The global pandemic did bring entire industries to a complete halt; however, it did not stop home owners from trying to renovate their homes as they try to add value to their property or make it more comfortable. Surveys reveal that Australians spend approximately $60,000 on their properties for renovations and some owners get more done by spending much less simply by hiring equipment such as mini excavators and hydraulic attachments to do renovations which lower the cost of renovations tremendously.
About 65 % of all renovations that home-owners indulge in involve outdoor makeovers which include landscaping, concept gardens, backyard pools and building sheds among others. Indoor renovations generally revolve around bringing down walls to make living space larger, or building walls and adding living space indoors. All of the above were traditionally deemed as labour intensive projects as the standard approach is to hire a contractor who brings in about a dozen labourers (some skilled at specific tasks and some just for muscle), that bring up the cost of the project considerably.
Although skilled workmen such as carpenters, bricklayers, electrician and plumbers are necessary for such projects, the majority of the raw labour that carry the highest cost (due to high wages) could be reduced by about 70% easily just by hiring a mini excavator that costs about $200 a day. For most projects, an excavator is required for only two days at the most (at the beginning of the project and towards the end phase of the project for clearing).
Most homeowners lean more towards improving their outdoor area’s aesthetics and they usually start this off on the wrong foot more often than not, which is among the primary reasons behind blown budgets and negative project outcomes. Most set-off with a single idea such as building a pool in the backyard and just initiate the project without considering how the rest of the backyard was going to look like.
This results in them moving towards the next project which would revolve around everything ‘around the newly built pool’ which is unnecessary and a waste of money if the aesthetics around the pool was factored in before the hole for the pool was being dug.
Therefore, it is always crucial for homeowners to visualise the end project result of the entire property before they start of any project. Listing down tools, heavy equipment, project materials required is the first step of the project planning followed by sequencing the work (what comes first and what comes next and last) which should be done with the contractor. Also being considerate about the inconvenience that the project might cause to neighbour (noise, dust and vibration), it is important to finish projects quickly and as quietly as possible (again here, a mini excavator hire would resolve these issues). Homeowners would be able to save even more money.
The use of heavy equipment such as an excavator may sound ‘extravagant’ for some, but the truth is, they are not and excavators are able to perform a wide variety of tasks that range from digging holes, drilling holes, moving earth, moving rocks, removing tree roots, trenching and much more very quickly and effectively at a fraction of the cost compared to hiring workers to do such heavy work which does not only take much longer, but also would eventually cost more.
The best methods towards approaching home improvement projects is to keep the renovation on track according to budget and if the homeowners are able to operate an excavator on their own, the savings would be more than just significant.