EXPERT ADVICE //
TRADE VS DIY
design dream With Cassandra Fenaughty Cassandra Fenaughty is a landscape architect with more than 20 years’ experience. She is the founder and owner of an innovative renovation design consultancy, creating photo-real renovation concepts for clients looking to visualise their dream renovation before it begins. For more visit cassandrafenaughty.com.
We are currently deciding how to renovate our bathroom, toilet and laundry. The tiles have been ripped out and the shower is unusable at the moment. Do we try and organise the trades ourselves or is it better to get a renovation specialist to do the work? Keen for some advice. Thanks Troy CASSANDRA SAYS: This is quite a common query and organising trades yourself can be quite an appealing option as the builder/project management margin can be saved – a cost of around 10 per cent of the construction budget. For simple projects it’s not a bad idea, especially if there are only one or two trades to organise and coordinate. Wet areas like bathrooms and laundries are a little different. If you are experienced in building, or are in a trade or profession related to the industry, you could try to arrange trades yourself for wet area renovations. However, if you aren’t it is probably safer to hire a registered builder to
coordinate and carry out the project. Bathrooms can be risky and not the type of project you want to manage yourself if you are inexperienced. There are many trades that may be needed such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, water proofers, tilers, plasterers, painters and sometimes even electricians. This is a lot of coordinating and a lot of phone calls.
There is also the possibility of dealing with conflict resolution if the trades don’t normally work together. By working with a registered builder you can feel assured that you will only have to deal with one person if something goes wrong. There is also the added advantage of a signed contract. Apart from a signed contract
24 My Renovation | May 2021
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