Look at the estimate and mentally add half.Why do renovations always go beyond the estimated budget? How to avoid outright fraud? We interviewed experts and found out the most common fraud schemes The spontaneity and unpredictability of Russian renovations have become proverbs and sayings. The price per square meter has long been measured not only in money, but also in nerve cells. Neighbors pass on the phone numbers of good people to each other, only to shrug their shoulders later: how can you recommend such people? We suspect workers of all mortal sins at once - they "pay" us by failing to meet deadlines and quality. To save your money, nerves and human attitude towards the people who work for you, you need to know what you should really be wary of and what to control.
1. Estimates
Judge by the result, not by the promise.There is a crisis and intense competition on the market, and therefore it is not worth focusing on the approximate price per meter written on the website or announced after a cursory inspection of the scope of work. In most cases, an estimate is written so that the client accepts it, and not so that he understands what awaits him. Details are revealed already during the work, when it is not so easy to change the team and contractor.
Anton Elistratov, design expertinteriors: - Do not trust the average price per meter, it will be difficult for you to track what will actually be included in it. Then you will definitely be "divorced" into additional work. Ask to describe everything in stages, find out all the details: what stage and what work it involves. Discuss the price for each and the deadlines. Discuss your requirements - where you need very high-quality work, and where you can save money and you will be satisfied with the average result. For example, you need to align the walls, but in one of the rooms a significant part will go under a built-in closet - ideal accuracy is not needed there, accordingly, less material may be needed. And so on.
Mikhail Egiyan, architect:— If the price for the work is very affordable, this is already a reason to be wary. Most often, this means that people are planning to make money on something else. One of the most common methods is to use cheaper rough materials than planned. Even at the stage of acquaintance, insist that the estimate indicate all the materials that will be used, with brands and prices, and their volume. Then, in case of doubt, it will be easier for you to insist that you are right. During the renovation process, it is difficult for a non-professional to distinguish one type of plaster, brick or concrete from another, especially since many well-known and good manufacturers have “budget” lines designed for sale in construction markets, and the invoice or receipt can say anything. Such a substitution can greatly affect the quality of the work. People who are faced with construction for the first time, as a rule, do not understand this. Therefore, mainly those who are doing their second or third renovation come to me. They understand that the price, listed for all types of work with deadlines and necessary materials, will be as close as possible to the final price. And it is much more difficult to go beyond such an estimate. torard.ru
2. Rough work
Materials are the main “pain point”"owner-foreman" relationships. It is important to understand that most contractors and foremen necessarily have some personal relationships with suppliers and sellers, which means there is scope for various types of fraud. If the volume of purchases is quite large, then the benefit for both parties can amount to significant amounts.
Mito Melitonyan, architect:— I had a case when I was invited to a construction site as an independent technical consultant, and I took measurements in “weak spots” quite carefully. When I noticed a discrepancy with the project, I took the time to take control measurements on several floors in different places of the building. It turned out that the thickness of the interfloor slabs was 230 mm instead of 250, as was laid down in the project. Outwardly, it was not noticeable, but I noticed that the thickness of the slab was suspiciously small in those places where ventilation holes were made along the entire height of the building. In total, it turned out that the contractor did not add 4,000 m3 of concrete to the slabs, which significantly affected the load-bearing capacity of the structures. You can imagine the volume of theft yourself. melitonyan.com
There are so many things to do to renovate an ordinary apartment,Of course, you won't make any money. But there are options here too: from harmless discounts for wholesale deliveries to acquaintances who will punch out a check for any amount. Matvey, a foreman from Moldova: - Rough materials are about a third of our earnings. It's best if the owner trusts you with the purchase. Most people only go with us for materials for the first time. You come to a large store, look at the price, say that you know people who have the same thing, say, 1,000 rubles cheaper. You go where you need to, buy it at a good price. The owner is satisfied and no longer interferes with your work. Then you buy everything yourself. The main thing is not to be impudent, then everything will be fine.
