First of all, determine what and why you want to renovate? Do you want to restore and sell, just refresh your house or do you want to improve the lifestyle for your family by adding more living area, more or bigger bedrooms, update the kitchen and bathrooms or both, better insulation or do some work on the outdoor areas? The best place to start is making a wish list or a design brief. This will help you create a vision of what you want to achieve and assist you in making sure your plans stay on track.

Step 1

Write down a list of what the end result should include. The more detail, the better. This will help you in determining an estimated cost for your renovation and possible ways to do the, for example. You might have to do the renovation in stages.

Step 2

Gather ideas and designs, collected from the internet, printed media or visit show homes and newly renovated homes for ideas. All these thoughts should be carefully collected and considered until you find your dream. Remember any building project is a costly investment; therefore, you want to be sure about your final goal, so don’t rush your final decision.

Step 3

The next step is to measure and record spaces (kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, etc.) that is to your liking. Measure these areas to help you understand and visualise actual dimensions when you do your planning. Compare these designs and measurements with your current situation to get a rough idea of the changes that need to be done to achieve your dream.

Step 4

If you plan to extend to your house or remove walls, windows and doors, draw them out on paper to help you get a better understanding of the influence such changes would have. The chances are that if you want to do this, you will need a building consent for the renovation. As preparation for your building consent, your renovation should be professionally measured and drawn by an LBP architect or draftsman.

Step 5

Prepare a list of questions for your selected architect, interior designer and professional builder. Having a clear understanding between you and your professional team will help you achieve your goal in a stress-free and cheapest possible cost effective way.
The process, as mentioned above, of collecting information and ideas, can save you money during the design process. By providing designers, architects and professional builders with specific ideas you save thousands of dollars that can be spent on the actual renovation instead of paying for ideas and repeatedly redrawn concept designs or plans that will eventually match your dreams.
Also, you might find areas that you could DIY. Check these areas with your professional builder to ensure a stress-free outcome while saving on the expenses.
Be realistic about your budget and schedule while you make sure you understand each step of the process and the cost involved. By doing this, you can control your budget and identify areas where you can save money.
TIP:
When selecting appliances, make sure the model will be available when the renovation is completed. List all the appliances and furniture you intend to have in your newly renovated home. Have the model numbers and sizes available for the architect and professional builder to make sure they will fit where they need to go.

Yes, it is definitely possible. We have completed numerous projects where our clients have been able to live in their house while the renovation work is being carried out. However, for practical as well as health and safety reasons, some projects may require a full or a partial vacancy to complete the renovation.

As part of our detailed planning process to establish the work program, we will identify periods that may require you to vacate your house. We will advise you and discuss your options before we finalise the work program and any paperwork that you need to sign before the renovation starts.

NEDS Projects Ltd takes health and safety very seriously. The safety of our clients and staff is paramount. Not only are we a member of Site Safe NZ, but we make use of their various systems and training programs to ensure the highest possible health and safety standards on our projects.

Because family circumstances of ever family differ and no 2 renovation projects are the same, we develop a specific “Health and Safety Plan” for each individual project. While considering your needs, the “Health and Safety Plan” should be developed in conjunction with the “Working Program”, to keep your day as undisturbed as possible during the renovation.

Yes - as a Platinum Member of the New Zealand Certified Builders Association, our work is fully guaranteed with the Halo 10 Year Residential Guarantee – underwritten by Lloyd’s of London. Halo is the most comprehensive 10-year residential building guarantee on the market, and you are covered for:

• Loss of deposit
• Extra costs to complete the dwelling
• Structural defects for 10 years including weather tightness
• Non-structural defects for 10 years
• Alternative accommodation requirements

Plus, if you sell your house within 10 years, the guarantee automatically passes over to the new owner.
NB: To be covered, Documentation must be completed with NEDS Projects Ltd and submitted to the insurer before construction starts. Confirmation of cover being in place is the receipt of your Halo 10 Year Residential Guarantee Policy Schedule.

Our experienced team is very proud of their work and is continuously praised by our clients on the high standard of their workmanship. To ensure our clients get the best and highest standard of workmanship and best products, we develop a quality control plan for each project that is strictly implemented and complementary to the standard council inspections.

This is difficult to answer, as different work in different parts of the house will cost varying amounts and take varying amounts of time durations. e.g. The most expensive and time-consuming areas of any home to renovate or add are bathrooms and kitchens. Compare this to merely adding a new wall to create a new bedroom, which is quite fast and not very costly. If you would like to add or change the layout to your existing home, it may involve an architect and engineer, which will add to the cost and duration.

