If you watch too many home renovation shows on TV or YouTube, it is all too easy to forget that renovating your home is a big under taking.
Depending on the scale of the project, it can quickly become pricey and nerve-wrecking.
So how do you avoid costly mistakes to keep your nervous system and finances intact as you tackle that home renovation?
The first step is to decide which professions to enlist to help you. If a renovation requires more than one trade, project managing it yourself can quickly turn into a fiasco.
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But how do you know when to use a builder or an architect, or both when doing up your property?
Wellington renovation specialist Nick Leko from Refresh Renovations says do not tackle a renovation yourself, unless you have experience in trades.
With a 20-year career as an architect in both New Zealand and New York before becoming a home renovation consultant with the company, he sees both skill sets and is able to tap into both building supplies buying power and a large network of builders and sub-contractors.
He says that if the renovations are more complex than a painting job or involve any structural changes, such as removal of walls, then that is when an architect should come into play.
He recognises that some home owners are afraid to work with an architect due to extra costs involved, however a well-designed and practical renovation will add to the house value in the long term.
Leko says many home owners make the mistake of limiting the architect's work to only making design drawings to apply for building consents.
Instead, he suggests at the start of the project that homeowners bring in their architect and a builder together for the first site assessment and then let them work hand-in-hand throughout the whole process.
When working together from the start, the builder and the architect will collaborate and consult to spot potential issues and help homeowners manage build time and costs from the get go.
"They assess the existing home for issues that can arise when doing the build and identify the risks before you start the process,” he says.
Leko recommends that any project involving a kitchen and a bathroom should be managed by an architect.
If your renovation requires bathroom or kitchen work, an architect managing a project is a must. Photo: Getty Images.
He says that while home owners have a lot of information available on the internet on DIY and renovations, getting basics wrong such as picking the wrong materials can be a great set back.
“It's pretty risky for a home owner to be selecting products when they don't understand what they are buying. A mistaken buy of a wrong item at a plumbing sale can cost three times more to be fixed by builders later, or the product has to be thrown away,” Leko says.
Do not underestimate tradespeople’s craft skills. Leko says that even what seems to be an easy fresh coat of paint can turn into a disaster in amateur hands.
He compares doing a painting job yourself to buying an unpainted car for a cheaper price and spray painting it - you'll save the money but you are unlikely to achieve the same result.
"I tried plastering a celling once myself and by the time I got the materials I realised I should have called the plasterers. It would have taken them five minutes but took me a whole day and it looked worse than when I started,” he says.
Using a qualified professional is a must when doing anything electrical work in a house. Certified electricians will make sure all work complies with the regulations and is certified to the correct codes and standards.
"A builder is basically a builder, they do carpentry work and are in charge of actual construction," Leko says.
For certain works, the council requires work be done only by licensed building practitioners who have been assessed as competent to carry out building work essential to the structure or weathertightness. Both builders and architects are experts at guiding you through the council’s consenting and inspection regulations.
These are not just annoying bit of paper: consents and sign offs are essential when you come to sell your house. Today, an incomplete record or lack of certificate of completion can seriously lower the selling price on a property, as some banks will not lend on properties with renovations that do not have the right paperwork.
