When faced with the need for apartment renovations, many people don’t know where to start. Should they choose a company or a private contractor? Where can they find an honest professional who won’t abandon the job halfway, disappear, get drunk, or botch the work, but instead will complete everything quickly, efficiently, and affordably? What are the common ways builders might overcharge or deceive clients? And is it true that hiring a company, although more expensive, comes with a guarantee?
Online portals and newspapers are teeming with ads: quality work, affordable prices, fast service for all construction and renovation needs. Maria, who responded to one such ad, ended up crying through the entire New Year’s celebration. She had hired an elderly man to lay tiles in her bathroom, and he dragged the job out until December 31st. Preoccupied with preparing salads and decorating the Christmas tree, Maria only gave the work a cursory glance and paid the worker, who already reeked of alcohol, his due. It was only several hours later that she noticed some of the tiles were laid very unevenly.
«My parents also had to deal with dishonest workers: they hired someone through an ad, he took the money for the job and disappeared halfway through the work. They had to find another worker and, of course, lost money,» Svetlana recounts.
Therefore, knowledgeable individuals recommend seeking advice from acquaintances: someone who has recently done renovations, has experience, and can provide recommendations. However, even in this scenario, unfortunately, no guarantees are given.
When Connections Tie Your Hands
«When I was renovating my bedroom, I looked for workers through acquaintances,» begins Lyubov. «There were complaints about the painter recommended by my friends. And the electrician, suggested by another acquaintance, didn’t do everything properly either—he forgot to connect the phase, and we had to remove the newly applied wallpaper, make the connection, and then reapply it.»
In the end, says Lyubov, the painter fixed some things but left others undone. As for the electrician, he simply turned off his phone. Neither of them refunded any portion of the money for such «work.»
«I realized that if you decide to renovate, it’s better not to skimp and to hire a professional company,» concludes Lyubov. «It will be less stressful. Independent contractors often do a shoddy job, rushing from one project to another, which sometimes results in poor quality work. Recommendations are certainly important, but if they come from close acquaintances, it becomes awkward to ask for your money back later. I didn’t tell my friends about this incident; relationships are more valuable.»
A lot of shoddy work and lack of professionalism
Elena, who is currently renovating with her husband, mentions that they too have been disappointed by private contractors: they either promise and don’t show up, or they fail to competently complete the promised work, hoping that the client is an amateur and won’t notice.
We needed to cut the riser, but the person we had arranged with didn’t show up at the agreed time, and their phone was turned off. We ended up sitting around for half the day waiting. Moreover, some of the people who advertise their services on Okidoki often don’t know how to do anything — they’re just looking for any kind of job and expect to get paid for nothing.
When you start asking pertinent questions, you realize that the person has no understanding of the matter at all, — describes Elena. — And if you manage to find a master with golden hands, usually someone of the old school, who loves what they do, will come, fix, repair, attach, and won’t overcharge you — that’s a blessing.
Her mother recently renovated her home, too, she adds. She encountered a significant amount of carelessness and unprofessionalism, even among established companies.
«She wanted a designer bedroom and approached a company for the job. The company drew up a plan: two nightstands, a bed between them, and a wardrobe by the wall. They even created special frames on the walls to accentuate the nightstands. However, when the furniture was ordered and installation began, it turned out that the company had miscalculated the dimensions, and the second nightstand simply didn’t fit. To their credit, the company apologized, offered her a discount, and gifted her a bedspread and pillows that matched the bedroom’s style. But if an independent contractor had made such a mistake, good luck finding them afterward,» Elena concludes.
Surveyed company representatives unanimously say: it’s better to turn to them because, if anything goes wrong, they will come and fix it. Independent contractors, on the other hand, are a gamble, and you never know how things will end up.
Two on paper, three in mind
Why does this happen? Maxim, a builder with many years of experience, agreed to unveil some of the trade secrets and explain why there are so many dissatisfied private clients.
