Refurb Red Flags: What You Need to Look Out for On Your Next Property Project (and How to Save Costs at The Same Time)
Problems that arise during a refurbishment are like a snowball rolling down a hill: if left unchecked, they gather momentum, growing larger and more costly until they become out of control—or end up costing a small fortune.
I’ve spent most of my life on construction sites, working on multi-million-pound projects. Over the past eight years, I’ve run my own construction firm, Carl Construction, working with investors and developers across the UK.
During this time, I have found that all investors typically want to know three things before they commit to buying a property in need of some work:
How much will the refurbishment cost?
How can they save money while doing the property up?
What ‘red flags’ do they need to look out for that can blow their costs through the roof?
In this article, I’ll cover each of these points, show you how to get an accurate quotation of what a refurbishment should cost you, and give you some suggestions on how to save money in the process.
To complete a refurb for the best price, you need to get things right from the start and spend the right money on the right professionals. Where people go wrong is when they rush into a project, and then try and find the cheapest trades around.
I’ve been to court six times on behalf of clients who have been stung by rogue builders. Trust me, this approach does not work!
The thing that will save you the most money is getting a bill of quantities created. A quantity surveyor can do this for you, or sometimes an architect or engineer.
I also recommend conducting an intrusive survey before starting any work. This will provide critical details like floor heights, the locations of existing services, and whether they need to be moved to achieve your desired interior finish. For extensions, knowing the ground condition is vital—it can make or break your project.
If you’re taking over a half-finished project, rip up carpets and remove plaster from the walls—you need to see what’s underneath. Hidden issues are often the costliest.
Only when you have this information will you know accurately how much the work will cost and be able to avoid any unexpected expenditures from biting you on the behind.
It’s always worthwhile getting at least three quotes from three different builders to get an idea of what the work should cost you.
However, if you give each builder a vague idea of what you want, they’ll all quote differently. What’s considered high spec to one company might be standard to another. To avoid comparing apples with pears, you need to be specific. This is why you need a scope of works.
A scope of works is essentially a detailed list of what work needs to be done to a property. You can get one of these from an architect or quantity surveyor, and they’re worth their weight in gold.
If every person quoting on a project is quoting to the exact same spec, then you know that the price differentiations are down to the way they cost things, and not because they’ve misunderstood what you need. This is the only way to get an accurate quote.
For instance, I once worked with a client who had a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stage 4 drawing—the most detailed plan you can have. Despite this, quotes from construction companies varied from £1 million to £1.6 million. The detailed scope of works allowed us to compare apples with apples, ultimately saving a significant amount of money.
Without going back to brick, it’s hard to know what problems you will find. That being said, there are a few ‘red flags’ that are easy to spot on a viewing. Red flags that, if spotted, can save you a lot of money, and a painful headache!
Firstly, if a property was constructed before 1983, then you should do an asbestos survey. These can cost anywhere between £350-£500, or sometimes a little more, depending on the size of the house.
This is a nominal fee when you realise that asbestos removal can cost you thousands!
Also, keep an eye out for subsidence (the ground under your property sinking). Telltale signs of this are a sloped floor, doors or windows sticking or not closing properly, and cracks in the interior or exterior of the property.
Keep an eye out for cracks. They’re not just a sign of subsidence, they’re an indicator of all kinds of structural issues.
Japanese knotweed made its way to England in 1850, being brought over on a plane by Philip von Siebold. The dangers of this plant weren’t known at the time, and botany was a popular interest amongst the upper classes.
The problem with knotweed is that it’s a powerful plant. You can take a dead stem, which has no roots, and bury it under five meters of concrete. Given enough time, that dead stem will grow, breaking through the concrete above it.
If knotweed is found on your site, it must be removed immediately. The process involves digging at least five meters down and five meters in all directions from the plant’s root, removing all the contaminated soil, and having it professionally cleaned.
Needless to say, this is not a cheap process. However, ignoring knotweed is far too risky; left unchecked, it can cause severe structural damage.
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Hopefully, you found this article useful, and it has given you a few pointers on how you can save money and avoid nasty surprises on your next property project.
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Email: carl@carlconstruction.co.uk
