# Forum Contacts & Links Estimating & Quoting  renovate with a single builder? or manage multiple contractors yourself?

## k81

hi all, 
recently came across this forum when doing some research, and thought I'd ask some questions. 
I just bought a new home, coming from apartment living for most of my life. The place is quite liveable, but there are some improvements I'd like to make. 
e.g.  Update kitchen benchtop & sinkKnock down or shorten a kitchen wall which would block a fridge door (if using a french door/side by side style fridge)Update stairs to have glass railings - the 'railings' are currently just gyprockConvert a storage area to become part of hallwaypossibly remove a poolput in an outdoor kitchenupdate wardrobe in roomsrenovate laundry roomreflooring about half the house 
I'm not expecting an estimate for the above, since I don't have pictures yet for the detail.  
DIY isn't realy part of the equation for me, as I'm not very handy.  
Do I contact a designers/builder to do the lot as a single project? 
Or just contact individual companies and coordinate the whole thing myself? Would I save much this way? I assume a builder would have contacts and tradie discounts for contracts, materials etc. 
Keen to know the crowd's opinion on the best approach for approaching a project like the above?

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## Marc

If you are going to contract all that work, the only question is who is going to do it and for how much. 
With a secondary question being where are you going to live whilst the job is in progress. 
Contracting someone to do each job separately or all at once has it's advantages and disadvantages. Logically you would think that one builder doing the lot would be more cost effective than doing each job separately, but when it comes to quotes, logic takes a holiday.  
So sit back and ask for quotes and then tell us what you got.

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## k81

Thanks for the input Marc. 
The work would need to happen while we are living in it. Having to move out for a couple of days shouldn't be an issue though. 
It'll be a while before I start collecting quotes, but would keep this updated in the future

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## OBBob

You may also be willing to pay a premium to only need to go through the quote process once and for it all to be out the way in an efficient, parallel manner.

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## pharmaboy2

I'd split it into building work and joinery work. 
you really need to try and find a builder that can be relied upon.  Word of mouth is king. 
we are possibly in the biggest residential renovation boom ever, so someone who is available is likely going to be not so good at getting things finished.   There are expensive builders and terrible builders, and ones that move from one job to the next.  Chances are it will be a job for next year.

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## Marc

Never mind renovation boom, try new homes building boom. Every second ex rural area is up for development in Sydney. i don't know where they find the trade to build all those houses ... and they invariably whack a 40k/h sign with the big fat lie ... ROAD WORK ... no road work, just someone abusing his permit and leaving the sign 24/7 and no road work to be seen ... 
Anyway, back to K ... if you are going to live in whilst all that is happening, try to split the job a bit. You can get the demolition of the pool out of the way. Demolition people tend to work fast.
Glass railing, try your local glazier.
Laundry and kitchen, plenty of kitchen companies around that can knock that over quick.

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## k81

Ref boom and lack of good builders  - its what the RE agent mentioned as well. That I'll be hard pressed to find someone good and cheap as there is so much work around. 
I'll go with the splitting jobs approach for now, as Marc suggested. Should be able to build a pool of tradesman that I can rely on eventually too.

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