A lot of my clients ask me what kind of things are really important to have in your car and available on a building site when getting started with doing renovations. About a month ago I put together the first part of a list for you to consider and now I bring you the second part.
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 that 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.
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 there 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 second article, let me run you through the items you really should have on your building site.
Every building site should have the following items handy. I usually allocate either a room, garage or a cupboard (if there are any existing ones) to keep everything in, then everyone will always know where to look and find the different things.
- Gloves, dust masks, goggles, ear plugs – protective gear is a must!
- Pencils/marker, measuring tape, spirit level – these will become like your best friends and will get used daily. Especially with renovating older homes there’s every chance that walls will not be straight or plum and preparing electrical plans, plumbing plans, etc will all require detailed measurements.
- Stanley knife, hammer, screw drivers, extension cord, drill, scissors, gaffer tape, ropes, ladder, trolley: are part of your basic renovator tool kit that you always need to have handy on any site.
- Power tools: there are so many to choose from; the ones that you’ll need will all depend on which jobs you’re planning on doing yourself.
- Chains and locks: if your place can’t be locked up or sections of it are open for a number of days, make sure all tools are locked up and secured.
- Broom, dustpan and brush, buckets, plastic bags: it’s essential to keep your site clean to make it easier for your tradesman to do their job and keep things running smoothly and efficiently.
- Old towels and tarps: which can be used to cushion delicate items, protect tools and materials from the elements, as drop sheets and to wipe spillages.
- First aid kit: always essential to have handy.
- Toilet paper, water bottle and soap: no explanation needed here, these are always handy and needed.
- Copy of the schedule, floor plans, building plan, plumbing plan, electrical plan, weekly ‘to do’ list for each trade: you need to make it as easy as possible for each of your tradesman to know what they need to do, what’s happening before and after then, what the time limitations are and tracking of what has been done. It will also make it easier for you to be able to check exactly where things are at, what’s left to do, how on time/behind the project is running and if there are any issues.
- Change of clothes including t-shirts for warm weather and long sleeve tops for cold, caps, socks, shoes, pants, etc.
This list is likely to continue growing as you do more and more renovations, but it’s a good place to start. The more prepared you are and provide the right information and supplies for the people you want to work for you, the easier it will be for them to do their jobs well and efficiently, and for you to track the individual jobs and schedule and keep things running smoothly.
There’s no reason why your renovation should not be successful and profitable, but like every other aspect of renovating for profit such as sourcing profitable projects, you need to know how to analyse and compare them, perform renovation costing, accurately perform profitability analysis, negotiate your purchase, determine what changes are actually worth doing and what will add the most value etc. You need to prepare yourself and learn how to manage your renovation effectively.
Is there anything else that you think is essential to have handy when undertaking a renovation? Tell us about your experiences.
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.
