Bernadette and Stephen Janson provide an update on finding the right renovation trades for the Class Project. The team of fourteen investors are all participants in The School of Renovating’s Wonder Women Renovators program.
Despite the current lockdown in Sydney, we have our first inspection for the property we bought in New Lambden, Newcastle. The show must go on, so we’re doing the inspection remotely! This is a trial and error experience and smart renovators need to roll with the challenges.
Finding The Right Renovation Trades to Quote for the Project
This week I have been coordinating some builders to quote on the project. I could only get one to the site today, but I have a good feeling about him and the others will quote off-the-plan.
I’m hoping that things will work out with this builder – he’s young and he’s keen and he’s wanting repeat work, which in this environment is gold. ~Bernadette Janson
If we can get him to do the majority of the work on budget, the whole remote management will be so much easier.
I’ve got about three parts of the way through the project scopes – after this inspection, we can finalise them.
Legal Structures Organisation and Property Settlement
My Property Circles are finalising the legal documents with each of the Class Project partners’ details. Settlement is on the 16th of this month, June 2021, which is in two weeks’ time.
I’m hoping by the 16th we have our plan pretty well set in stone. There are always details that we don’t get done until the end, but I’m hoping we’ll have sorted the core part of the reno.
“Using the time before settlement wisely to obtain renovation trades’ quotes is really important. ~ Stephen Janson
Stephen suggests, with one quote to start with, we’ll request some further checking and testing to make sure it is a fair and reasonable price for what is being done. There is an advantage, particularly when managing projects remotely if you do have one builder looking after the majority of the work, it just makes it so much easier to manage. This can avoid the need to be run backward and forwards to try and keep an eye on the quality and the scope. Making sure the renovation trades work is being delivered as intended is important.
Getting Competitive Tendering Is An Important Skill For Renovators
An important part of the project scopes is to provide as much information as you can to the renovation trades to price the work. This ensures a more accurate price and avoids variations in the future if things change along the way.
When you get other quotes you can do an apples-to-apples comparison.
Maintaining a Positive Mindset Helps Project Success
Bernadette comments she has never really been one to buy into generalisations…
I’ve always believed that I could find a trade and, I have been able to, but I have never seen an environment as we have now with this pandemic.
“I’ve found myself going down into a hole, like starting to think, oh gosh, we’re never going to get anyone. And we’re never going to get anyone decent. And that was confirmed by the conversations I was having. So I just had a mindset reset session with Michelle Lewis, who is a mindset coach. (Also listen to podcast episode 67 – How to manage your mindset in challenging times)
“I really adjusted my thinking around that. I came out of that expecting to find the perfect person who has the capacity to do our project…
And that’s when the builder that we’ve got coming today popped up, so it worked!
Creating an Abundance With Renovation Trades
It’s interesting because when I was talking to Michelle, we were talking about creating abundance around trades. There is going to be the perfect person out there who’s going to be just in the perfect place for us and this project.
In reality, this happens all the time. And so, it’s quite easy to take on this mindset when you get clear. The most important thing is – you have to believe it.
Listen to the She Renovates Podcast Episode 7 on creating abundance with renovating
Be sure to check our last Class Project Update One, and more posts on the Class Project Blog…