«The blame lies both with the dishonesty of some workers and the desire to make a quick buck without much effort. Even if a lot of dissatisfied customers are left in your wake, there are still plenty of others waiting in line. However, there are also situations where the client themselves is incompetent and doesn’t understand that complications can arise during renovations,» notes the builder.
He gives an example: he was wallpapering for a man. Initially, they agreed that he would simply remove the old wallpaper and put new ones on top. «But when I removed them, it turned out that the wall needed preparation—plastering, puttying, cleaning, and only then wallpapering. I called the client and showed him that here, here, and here needed fixing. There are reasonable people who have read at least something about renovation on the internet before starting and understand this,» the builder adds.
Maxim emphasizes that, for some reason, many people think that when they agree on wallpapering, the price also includes wall preparation.
However, this is incorrect—it is a different task that is compensated separately.
«In short, the client was reluctant to spend money and said, ‘Just use what we have!’ Well, the customer is always right. He’d have to live with it later. So, I did the job. When he saw the result, he got upset. But I had warned him. And then this kind of person will write comments and tell acquaintances that freelancers do shoddy work,» Maxim explains.
He emphasizes that, of course, there are instances when he makes exceptions: for example, when elderly individuals approach him wanting to refresh their apartments, which haven’t been renovated in a long time.
«I removed the wallpaper for an elderly lady, and the plaster came off. Since you can’t charge much from a senior, I ended up plastering, puttying, and cleaning the walls, essentially doing three times the work for the same price. Even though we had only agreed on wallpapering,» the builder explains.
Секреты обмана
Maxim recommends discussing all the details with the contractor before starting the work to avoid any misunderstandings later. «From the specifics of what, where, and in what quantity, everything should be written down and sketched out,» advises the experienced builder.
Another common issue that arises is waste disposal. When arranging for services, clients often assume that this is included in the price. No one wants to order a container because it’s expensive. And then there are bags, bags, bags that need to be taken somewhere. Therefore, this aspect also needs to be discussed.
Do builders deceive clients about materials? «Some do, some don’t,» says Maxim. «Many private contractors work for companies. This allows them to use tools, as not everyone can afford to spend 500-600 euros on a good drill. And on job sites, builders might take advantage of materials, which they then sell to the client. Those with a conscience will sell for cheaper, those without will sell at retail prices. The truly unscrupulous will charge even more than retail prices. Therefore, my advice to clients is: either buy the materials yourself based on a list provided by the worker, or go shopping with them.»
He notes that giving money to a worker for materials is risky, and after several instances where people took the money and disappeared, people have become wiser. Currently, their practice at job sites is that no payment is made for materials until they are purchased and delivered. «Especially when it comes to finishing materials like parquet, paint, or wallpaper, you should never trust the worker to make the selection.»
«They might say, ‘Buy me green paint,’ but the worker could end up purchasing the wrong shade. The worker doesn’t really care what color the walls are painted, so the client needs to oversee every detail meticulously,» advises the builder.
«The best option is someone recommended by trustworthy acquaintances. If that’s not possible, then go with a company. However, even from a company, you might get someone with poor skills who could botch the job so badly that it leaves you horrified. Finding someone through ads is a gamble and a shot in the dark. Always remember that independent contractors don’t offer guarantees, whereas companies do. If it turns out that something needs to be redone after an independent contractor’s work, it becomes a lottery—does the person have a conscience or not? They might just say, ‘I don’t know you!’ or take the money and disappear. You can sign contracts, threaten with lawsuits or the police, but it’s a fact that you can’t influence unscrupulous individuals,» notes Maxim.
Keep an eye out
Evgeny, who works at a construction company, agrees that the best option is a private contractor who has done work for good acquaintances and left them satisfied. «My partner and I have no shortage of orders, and we don’t even advertise online,» he says. «We raised our prices over the past year, but there’s still a long line of clients waiting.»
