While design tips are wonderful, it’s time to get real. As professional designers, our studio has had to factor the current situation of trade and stock delays into our project management since April.
However, if you are just jumping on the renovation bus you might find that you have to go past a few stops until you can get the job done for your home project. Here's how to manage your renovation around this new reality.
Covid 19 has spiraled the supply of both trade labour and building supplies into a frustrating minefield. You will need to manage your expectations of timing for your home project to align with the reality of what is doable and accessible.
Let’s start with what is out of New Zealand's control - stock.
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Unfortunately, most of the interior products we use are not manufactured here, they are imported. That means that bathroom products, tiles, flooring and appliances are all reliant on the stock flow from overseas.
At the moment, we are facing a three-month wait from ordering to delivery for things like kitchen appliances, fittings and things like drawer runners. The technical kraft paper used for low pressure melamine for acrylic cupboards and drawer fronts and high-pressure laminate bench tops is also in the same boat…literally!
A backlog of container ships waiting to get into Ports of Auckland means supplies are delayed, holding up building projects. Photo / Michael Craig
These are all the components that our local cabinet makers need to actually make our kitchens here.
Even some of our incredible local furniture manufacturers are running out of components like springs, foam and other parts to finish pieces at their usual pace.
My key advice is that if you like something, lock it in with your supplier as soon as you’ve made your selection. And don’t wait for those sales to come around. Inventory is so low that someone else will take your place. At the moment, with stock is low there is no need for products to go on sale anyway.
Secondly the trade boom is in full swing.
We get the request every year to finish a project in time for clients to be “in before Christmas”. But this year, with the Covid-19 industry pause, everything was delayed until the last four months of the year.
By the time clients had contemplated and planned a project, engaged designers and the designers had come up with their designs, we are now all in a bottleneck of all the trades working on a concentrated number of projects all at one time.
So how do you navigate through this one?
Covid-related delays at the start of the year mean tradespeople are booked up, so there is a wait for projects to start. Photo / Getty Images
It is really about being realistic about when you want your project done. If you aren’t in a rush, asking your tradespeople to slot you in when it suits them around their other projects (that may also cost a bit less).
What is realistic? Needing new carpet? If you have secured your stock, then expect a six week installation delay. Need a kitchen made? Instead of the usual six-week lead-time, expect three months. How about a painter? Painters are usually more flexible. We find we can engage one on a project within a week - but even they are booked up for at least a month.
We advise working out all the trades you need for a project, lock in the one with the longest wait, then align your stock deliveries and work back from there to create your renovation schedule.
From an industry point of view we designers and renovators really want you to have what you want, when you want it, for the price that is fair for the quality you are after. That truly is the dream scenario.
However, in the economic climate that we are in, we need to look at the bigger picture. Work with your professionals and retailers to craft your renovation journey as best as you can within the uncontrollable circumstances of the limited stock and trade labour available to us right now.
- Laura Heynike is director of Pocketspace Interiors
