Renovating your home or building a new house can be an extremely stressful process. Due to the significant slow-down in new residential developments , contractors are now willing to drop their profit margins, and as a result, construction prices have actually fallen in real terms. Therefore getting your renovations over with now is a great option. The process should not actually be as stressful as it usually ends up being for the majority of home owners. The biggest mistake people make is assuming they can do it themselves. Appointing the right professionals is crucial to a successful and stress-free process. This vital first step will prevent so many potential problems. Most of the "horror stories" we hear are as a direct result of this first step being ignored.

Unless you are a professional developer, it is recommended that you appoint a project manager to run the project on your behalf. This is very different from simply selecting a builder. A builder manages the various sub-contractors like electricians, plumbers and carpenters, whereas the project manager not only manages the builder, but he also controls his interaction with other professionals, such as the engineer and architect.

Don’t be misled into imagining that you will save money by doing it yourself: it doesn't work! Sure, building or renovation projects are not rocket science, but at the same time, the required experience and tough-minded judgement calls that need to be made are often too much the average novice developer.

How many times have you heard someone complain about a builder who only completed half the job, did shoddy work that needed to be redone, took a big deposit and never really got stuck into the job? References, references, references are an essential prerequisite. Before you appoint anyone, make sure that you hear from someone whom you trust (not an arbitrary third party) that the contractor is reliable.

Developing property is a complicated business, especially in the Western Cape. Durr Estates has been trading in the Cape since 1969 and in that time we have seen all kinds of building problems. There is no doubt that appointing a project manager with the right credentials is the best option for home owners every time. We have an open door policy: if you are considering a project and are looking for some free advice, send us an e-mail: Julian@durrestates.com or call us on 021 433 1752