A renovation carries a risk a new build does not. You are working with a house that already exists and cannot be fully inspected until you open it up. These five mistakes account for most of the renovation budgets we see go wrong in Broome.
One. No contingency
A renovation budget with no contingency is a wish rather than a plan. What is behind the wall is unknown until the wall is open, and in an older Broome home that could be termite damage, previous cyclone repairs, or wiring that no longer complies.
Set the contingency at the start and treat it as spent. If you finish without needing it, that is a good outcome, not a saving you were counting on.
Two. Assuming the existing structure is sound
Three things turn up regularly in older Broome homes. Termite history, repairs done after previous cyclone seasons, and work completed without approval by an earlier owner. Any of the three changes the scope once it is found, and the third one can mean bringing existing work up to current code before you are allowed to build on top of it.
Get the house properly inspected before you finalise the design, not after demolition starts.
Three. Underestimating the disruption
People plan the finished result and not the middle. Ask your builder directly which weeks you will not have a usable kitchen or bathroom, and plan around those weeks rather than hoping it works out. If you are staying in the house, that conversation needs to happen before the contract is signed.
Four. No clear specification
Almost every renovation dispute traces back to something one party assumed was included. A proper renovation specification runs 20 to 30 pages or more and itemises what is being kept, what is being removed, and what is being replaced. If your quote is two or three pages with a single bottom line figure, the gaps will be filled in later as variations.
Watch provisional allowances closely on renovations in particular, because there are usually more of them than on a new build.
Five. Choosing a builder who mainly does new builds
Renovation is a different discipline. Working around an existing structure, staging the work so the house stays liveable, and dealing with what turns up once things are open all require experience that a new build portfolio does not demonstrate.
We handle major renovations and kitchen renovations as their own workstreams rather than fitting them around new build schedules. Our own cabinet shop matters more on a renovation than anywhere else, because a kitchen made in Broome removes the eight week lead time you would face ordering from Perth, and it can be made to fit a wall that is not quite square rather than the other way around.
One thing to insist on
Ask how the work will be checked as it goes. We run internal test points through a renovation with a supervisor on our own staff, dozens of check points and photographic documentation at each one. On a renovation that record matters even more than on a new build, because a lot of what you pay for gets covered up again.
We renovate throughout Bilingurr, Cable Beach, Djugun, Minyirr and Old Broome. Call 0483 961 437.
For the full picture on costs, timelines, contracts and how to check a builder, read Building or Renovating in Broome, The Complete Guide.
