Restoring a Property can be very time consuming and expensive. Make sure that repairs and replacements are smartly done so that issues do not crop up again. Save money and time by fixing an issue permanently instead of doing patch works.
Hire a professional to execute them if you are not in a position to personally plan and monitor the works.
Record all the damages or weak links in the property
Recording helps to summarise damages, communicate and prioritise, and find effective solutions to save time and money.
- perform detailed inspections – every nook and corner
- take specific notes on each damage, brand of fixtures, sizes, orientation,
- take detailed photos
Checkout How to do a Detailed Inspection of your Property
Redesign for Future use cases
Take the opportunity to re-design by including all the important use cases of people who would live in the near future.
- having kitchen interior baskets for two dust bins, one for wet waste and one for dry, part of waste segregation
- having mild neutral colours for interiors and walls to easily maintain and maximise sunlight
- having less intrusive wood work to avoid injury and unintentional damage
- having storage spaces tailored to practical uses. Less use should mean you do away with it.
- having utility spaces to prevent excessive sunlight and accumulation of moisture as modern devices are less tolerant
- including dedicated spaces to make spaces less obtrusive and to store electrical and kitchen appliances when not in use
- saving space by having panels fixed to flat surfaces: tv to the wall, mirrors to wardrobes
- do away with outdated designs that accommodate nearly obsolete items such as books, cd players, cds, etc.
- including a closed shoe rack so people do not leave rubber and dust spots on the walls.
Choose the Right Vendors
Choose vendors whose work is seen and tested. However vendor is dependant on other factors that are not in his control. You should do the following to make sure that things do not go wrong.
- Vendors should source labour or technicians directly for effective communication and less intermediates.
- Technicians do not stay too far from your place and be able to source tools and materials easily.
- Technician should understand the problem and try to simplify the problem after considering dependancies.
- Good technicians always warn you when things may not work.
- Good technicians do not over commit on deadlines and costs
- Good vendors give a clear break up of what will be done, what will not be done and specifications.
Schedule repairs and sequence independent activities
Schedule the repairs for days your apartment association allows. Incorporate buffer time and uncertainties. Be aware of uncertainties due to labour issues. You can never guess it right on Indian Labour issues.
Give very clear and specific Instructions
This is India and we should not expect super professionals for the money we generally pay. Give clear instructions, in writing, to vendors on very important things particularly on keys handling, furniture, electronic goods, bathroom usage, delicate fittings, waste material disposal etc. Ask them to repeat what they understood.
Break up tasks and share agreed tasks before starting work
Always break up tasks and give it in writing finally. Sequence them as required. Re-iterate those before committing work to them. You should include specific tasks, practical timelines, key handling, material specifications, usage of right tools etc.
Schedule payment for each work
Never pay advance for work that starts after some other work. Pay advance by the sequence of the work break up. Pay advance for materials in full. Pay advance for services separately. Pay as work completes, as agreed, at different stages.
Two types of Inspections you need to do
1- Pre completion – much more important than the latter
When 50-70 pc of the work is completed, pay an inspection or seek photos of the status. Give feedback or corrective instructions to get the final finish. You can’t change much after work ”completes”.
2- Post completion Inspection
You only get to verify the work and probably plan the next sequence of works or dependancies.
Record each individual repairs
Keep a record of the final work for future use. Record should include before, after, cost, specifications, who did what, dates. We have always found record taking very useful.