You need to check especially carefullyspecialists who manage several objects at once. They have the ability to write out a purchase for one object and deliver it to three. Anton Elistratov, interior design expert: - The worst thing in this case is if instead of purchasing new material, you are brought unused leftovers from previous repairs at old objects. Check the production date and expiration date - it is written on the packaging. Otherwise, you may get caked plaster or paint that froze in the warehouse over the winter. And this will seriously affect the result.
3. Hidden works
Each of the repair stages must be completedcarefully and personally check. This is especially true for everything that is “sewn up”, “poured” and laid in the floor, walls and ceiling. Solving problems that may arise later will cost much more. Mito Melitonyan, architect: - For example, the project includes one category and cross-section of wires, but in fact another wire is laid, and it can only be measured with a special device, checking the resistance of the wiring. This is calculated “in one go”, the main thing is to know what you are looking for. Wires must be laid in a corrugated pipe, but it happens that the contractor “forgets” to do this. The same applies to waterproofing, soundproofing, reinforcement and everything else that is immediately filled with concrete after laying, hidden behind drywall, and no one ever sees it again. melitonyan.com
Mikhail Egiyan, architect:— Do not skimp on your own and carefully check your workers during such work. Warm floors that go under the tiles, pipes that are difficult or impossible to reach must be of high quality, wires — exactly the brand and in the quantity that you ordered, and laid out by a competent specialist exactly as required by the technology. Otherwise, you will have to tear up half the room to fix the wiring. In order to save money, cheap contractors are often hired to do certain jobs. This is also a subject for discussion at the very beginning of the acquaintance: are there specialists in all areas of work, are they competent enough to do what is planned in your design project. torard.ru Do not be lazy and do not hesitate to empirically check waterproofing, pressure testing, pipe joints and laying of warm floors. For newly built partitions and brought out angles, there are protractors and rules. This is a simple tool that any consultant at a hardware store will teach you how to use.
4. Finishing
We take finishing much more seriouslymore attentively, so there are significantly fewer cases of abuse of trust here. There are many more examples of ordinary incompetence. For outright fraud, we sometimes give reasons ourselves. Andrey, a foreman from the Moscow region: - Of course, you shouldn't say that you can't do something if it's not electrics - you'll be left without clients. The most common case is when I don't have the right specialist at hand, and the owner needs it urgently, and he doesn't want to wait for my person to be free. Then I urgently look for one who will do it quickly and cheaply. And then we'll see. Sometimes it happens that a tiler glues wallpaper or lays floorboards according to the instructions for the material. The result is appropriate... Well, I know of another case, it didn't happen to me, but in the neighborhood. The guys replaced the client's old, but very good German plumbing, which began to leak, with new, assembled in China. The repair was very economical, in a small apartment. It would have been wise not to change anything: any plumber from the housing office would have fixed this toilet in half an hour. Of course, they took the German one for themselves. They later said that she herself suggested it because it was making noise all the time. She decided that it was broken.
"I can, boss!" — the most common answer of a guest from the near abroad to any professional question. In practice, of course, this is far from true. Therefore, when ordering a rare or expensive finishing material, find out from the seller whether there are instructions for workers, whether there are any demonstration master classes. If the technology is really complicated, think about not taking risks and inviting specialists from the company.
When hiring a team from a neighboring country, keep in mindI mean another not very common, but possible option. It happens that after taking an advance payment from you, people go home, leaving you without repairs and without money. In most such cases, contacting the police will not give you anything, even if you have an official contract signed. If you are planning serious construction with a large volume of work, if you have doubts or suspicions that you cannot prove - think about an independent examination.
Mito Melitonyan, architect:— The customer needs to have an independent person who can supervise and control the construction process if he does not have the time or desire to do it himself. It is more difficult to negotiate with an independent controller if he has a certain financial motivation, and the presence of such a person, if not save money, then at least save money and allow you to get the highest quality product, fully fit for use. melitonyan.com
So, what to do to protect yourself from fraud:
