Think you know all you need to know about doing up a property? This week property developer Jamie Hornby shares with us a few pearls of wisdom.
Expect to spend a lot of time finding the right property to do up. Ideally you want a property that’s on the market for less than its value. If you look long and hard enough you will
find it.If you are arranging a mortgage, be aware that some brokers will charge a brokerage fee and some don’t – find one that doesn’t!
Look around for builders advertising in shop windows and posting leaflets through the door. Whenever I've been reccomended builders they've always been three times the price!
Do your research. Google any building problems so you know as much or more than your builders. Though don’t let on too much, as your builder will rope you into doing all sorts of things to help him out!
Make sure your builders have Public Liability Insurance. If they don’t, go elsewhere.
When planning a schedule you need realistic expectations from the outset. The problem is no one will have realistic expectations the first time round. Be realistic by breaking down the jobs and how much time they’ll take as much as possible.
If you’re living in the property you’ll be less time-pressured.
Remember, if one job gets delayed, it can have repercussions on other jobs and can knock out the whole schedule.
Know the difference between a stud partition wall and a load-bearing wall. Knock the wall – a hollow sound means it’s a stud wall and can be knocked down.
If you are replacing a wall, make it a really solid one. This can be done by using rockwall, yellow rockfibres, hardboard and two layers of plasterboard.
Plasterboard walls are very easy to rip down. Victorian lathe and plasterboard walls are a lot more difficult and create a lot more mess!
Visit www.jamiehornby.com
