.
Not only that, the builder will be able to buy materials at much better prices than you because of their volume-discounts that you could never attain.
Finally, the time you will have to invest as an amateur working part-time, versus a team of professionals who know what they are doing, working full-time.
It soon becomes very clear that hiring a good, local villa renovations building company is, in fact, a saving rather than an additional expense.
If you have a villa that you are thinking about renovating, please call us on 0800 224 628, or email us at enquiries@cainbuilt.co.nz. We are more than happy to have a chat with you about your options.