Renovating your bathroom is an exciting time for homeowners, whether it’s your first renovation or not. In fact, regardless of whether you’re renovating to turn a profit, or simply to make your bathroom better suit your lifestyle, it’s one of the most rewarding projects you can undertake. But, needless to say, it can also be an incredibly stressful process. From hiring a contractor, to choosing a bathroom design, to working out your budget, there are a lot of decisions to be made, and getting them right is critical to achieving the result you’re hoping for. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible, and asking your bathroom renovation specialist a few key questions can save you a lot of hassle (and money!) during your bathroom renovation. Here are some of the first questions you should ask your renovator before beginning work on your bathroom renovation.
How long will my renovations take?
This might sound like an obvious question to ask your bathroom renovation specialist, but it can be remarkably easy to overlook. Once you’ve got down to designing your bathroom renovation, setting a budget and agreeing upon a start date, you’ll need to know just how long the project is going to take in order to understand how disruptive it will be to your daily life. Being able to plan your life around your renovations requires knowing just how long your bathroom might be out of action for. Of course, it can be hard for any bathroom renovation specialist to give you an exact date for the completion of their works, as there are many factors that contribute to this, but they should be able to give you an estimate of the amount of time they’ll need.
How long have you been a bathroom renovation specialist?
When undertaking any project in your home, whether it be having the hot water system repaired, or renovating your bathroom, you want to ensure that you’re working with a professional. Furthermore, you want to make sure that the renovation specialist you’re working with has the appropriate amount of experience to give you confidence in their abilities. An experienced bathroom renovation specialist will have the necessary skills to not only pull of your renovation successfully, but be skilled in understanding and translating the needs of their clients into the end result.
Hiring a professional renovator who is experienced with bathrooms in particular means that you will have the peace of mind that they’re well-versed in the intricacies of bathroom renovating. Renovating a bathroom is unlike renovating any other area of the home, and hiring a professional bathroom renovation specialist will mean that they know more about the challenges that bathrooms present than renovators who specialise in other areas.
Do you have the appropriate licenses for the state you’re working in?
Like any contractor, whether it be a builder, a plumber or a bathroom renovation specialist (who is both of these things!), they will be required to be registered with the appropriate licenses for the state they’re working in, and belong to an industry body like the QBCC (Queensland Building and Construction Commission). This license not only ensures that they’re a qualified professional, but also that they’re bound by industry regulations and standards. Asking your renovation specialists about their licensing sends a clear message that you’re concerned with their industry standard compliance, and will also assist you should any insurance claims arise in the future. Having had your works completed by a non-licensed professional, on the other hand, can lead to a lot of hassle should anything go wrong with your bathroom in the future.
What will happen in the event of an issue?
Of course, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t encounter any issues during the bathroom renovation process. Unfortunately, unforeseen problems can arise. These might range from unexpected structural problems with your bathroom that are only realised after works have begun, to appliances being faulty after installation. Many of these can occur due to no fault by your bathroom renovation specialist, but it’s important to know that they’re there to support you if any issues do arise. Asking your renovator what will happen in the event of an issue will help you to prepare for any possible complications and know what to do in that instance. Whether it be helping you to resolve warranty issues with fittings or appliances, or just offering you some timely advice, your bathroom renovation specialist is likely to have come across a broad range of issues before, and be able to point you in the right direction, should any of them occur during or after your renovation.
Do you have any references?
Before deciding to take on a bathroom renovation specialist, you’ll want to know that their previous customers have been satisfied with their work. If they’ve been in the business for long enough, they should have a range of references from their happy clients. It’s important to look for references that speak to the issues you’re most concerned about, which might include:
- Whether the renovation was completed on time and on budget
- Whether the client was happy with the customer service they received
- Whether any issues that arose were dealt with professionally and satisfactorily
- Whether the client would be happy to recommend your bathroom renovation specialist to other potential clients
- Whether the team they worked with were professional and respectful of their home
Being able to view references that affirm these questions will give you peace of mind that your bathroom renovation specialists has a track record of customer satisfaction and excellent results.
If you’re looking to have your own bathroom renovated, contact bathroom renovation specialist Intrend Bathrooms and Interiors today, and find out how we can build your dream bathroom.