Eugene has been doing side jobs for a long time, and over the years, he has encountered all sorts of situations: times when he was promised payment but didn’t receive it, because in informal agreements, both parties are at risk, and times when he managed to earn a bit more than he expected.
«A conscientious worker will never have their phone turned off; they build their reputation over years, and if necessary, they’ll come back to finish or redo the job,» emphasizes the builder. «We had a case where my partner and I decided to take on a side job (we were building a house) and tackle a task we hadn’t done before—laying electrical wiring. We completed everything according to the project drawn up by the technical supervisor. But then it turned out the client had another project, and we had to dig everything up and redo it. There’s no point talking about profit here—we spent a lot of time for which we weren’t paid, but we didn’t suffer significant losses either.»
Eugene doesn’t hide the fact that seasoned workers know the stores where you can get a good deal on materials. And if you’re planning to do some renovations and don’t want to be ripped off, it’s better to buy the materials yourself. Many stores offer loyalty cards that provide a 5-10% discount, and in some cases, there are promotions where building materials are up to 20% cheaper!
«But if you’ve been given a list of what and how much to buy, keep in mind that it’s impossible to calculate everything with absolute precision. It’s better to purchase 30% more of electrical cables, pipes, and other materials to avoid rushing to the store at the most critical moment,» advises the expert. He adds that seasoned workers usually have their own stock of materials, which shields them from such issues.
He advises those who lack knowledge in construction and renovation, but still face the need for refurbishment, to either hire a competent professional or educate themselves through online resources.
«It should be noted that even a knowledgeable person might turn a blind eye to certain flaws and receive a few bills from the workers for doing so. Therefore, it’s not wise to trust anyone completely. If you have the determination and desire to oversee everything down to the smallest details, no one will deceive you. If the client is gullible, that’s just fate,» the builder smiles.
Jack of all trades
On online construction forums, it is mentioned that for a cosmetic renovation of a typical two-room apartment, be prepared to spend between 3500-4000 euros. This estimate excludes furniture and appliances—covering only labor and materials. However, the higher your expectations, the higher the cost.
«Seven years ago, I renovated a standard two-room apartment in Lasnamäe. There were many offers, the most expensive at that time being 10,000 euros. I chose it and did not regret it: the team did everything with high quality from start to finish. Of course, furniture and appliances were not included in the price,» Igor recounts.
But if funds are really tight and you need to renovate your home, there’s another option. Elena and Yuri, a married couple, did the renovations entirely on their own.
«In 1995, we moved to a new apartment. It was in terrible condition: the floors were warped, the walls were covered in graffiti, one window was completely shattered, and you could remove the lock from the door with your bare hands. I cleaned it three times with cleaning agents, from the ceiling to the floors—it was that filthy. Living there with two small children was impossible. The toilet and bathroom were in the worst state, so we started with them,» Elena recounts. She adds that her husband had never done major renovations before, and they were learning everything from scratch.
«Nowadays, many solutions are sold ready-made, but back then we had to buy the ingredients and mix everything ourselves. Naturally, there were mistakes. We started with the bathroom, where the area was small, and we honed our skills there. Then, in the larger bathroom, we applied our experience and did things a bit differently. First, we completed all the rough work—plastering, puttying, and cleaning. Then, we slowly painted the walls, doors, and ceilings,» describes Elena. She explains that at the time, neither time nor extra funds were readily available, so doing it themselves turned out to be the best option. Of course, they also read relevant books on the subject of renovation. And they usually did everything together. Gradually, they managed to bring the entire apartment into good condition.
«Back in the day, finding the right materials was a challenge, but now the stores are overflowing with options, making it hard to choose. Each of these buckets usually has instructions on what to apply and when. And putting up wallpaper yourself isn’t difficult either, as long as the walls are smooth. In fact, you’d have to go out of your way to mess up wallpapering these days — the materials are so good, the tools are specialized, and there’s a wealth of information available,» concludes Elena.
Source: www.mke.ee
