long distance reno?

Hi Waydo77,

I recently (last Sunday morning) finished a cosmetic renovation interstate. We settled on the property on the Wednesday afternoon and I wanted the property available for potential tenants to view by the following Monday. The renovation included the installation of curtains and blinds throughout, pruning and gardening of the front and back, laying of new flooring in the kitchen and dining room, some painting, new cabinet and shower screen in the bathroom, repainting of laundry trough and a thorough cleaning, plus other little jobs.

We tacked it this way,

firstly worked out what we could do and what we couldn't do. By this I mean if you need electrical work done and you don't have an electrical license, then you will have to organise a tradie to attend. So in my case I needed a shower screen installed. It only took a few phone calls during the settlement period to get three quotes and arrange for a detailed measure. I then organised for the install to occur while we were there.

Then I organised a trailer, and all the tools and materials I would need. As per fingerscrossed's post above, we worked with Spotlight, Lincraft, Bunnings, ie companies that carry the same stock across Australia. My wife made the curtains prior to settlement, and we took them there after settlement.

Then, its a matter of setting your timeline. I took annual leave from my job and planned my travel times and how much time each job would take. We drove up on the day of settlement, took the keys and the very first thing I did was to remove the existing shower screen. I knew I would have to repair some tiles and regrout before the showerscreen guy arrived so time management is essential.

We then hung curtains, so my wife could make final alterations on site, I laid floating floors, the new cabinet, repaired hinges, lights and all the little things. The shower screen guy arrived on time and I was able to inspect his work before paying him.

I wanted to take this approach so that I could check his work because a lot of the time, I find some tradies can be less than satisfactory and if I am dealing with an unknown tradie interstate then I want to be there to check everything is fine. Please don't think I am knocking tradies as I have met and worked with some exceptional ones, they are the ones to stay in contact with!!

We came pretty close to getting everything done, but there were a couple of little jobs that didn't get finished but these were scheduled to be done after we left.

Here are some considerations:

consider where are you staying (in the property?). If not, how will you secure your trailer and tools?

Look at the weather forecast. Will it affect your time line? I can answer this, yes it will (paint drying, wet grass etc)

Research everything you can before you go. Ie, what are the local recycling centre hour of operations and costs, or are you going to use a rubbish skip?

How far is the local hardware store? We spent each night finalising a shopping list for the next morning of what we needed. I was at Bunnings each morning as they opened to minimise multiple trips.

You need to be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. We pretty much worked 15 to 16 hours days for the three and a half days but the results were worth it. Take before and after photos too, as its very rewarding. The last thing we did was organise for the agent to have photography attend to update photos on the website, to maximise your efforts.

Our property has just been listed for rent and looks a lot better. It is very very feasible to do an interstate 'cosmetic' reno, just needs some though.

Best of luck!!!

hey waydo77

interesting concept and i am also concidering doing a reno long distance, although mayb something to consider is that there are some strange laws associated with queensland and renos, who can and cant manage trades ect. there is an active topic on it at the moment called something like “qld reno” in the main section of the forum.

Hi waydo77,

I've done a Trans-Tasman reno and although it eventually got over the line, not being on site to do the small stuff and to project manage meant the whole thing did take longer than it should have.  It was also my first reno.  Now that I have some trusted contacts and some lessons under my belt,  the second one will probably seem easy in comparison.  

It was cosmetics only — installed carpets, refurbished the bathroom, had a front fence installed.  I also had the kitchen moved, so needed plumbing and electrical there. 

I did visit first however — a quick two day site trip.  I met up with my real estate property manager and a building inspector on site.  I took lots of photos and measurements.  I then spent two days driving around town talking to people — spoke to the carpet guys, who put me into contact with the builder he himself trusted and used.  The builder then organised a plumber and electrician.

If you plan to rent it out, get a property manager on board early — mine offered to go and inspect the property.  Get photos and/or video.  Get Skype or Facetime — have them call you when they are doing a walk through. 

I did consider hiring a man-on-the-ground to project manage just to act as go between and for the run-about jobs.  I didn't end up doing it due to budget constraints, but considering the rent that I missed out on because of the time off the market, it would have been an investment.  I'm still learning.  A local person to be a central point of call would have sped things up.

The key is quality contacts who will point you in the direction of reputable tradies.  You may be able to get recommendations from forums like this, but local knowledge is invaluable.  I'm not saying that it can't be done without ever visiting, but from my experience a quick site inspection to meet-and-greet and get some locals onside was a great investment; at least for the first reno. 

Cheers.