In some cases, the careful renovation of period details is a painstaking task, so you need to ensure that your contractor has the skills and experience to identify areas that need attention and can restore and renovate with the right materials and the best approach.

Timescale and Budget

Depending on the scale of your renovation, you will need to set realistic timescales an budgets. It’s important that you choose a contractor who is able to work within your restrictions. If possible, talk to these experts before you set a budget, to make sure that you don’t create an impossible deadline or have to skimp on materials because you can’t afford the right ones. Getting this part of your renovation plan right is crucial to its success.

Materials

Whether your renovation is internal or external, you will need a contractor who can identify which materials need attention and who can source the appropriate materials for the renovations process. There are many different types of brick and stonework, and roof slates, mortar and roofline products will all need to be correctly identified so that the contractors can source the right materials to replace or renew the existing ones. When it comes to the property’s interior, plasterwork, woodwork and other decorative features will also need to be carefully prepared and renewed. Ask you building contractor about their experience with a range of renovation materials.

Conservation

A great deal of renovation work is carried out on or within Listed properties. These properties have their own set of requirements to meet when it comes to altering or adding anything to the building. If you are renovating a Listed building, you should check that your contractor is used to working within Listing guidelines for Grade II, Grade II* and Grade I listed properties, and with conservation officers in your area.

Craftsmanship

Good renovation is a skill in itself, allowing the contractor to restore rotten or damaged construction to its original state. In many cases, particularly when it comes to decorative work, this requires a high level of craftsmanship, which means that you may need to look for specialist contractors. If your renovation project is a substantial one, you will probably need to hire a range of contractors, each working on their specialist area. Look for craftsmen with a good reputation; don’t just pick the cheapest - they may not be able to provide you with the standard of work you require.

Communication

Unless your renovation project is particularly complex, you will probably be managing the work yourself. This means that you need to have good lines of communication between you and your contractors. Bear this in mind when you are choosing a renovation contractor to work with. You will need to feel comfortable about talking to them as soon as you spot a problem or potential difficulty and you need to be sure that they will also be able to communicate with you and with any other contractors on your site.

The first step in your project is to hire the right builder. Use www.findalocal-builder.co.uk to get a list of builders in your area, and then look at our other advice articles to see how to make sure you choose the best builder for you.