\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUpdated:<\/p>
18.10.2024<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Share on:<\/h4><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\nI<\/span>n this series, we follow a Christchurch couple in their bid to turn their 1960\u2019s fixer-upper, from a retro rental to a modern home.<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you\u2019ve ever considered buying an older home but have lacked the confidence to tackle something totally outdated, this guide is for you. It\u2019s a whole lot of fun, and not as hard (or anywhere near as risky) as you might imagine.<\/p>\n
In the previous chapter<\/a>, Jeremy and Alana shared how they approached the task of finding a builder; the questions they asked and what they were looking for.<\/p>\nWith their builder found, and pricing agreed; it\u2019s time to go.<\/p>\n
Day one was a key day for their renovation. They\u2019d plan with their builder, all the trades they\u2019d need, and identify these tradespeoples\u2019 various roles in the renovation. Mark (their builder), needed the house electrically isolated, so it was safe to begin work. Then it was straight into demolishing the old in preparation for the new.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>So how did day one start, what were the priorities?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>With their builder contracted, and the high-level plan settled on, it was time to get into the nitty-gritty. Work would start at 7:30am, and begin with a short planning session to determine priorities and goals.<\/p>\n<\/div>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
We met Mark and Tim, the builders on-site at 7:30am. We had arranged for our Electrician (for which a future chapter will be dedicated to)\u00a0 to meet us that morning too.<\/p>\n
The builders couldn\u2019t begin until the house was made safe electrically. This involved isolating the electricity supply at the main board and installing a \u201csite power box\u201d, with sockets on it; so everyone still had power for tools etc.<\/p>\n
The other priority was detailing a list of jobs required to be done by other trades. This would form the job descriptions we would use to post the jobs on Builderscrack, finding the other tradespeople we needed.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-2-Final-Windows-Measure-1497-PH-min.jpg\" "\\"Day-2-Final-Windows-Measure-1497-PH-min\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>What did your plan look like at the end of the initial session?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>After spending some time discussing the finer details of the project, Jeremy and Alana had a long list of jobs, and the respective trades that these jobs would be done by. Future chapters will cover each trade and the jobs they were responsible for in more detail.<\/p>\n<\/div>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
Even if our story wasn\u2019t going to be featured on Builderscrack, we\u2019d have used it.<\/p>\n
\n- We could put in all the details about our job, and have builders express interest. (rather than ringing around)<\/li>\n
- By going through each builder\u2019s history and feedback, we got a good idea of other people\u2019s experiences with them. (rather than the hit and miss of navigating multiple websites)<\/li>\n
- We controlled who we then communicated with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
We carefully crafted our job post to appeal to the kind of builder we wanted to make contact with. We viewed our job as a kind of \u2018ad\u2019, to attract the best builders for our job \u2013 and made sure to include as much detail as we knew about what needed to be done:<\/p>\n
We have recently purchased an original 1960\u2019s three bedroom brick home. We would like to completely refresh the house inside and out. This includes the following building work:<\/em><\/p>\n\n- Remove all existing timber single glazing and replaWe required the services of an additional 9 trades, in addition to the builder. Each trade would need to be on-site on a certain day, and most work would be dependent on other work being done first. For example, painting couldn\u2019t start before plastering was finished.<\/em><\/em>\n<\/div>\n
For most renovations the builder would take care of this, and would use their own \u201csubbies\u201d, or sub-contractors, arranging with them to be on-site when needed.<\/p>\n
We were doing this job ourselves, so we needed to work closely with Mark the builder, to make sure everything went smoothly.<\/p>\n
We went over every aspect of the renovation, and all of the details. We made a basic timeline, and pencilled in dates for when each trade should be on-site and ready to do their bit. From our previous research, we were already pretty well informed of what trades would do what \u2013 but finalising this with Mark was essential. We had a solid job list, with all the trades that were needed.<\/p>\n
Here is the list of trades and jobs they would do, loosely in order of when required.<\/p>\n
Glazier<\/h4>\n\n- Measure all existing window and door openings<\/li>\n
- Manufacture new aluminium joinery with double glazing<\/li>\n
- Manufacture two new triple stacker sliding doors and a front entrance door<\/li>\n
- Deliver all new glazing to site<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Electrician<\/h4>\n\n- Make safe the entire house for building work to commence<\/li>\n
- Install site power supply for tradespeople to use while power is off<\/li>\n
- Assist us with lighting choices and install selected lights and switches<\/li>\n
- Install and wire additional wall sockets<\/li>\n
- Generally check existing wiring, sockets, switches and switchboard, and bring up to code where needed<\/li>\n
- Wire up and install new oven, hobs, extractor fan and hot water cylinder<\/li>\n
- Any other electrical work as required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Brickie<\/h4>\n\n- Brick over two existing external doorways. These have been framed up by our builder. This brickwork will need to be toothed into the existing brickwork to create a seamless pattern<\/li>\n
- We will replace two large windows with triple stacker sliding doors. The doors will extend down to floor level, another foot or so lower than the original windows. The surplus bricks will be removed. We need angled brick sills re-built for the bottom of the doors.<\/li>\n
- The main entrance door was not possible to install without removing a column of bricks from the wall next to it. These will need to be rebuilt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Plumber<\/h4>\n\n- Check over existing plumbing and replace galv pipework and other outdated\/substandard pipework if\/where it exists<\/li>\n
- Replace existing low-pressure hot water cylinder with mains pressure cylinder. This will also involve moving the location of the cylinder and installing all necessary fittings, valves and pipework.<\/li>\n
- Remove existing overflow from roof<\/li>\n
- Remove and replace existing plumbing\/drainage to kitchen and laundry sinks<\/li>\n
- Replace two seals in the shower and bath mixers \u2013 they are currently dripping<\/li>\n
- Install new faucets and mixers in kitchen and laundry<\/li>\n
