Renovation - by self or company? Renovation, self, company

kaimui22

Hi everyone,

We're making offers on a place in Richmond and if the offer is agreed upon and every subject is removed, we'll be completing the sale on May 1st. At this new place, we want to change the carpet  in the living and dining room to laminate, paint the walls, change the carpet in the rooms and the stairs..etc etc..

should we do all these things ourselves? Or is it easier to hire a construction company and help us design with colours? Please note, the wall in the living room/ dining room is high ceiling (17')...

we are also looking to get some windows replaced and other stuff done...

is it easier to hire a contractor and do it? If so, do you have any suggestions of a good renovation/design company?

fibbi

Congrats to the new house owner!
I have done painting myself and I can say it's pretty straight forward but time/energy consuming. Carpet or hardwood, it's not that easy...just order from the store and they will send someone to do it. Also, you may not have the right tools. For windows etc...I guess it's better to find some professional to do...

jackmeister

maybe you should just get everything done by a contractor.. saves you a lot of time and trouble

shutterbug

I renovated myself, did all the things you mentioned plus more...I had a couple more guys to help out but I ran out of time after 2 weeks....things are still not done!

Painting is very straight forward, anyone can do it.  Laminate floor require some skills to do a nice job.  The last row and door jams and stuff are the most difficult to do.  Don't forget the baseboards, it takes time too!  Stairs is another time consuming thing.  If you have round stairs...that's gonna be a killer to do.  Removing the carpets is a lot of work since you also need to remove every staple in in the subfloor!

[ 本帖最後由 shutterbug 於 2008-4-3 11:38 編輯 ]

Ultraman

Many people can do the above things themselves easily, doesn't mean you (with your family) are able to do the same. No body knows better than yourself, regarding for how knowledgeable and skillful and artistic, as well as how much time you can spend on all the above renovation within a time frame ga wor! Of course, buy the needed materials and DIY save quite a bit of labor la. But resulting stress and tiredness and of course proud and self satisfaction lor! Anyway, how can we decide it for you ar?

Blue

for painting i would say its ok to DIY..
but for flooring, i'd leave it to the pro's..
ur floor may not be "flat" enough and its difficult to do the closet door corner..
and the stairs, i would nv DIY..

kaimui22

I think painting the rooms would be fine...but what about the 17 foot slanted ceiling?? ha...I can't imagine myself tackling that

so..let's say I've decided to hire a contractor/designer...does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

Blue

i think u probly dun need a designer unless ur doing some kinda big work and make ur place really grand.

if u just need to get the wall painted and do the flooring, and nth involves "water & electricity", i think most ppl out there r fine. but dont look for the cheapest ones cuz i know as a fact that some just paint w/ 1 layer and leave., and some will try to scam some more $ off u later on..= =

my place got renovated 3 times over the last 2 yrs. first time the main floor. second time, just the penthouse, n now just finish the basement. the first time, my mom got scammed, but the 2nd & 3 rd are fine. if u want, pm me n i can look up the 2nd & 3rd  for u.

kaimui22

thank you blue...I'll PM you for the info.

but..paint job...i can't decide on what colours to paint each area! I don't want all the walls to be the same colour..I am looking for some contrast in each room...maybe I should just get some decorating/renovation magazines and get the info

fibbi

For idea, can also go to hgtv.ca
Lot of design tip/info.

Painting a 17" wall is no fun...need a "strong arm" to hold the stick and ladder. Roller can be heavy after dipping all the paint.