Make sure you know from the outset how much your home improvement is going to cost and how long it will take. It is strongly advised that you make use of a professional builder who will provide you with an accurate, detailed, and qualified fixed price, a complete specification document together with a "Work Program" for your renovation. Depending on the size of the project, this document is generally between 16 and 30 pages. This will ensure that there are no nasty surprises or any hidden extras and costs along the way leading to budget overruns.

A builder’s quote will include allowances for items that are estimated, known as Provisional Cost Sums (PC Sums). PC Sums are given for items for which it is impossible to quote a fixed price accurately, until a final decision, or selection, is made. There can be many in a renovation project. Normally these are items of work, materials or fittings where a final decision or a selection or both, had not been made at the time of signing a contract.

The more PC Sums in a quote, the less time was spent in the preparation of your projects and this can lead to a very stressful project, with major budget blowouts. However, a professional builder will spend time with you, and on your project, to eliminate surprises and provide you with a detailed and qualified quote. This will limit PC Sums to the minimum and motivate the areas where it is required. NEDS Projects prefer that all possible decisions, and selections, are made prior to a contract being signed, in an attempt to eliminate PC Sums entirely.

Renovations are different from a new home because of the uncertainties that lie beyond, and behind, the existing floor, walls and roof. Consider the era in which your house was built, the style and the building methods of that time. Some of the issues to consider would be the condition of the existing wiring, plumbing and framing, which can only be determined once the linings outer claddings are removed.

As experienced renovation specialists, we understand how to deal with these issues most efficiently and cost-effectively possible. Our quotes will clearly identify any uncertainties. When we present you with our proposal, we will highlight all issues and the potential implications as well as the options for dealing with them. It is a reality that we could uncover further issues during the actual construction period. Once again, we will liaise with you to explain and present you with options and cost implications. As a company it is our policy for you to sign off on any variation before we act. This is done to ensure you feel comfortable and are well informed before we proceed.

It is standard practice for professional builders to ask for a deposit, but only once a contract has been signed and never for the full contract value in advance.
All invoices presented to you should mirror:

• What has been agreed upon in the contract
• Variations approved by you
• Represent the work that has been completed.

This way, you’re investing your money in something you can actually touch and see. Final payment is generally requested after practical completion and the final inspection.

There are two schools of thought to follow here.

1. If you are renovating to sell and get a good return on your investment, you should talk to real estate agents to get a feel for the market and to help you determine how much, and where you should spend money. Typically, an area of focus would be on a cheaper bathroom and kitchen renovation and a coat of paint. [Quotes and] work done by a professional builder will help you maximize your returns on the investment.
2. If you want to renovate to improve the quality lifestyle and living conditions of your family while increasing the value of your home, it is a different matter. You will be renovating to future proof your home while you enjoy the neighbourhood and its many advantages. There are many things to consider here, and it would be best to talk to a professional builder to explain and guide you through all the options to make sure you achieve your hopes and dreams for your home.

Yes, definitely. It is standard, and you should allow for it in your budget. You will have to notify your insurance company (House Insurance) about the forthcoming renovation. The insurance company will require that you inform them about the renovation before work starts, allowing them to make the necessary adjustments to your policy.

We have a very comprehensive commercial insurance policy, which includes Contract Works and Public Liability.

If you are thinking of building or doing renovation work on your home, you will have to check if the proposed work is classified as Restricted Building Work (RBW). If it is you will need an LBP to do the work.

The chances are that you will need both an LBP to do the design work (Architect or Draftsman), and an LBP (Professional Builder) to supervise, or carry out the work, if the required building or renovation work is considered as critical to the integrity of your home, and will have a direct impact on the safety of the occupants. This will include things such as ensuring that your home stays structurally sound and watertight.

Here is a short list of work that would typically be regarded as RBW. Any structural building work, including new buildings, additions, alterations, re-piling and demolitions, removing or moving load-bearing, or brace, walls.

• Sheds with a floor area of greater than 10 square meters.
• Relocating a building
• Plumbing and drainage excluding maintenance work to existing plumbing and drainage
• Heating (fireplaces), ventilation and air conditioning systems
• Siteworks for a building:
• Retaining walls higher than 1.5 metres.
• Retaining walls with a building or driveway near the top.
• Fences taller than 2.4 metres and any swimming pool fence.
• Swimming pools.
• Decks more than 1.5 metres from ground level.

Always confirm if your project is RBW and needs consent, by checking with the your local council, an architect/draftsman, or a professional builder.