I’m often asked what kind of things are really important to have in your car and available on a building site when getting started with doing renovations. So I’ve put together this list for you to consider.
BY ANA STANKOVIC
It’s by no means an exclusive list of what you should have available and this list is likely to grow with the more renovations you do, but it’s a good place to start and at the beginning of each renovation you should try and have as many of these things available as possible.
Essential Items
There are a number of items that are essential to have handy, both for yourself and also for the people that work for you. Having these will help to keep everything running smoothly, keep things efficient, assist with any mishaps and stop things and people getting from getting damaged.
With this first article, let me start with items you should have in your car.
Items for your Car
As a renovator, there are a number of items I always keep in my car and you should consider having a bag handy with these things as well.
- Measuring tape: so you’re able to take any measurements at inspections or your renovations, but also so you have it handy when visiting suppliers or checking out second hand items.
- Plastic bags: to carry anything you purchase, fill with rubbish or even just to group all related items such as for painting so you’re not wasting time looking for different things around the site.
- Old towels: which can be used to wrap around items you’re picking up to cushion them, to wipe spillages, but also to put on your car seats if you get dirt, plaster, paint, etc on your clothes while on a building site.
- Water bottle: not only do you need to keep yourself hydrated, but there may also be times when water needs to be turned off on site and it’s handy to have some in stock for the little jobs.
- Toilet paper: no explanation needed here. Toilet paper is always handy and not just for when you need to use the facilities – you can also use it to wipe things or wrap delicate items.
- First aid kit: always essential to have in your car and on site.
- Ropes or tie downs: handy for when you’re picking up materials that need to be tied to your roof racks or a trailer.
- Couple of tarps: it’s always handy to have tarps to protect any tools or materials from the elements, but also to use as drop sheets.
- Notepad and pen with all your renovation notes: always carry these with you so you can write down any companies and tradesman details, any specials you see around, measurements, technical issues and solutions and any advice you’re given.
- Couple of copies of your floor plan: it’s always handy to have copies of your floor plans as you never know when you might speak to a supplier or a tradesman and it’s much easier to show them visually what you need, or you may even want to remind yourself of what you’re doing and need to get.
- Copies of your renovation costing template: you’ve already entered in your material and labour costs in here, so it’s handy to have it nearby when you go and check out different shops as you’ll be able to straight away know how many of any item you need and compare prices easily to check if you can get it cheaper anywhere else.
- Change of clothes: you never know when you might need it. Weather changes frequently and it’s good to have warmer and cooler clothes to change into. Plus mishaps do happen; you don’t want to be left in wet or stained clothes all day because you didn’ t have some handy.
Ana Stankovic is well known as one of Australia’s leading renovating-for-profit specialists and is regularly featured in prominent industry publications, expos and continually educates investors. To find out more or sign up for Ana’s free newsletter, visit www.RenovateAndProfit.com.
