Winter historically prompts a strong interest in indoor renovations. From a data perspective, Builderscrack sees bathroom and kitchen renovations lift by up to 20 per cent in winter compared to summer.

The winter months of 2021 saw a particularly strong demand for kitchen and bathroom renovations as property owners sought to invest in their rapidly appreciating assets. The main issues they faced were finding available tradespeople to do the work, and small delays in sourcing the materials needed to complete the job.

This year brings a more acute set of challenges. There’s no doubt we’re seeing early indications of trade availability improving, but on the other hand there are still considerable lead times in sourcing basic materials required to complete renovation jobs. The main driver of this is the sheer volume of building currently underway in New Zealand. Last year saw a 25 per cent increase in building consents issued over 2020. With 90 per cent of building products either wholly or partially made up of imported materials, global shipping constraints are tightly coupled with building material shortages.

For example, the wait for GIB Aqualine – one of the basic building blocks for any kitchen or bathroom renovation – is currently about four months from order date at the time of writing.

If you are considering renovating this winter, it’s not quite business as usual. But there are ways to have it done on time, and on budget. While others are holding off, there is an opportunity to add a point of difference to your property. What’s required is a levelling up in project planning and management.

Tenancy Implications

Given the current climate, our general advice is: don’t expect to complete a bathroom or kitchen renovation within two months of beginning the process.

If your property is currently untenanted you’ll need to consider whether you’re prepared to leave it untenanted through to when renovations are complete. Alternatively, if you proceed with tenanting the property before renovating, be certain to engage your lawyer to draft appropriate clauses to enable the work to be done.

If your property is tenanted you’ll need to work through several considerations such as:

• Will the tenants be able to occupy the property while the renovations are undertaken?
• If not, who is responsible for finding and paying for alternative accommodation?
• How will the tenants’ belongings be kept safe?
• Who will pay for the power for the time the renovation is undertaken?
• When will the renovations be completed, and how long will they take?

This will typically require consultation with your lawyer and an agreement in writing to ensure compliance with tenancy law.

If purchasing a new rental, seek to push the settlement date out to when the renovations can begin, and ensure access to the property is possible to allow tradespeople to measure and plan.

At present the pace at which projects can be undertaken is more restricted by materials supply than tradesperson availability. This means the vision of having a bathroom or kitchen renovation project completed by early spring is reasonable at this stage.

By engaging a builder early on you can iron out every detail of your renovation and survey the materials and quantities required. Sub-trades can also be engaged, with rough ballparks around timing entered into diaries.

Use this opportunity to discuss materials availability and selection, and note their recommendations.

Alternative Products

The shortage of GIB is being hotly discussed in building circles. What we’re also hearing is discussion around alternative solutions. There are a multitude of wall linings which can be used instead of GIB. Examples include Magnum Board, Triboard TGV, Elephant Plasterboard, HardieGlaze, T&G timber panels, plywood and tiles.

Because bathrooms and kitchens aren’t typically large areas of the home, renovating them with alternative products is a way of expediting the project’s completion.

Keep in regular contact with your builder and run your ideas past them before purchasing, especially if consents are already underway. Some builders may be uncomfortable using a product they’re unfamiliar with. However, most will be happy to provide advice and feedback as you undertake your research.

Typically the job of purchasing materials would be one for your builder and sub-trades. Pre-Covid, most materials were available within a few weeks, if not immediately. Right now there is nothing more secure than having the materials for your job ready on-site. Although not always practical, allocating some garage space to storing building materials is your best bet at guaranteeing availability.

If you have the time, and are willing to pay a premium (or get lucky), you may be able to source some of the more hard to get materials off the likes of Trade Me or Facebook Marketplace.

Again, the key here is clear communication with your builder and suppliers. Historically, customers providing their own materials for building projects was not the done thing. At present, coupled with trades peoples’ time being at a premium, we’re seeing more clients get creative with sourcing products.

Time Window

Early on in the planning discuss in what time window your builder will be able to complete your project. With rental properties, especially when tenants are involved, it’s critical this time window is respected and this should be communicated.

You must have a written contract for any building work that costs more than $30,000. However, we advise a contract for any building work no matter how small. A common quote forms the most basic contract and should typically include the dates the work will be undertaken, the quoted price, payment terms, and any other conditions relevant to the job.

Discuss with your builder their openness to the inclusion of a late completion penalty. While this type of clause isn’t often used in residential New Zealand building contracts, it is something that is entering into discussions more often as clients seek more assurance around project timings. Expect to pay a small premium for this.

A carefully prepared plan gives the best chance of success; however, the trades space is highly dynamic, and renovation work can bring up the unexpected at the best of times. The more flexibility you can build into your plan the better, and extra contingency planning will pay dividends if the unexpected happens.

Accommodating and planning for your renovation to run longer by a week or two, and allowing for 20 per cent budget overshoot, is basic good practice. If either of these situations will put you in trouble, then it’s best you hold off until you’re in a position to accommodate these scenarios.

With that said there is no reason for a project to overshoot if you take the time to build a great relationship with your builder through clear and frequent communication; take responsibility for assisting with material sourcing; and if you carefully plan your project from start to finish.

Builderscrack connects you with local, verified and reviewed tradespeople who have space in their work diaries to complete anything from repairs to renovations. Post your job details at bc.nz