Renovating is a great idea for adding liveability and aesthetic appeal to your home while increasing its’ value. When planning a renovation, choosing the right design, materials and contractor should be your priority.

A home improvement project is a major investment that you should leave to a professional builder specialising in renovations.

Finding the right renovations builder requires careful scrutiny of a contractor’s background. You’ll need to check on the following:

Samples of work: An established contractor will be able to show you examples of his work, including any ongoing project. His portfolio will give you an idea of the kind of work he is capable of doing.

Experience: A contractor’s training and length of experience will help you determine if he can complete your home project successfully.

Client references: A contractor’s past can help predict the future of your project. You’ll want to know how he completed his past projects and whether he was easy to work with. A professional will readily provide references including their contact details which you can use to verify work examples given, as well as check for construction problems that they may have encountered.

Proper insurance: Always ask a contractor to show proof of insurance and the kind of coverage. You’ll want to know if he has Contractors All Risks, Public Liability and Workers Compensation coverage which will keep you free from liability for any property damage and worker injury that may occur on your property.

Important issues

Before starting any construction project, you’ll need to be clear about some important matters:

Permissions and Building approvals:

Home improvement projects generally require prior permission of the local council. Ensure that your builder will obtain all of these for you, and ask to see the final approval in writing

Written quotation:

Before hiring a contractor, always ask for a written quotation which spells out the following:

Construction details: such as grade, size, quantity and type of materials, parts and accessories needed for the work.

Payment schedule: This should specify the amount of deposit, progress claims and the due date of the balance after completion.

Project drawings: You’ll need to see the 2-dimensional drawings of the proposed renovations before proceeding with the work to ensure that your contractor’s plans match the design that you approved for the signing of the contract . This will also be the basis of the contractor’s scope of work.

Other details that you should discuss with your contractor are parking and deliveries, services and utility repairs (if damaged), cleanup of rubbish and excess materials, and methods and regularity of communication.

You’ll want to start your search for a contractor by asking friends and relatives for referrals and set up a site inspection to meet them face to face. You can also get some names of contractors from local licensing authorities and trade associations such as the Housing Industry Association, or display centres such as The Home Ideas Centre in Brisbane.

Renovation Builder selection should be a careful process if you want to achieve your dream without hassles and have a stunning but practical addition to your home and lifestyle

A patio readily adds style and aesthetic value to your home. It is highly functional and is great for entertaining and dining al fresco, working out, relaxing with family and friends, letting children play outdoors or providing continuity between your house and garden. While you may be able to plan and design your own dream patio, qualified and experienced patio designer/builders ensure that your plans are executed perfectly.

What a specialist patio builder can do for you:

• Assess the area for suitability, and design an area to suit your house and lifestyle
• Choose appropriate materials for the framing, floor and roof to suit the design and your tastes
• Prepare plans and submit a building application to ensure that all of your work is council approved
• Supply materials and construct the structure/s and surrounding associated works in accordance with  the plans approved by you
• Supply and install associated features like lighting, heating, blinds and screens

Advantages of Hiring a specialist Patio Builder:

Aside from taking care of designing your patio and supplying and installing the works, hiring a specialist patio builder can be a cost effective decision if you consider the following:

• Experienced designers/builders have a wide range of creative designs that you can choose from to suit your individual interest, style and purpose.
• They know the pros and cons of all types of materials and can readily advise you on the appropriate type for your needs.
• They are familiar with the prices of materials  and can choose these to suit your budget
• They know the problems and pitfalls that can occur and are able to avoid or deal with them
• They have the tools and experience to build a beautiful patio in considerably less time that it would take you to build your own.

Choosing a specialist patio designer/builder

If you decide to hire a professional builder for your patio, choose only one who:

• is fully trained
• holds required licenses
• is adequately insured
• can provide work references that you can verify
• can give you a complete quotation of the costs of materials, installation, labour and other expenses before commencing work
• can obtain the necessary council permissions and submit required plans to comply with regulations and

A patio is a worthwhile investment for your home only if it is designed and constructed properly. Before thinking about building one on your own, consider how much time you can spare for procuring materials and installing them because without experience, progress will be very slow. Patio designer/builders ensure that work is professionally done, saves time and minimizes errors in construction which ultimately results in cost savings for you.