Building and Renovating!
Over the last 35 years of my building career, I have found three of the most common factors that are attributed to both building and renovating.
Stress, extended completion times and budget overruns.
Careful planning and doing your homework prior to commencing any project can mean the difference between success or failure. No matter how small or large any of my projects are, I make it my priority to spend as much time as I need to feel comfortable providing my clients with the final price for their project, after all, my lively hood depends on it. 
This should be no different to anyone contemplating becoming an owner builder for their own project or just even trying a little DIY for yourself around your home.

                                                       DIY (Do I or Don't I)
While DIY can be very satisfying for those would like to complete a project around their home, it can also be a nightmare, leaving some wishing that they had never had the idea in the first place.


Before starting your new DIY project ask yourself this one question. Why am I doing this?
Is it for self satisfaction or to save money. Maybe it is both. Whatever the reason it is important to think about wether or not the project that you choose is not to far out of your own ability or comfort zone.

Let's be realistic, not everyone can do everything. I have been a licensed builder for over 38 years and still I have to decide on which projects I can handle and which ones that are to large or to complicated. DIY should not be about just trying to prove a point, but it should be a way of gaining some self satisfaction in doing something that you haven't done before.
And yes, saving money.

Here is a prime example of one of my projects that really got me thinking, should I do this or not? While construction is the way that I make my living, and this project was not really that difficult, I still needed to consider how long it would take and much would I really make after I had given my client the quote because I had not done this kind of project before.
DIY is no different. Proper planning and accepting good advice from tradesmen and other professionals can be the difference between a total disaster and a job well done.