- Any other plumbing work as required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Plasterer<\/h4>\n\n- Plaster extensive re-gibbing in living area including several wall and ceiling junctions<\/li>\n
- Skim-coat several square meters of existing gib<\/li>\n
- Skim some existing damage to wallpapered-walls<\/li>\n
- Work should be finished to a paintable standard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Painter<\/h4>\n\n- Paint the entire inside of the home and office area. Approximately 180 sqm in total<\/li>\n
- Provide list of paint required for us to supply<\/li>\n
- Fill gaps and nail holes<\/li>\n
- Prime timber surrounds of new double-glazing joinery<\/li>\n
- As part of this project we need several meters of spouting, a garage door, sliding door and entrance door to garage primed and painted black to match new house joinery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Kitchen Maker & Installer<\/h4>\n\n- Experienced kitchen designer and maker to consult with us and design a beautiful new kitchen for our home<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tiler<\/h4>\n\n- Tile approximately 1.5sqm of wall to act as a kitchen splashback<\/li>\n
- The tiles are white 150\u00d775 \u201cmini subway\u201d tiles which we will supply<\/li>\n
- There are two wall sockets in the area to be tiled<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Flooring<\/h4>\n\n- Consult, source and install approx 30 sqm of vinyl plank and 80sqm of carpet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Post a job<\/span><\/a>
Let\u2019s get your project sorted.<\/h2>
I<\/span>n this series, we follow a Christchurch couple in their bid to turn their 1960\u2019s fixer-upper, from a retro rental to a modern home.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever considered buying an older home but have lacked the confidence to tackle something totally outdated, this guide is for you. It\u2019s a whole lot of fun, and not as hard (or anywhere near as risky) as you might imagine.<\/p>\n In the previous chapter<\/a>, Jeremy and Alana shared how they approached the task of finding a builder; the questions they asked and what they were looking for.<\/p>\n With their builder found, and pricing agreed; it\u2019s time to go.<\/p>\n Day one was a key day for their renovation. They\u2019d plan with their builder, all the trades they\u2019d need, and identify these tradespeoples\u2019 various roles in the renovation. Mark (their builder), needed the house electrically isolated, so it was safe to begin work. Then it was straight into demolishing the old in preparation for the new.<\/p>\n<\/div> With their builder contracted, and the high-level plan settled on, it was time to get into the nitty-gritty. Work would start at 7:30am, and begin with a short planning session to determine priorities and goals.<\/p>\n<\/div> We met Mark and Tim, the builders on-site at 7:30am. We had arranged for our Electrician (for which a future chapter will be dedicated to)\u00a0 to meet us that morning too.<\/p>\n The builders couldn\u2019t begin until the house was made safe electrically. This involved isolating the electricity supply at the main board and installing a \u201csite power box\u201d, with sockets on it; so everyone still had power for tools etc.<\/p>\n The other priority was detailing a list of jobs required to be done by other trades. This would form the job descriptions we would use to post the jobs on Builderscrack, finding the other tradespeople we needed.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div> After spending some time discussing the finer details of the project, Jeremy and Alana had a long list of jobs, and the respective trades that these jobs would be done by. Future chapters will cover each trade and the jobs they were responsible for in more detail.<\/p>\n<\/div> Even if our story wasn\u2019t going to be featured on Builderscrack, we\u2019d have used it.<\/p>\n We carefully crafted our job post to appeal to the kind of builder we wanted to make contact with. We viewed our job as a kind of \u2018ad\u2019, to attract the best builders for our job \u2013 and made sure to include as much detail as we knew about what needed to be done:<\/p>\n We have recently purchased an original 1960\u2019s three bedroom brick home. We would like to completely refresh the house inside and out. This includes the following building work:<\/em><\/p>\n For most renovations the builder would take care of this, and would use their own \u201csubbies\u201d, or sub-contractors, arranging with them to be on-site when needed.<\/p>\n We were doing this job ourselves, so we needed to work closely with Mark the builder, to make sure everything went smoothly.<\/p>\n We went over every aspect of the renovation, and all of the details. We made a basic timeline, and pencilled in dates for when each trade should be on-site and ready to do their bit. From our previous research, we were already pretty well informed of what trades would do what \u2013 but finalising this with Mark was essential. We had a solid job list, with all the trades that were needed.<\/p>\n Here is the list of trades and jobs they would do, loosely in order of when required.<\/p>\nSo how did day one start, what were the priorities?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>What did your plan look like at the end of the initial session?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
\n
\n
Glazier<\/h4>\n
\n
Electrician<\/h4>\n
\n
Brickie<\/h4>\n
\n
Plumber<\/h4>\n
\n
Plasterer<\/h4>\n
\n
Painter<\/h4>\n
\n
Kitchen Maker & Installer<\/h4>\n
\n
Tiler<\/h4>\n
\n
Flooring<\/h4>\n
\n
Let\u2019s get your project sorted.<\/h2>
![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1401-PH-min.jpg\" "\\"Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1401-PH-min\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Kitchen-Wall-Removal-1347-PH-min.jpg\" "\\"Kitchen-Wall-Removal-1347-PH-min\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1432-PH-min.jpg\" "\\"Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1432-PH-min\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1353-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1353-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
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<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1386-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1386-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1392-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1392-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1395-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day1-Demo-Day-Builder-Electrician-1395-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Kitchen-Wall-Removal-1338-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Kitchen-Wall-Removal-1338-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1459-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1459-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1420-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1420-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1429-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1429-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1437-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1437-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1450-PH-1000x667-min-320x202.jpg\" "\\"Day-1-Demo-End-of-Day-1450-PH-1000×667-min\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>