Day One of the Thirty-Day Renovation Process
I. Time Preparation:
Generally, you should start preparing for your renovation about 2 months before the actual work begins. Initial preparations include the following aspects:
1. Search online for home decoration images to determine the style you want.
2. Find a suitable decoration company, discuss your renovation plan with the designer, set your budget, and sign a construction contract. (Click to view Beijing's home decoration contract)
3. Visit building material markets: mainly to select the materials you need, some of which need to be pre-ordered, such as tiles, which often require a deposit from consumers. Ceramic tiles are generally priced between 100-200 RMB. You can try to negotiate this price down with the seller or agree on a refundable deposit to prevent unnecessary losses.
II. Material Preparation:
1. Notebook and pen: These are especially important when visiting building material markets. Whether it’s recording renovation knowledge, product prices, vendor contact information, home design, or expenses during the renovation period, everything should be carefully noted down for reference. Ideally, you should record your daily renovation progress and expenses, which will help control your budget.
III. Financial Preparation:
If your renovation budget is 50,000 RMB, you'll likely find that by the end, your actual expenses have risen to 60,000-70,000 RMB. Therefore, it's suggested to prepare more than your initial budget at the start. Additionally, transportation costs, phone bills, and dining expenses will increase significantly during the renovation process, so it's wise to be prepared for these additional costs.
IV. Renovation Knowledge Preparation:
1. Study carefully online: In the internet age, information is abundant, and finding knowledge in any field is simple and convenient.
Applicable stage: 2-month preparation phase before renovation.
2. Don't hesitate to ask questions: Ask online users, experts, and vendors. No matter what doubts you have about the renovation, seize every opportunity to ask people with practical experience. This will undoubtedly benefit you greatly.
Applicable stage: 1-month preparation phase before renovation.
Day Two
How to Choose a Decoration Company?
I. Investigate the Qualifications of the Decoration Company:
Choose a company with relevant licenses and certificates issued by the appropriate departments. Besides checking the business license, ensure the company has a formal office location and can provide qualified invoices, which are all factors you should carefully consider.
II. Check the Office Environment:
If a decoration company cannot design its own office environment well, you might as well not consider such a company. A good decoration company pays attention to details in various aspects.
III. Check Hardware Facilities:
Computers, scanners, printers, etc., reflect a company's strength. Some fly-by-night companies set up tables at neighborhood entrances and start working. Such decoration companies are often unreliable.
IV. Investigate Construction Sites:
After reviewing numerous pictures online, you likely have a certain concept of the style you desire. Visiting model rooms can give you a concrete idea of the final effect. However, the most crucial point is that the site you visit should be one where the decoration company has not yet completed the work. This way, you can evaluate their construction quality and management level from multiple aspects. A good construction site should have the following characteristics:
1. Cleanliness: Although it's impossible to keep a place spotless while work is being done, orderly arranged materials and timely cleared garbage truly reflect the workers' qualities. Skilled workers are often well-trained.
2. Quality:
* Feel the wood paint with your hand; a good quality painting job should feel smooth and fine.
* Tap the large core boards on-site; those with a crisp sound indicate good quality.
V. Review Design and Budget Information:
If you're satisfied with the above points, you can begin evaluating the company's design and budget. This is the most concerning aspect for general consumers. What design and budget information should a qualified decoration company provide?
(1) Design Drawings:
The detail of the drawings reflects the company's seriousness. If a design can produce high-quality hand-drawn home effect diagrams, don't hesitate, his skill level should be good. Over-reliance on computer designs often indicates lower skills.
1. Indoor dimension diagram
2. Furniture layout diagram
3. Water and electricity renovation diagram
4. Ceiling diagram
5. Specific door styles
6. Detailed home diagrams (e.g., elevation, cross-section, and detailed node diagrams for TV background walls that need to be made on-site)
7. Overall home style effect diagram
(2) Method Description:
1. Clearly specify the production method for all items, such as the brand and model of the primer used on the wall, how many times it's applied, how many times it's sanded, etc. All these should be very clearly written without using ambiguous terms.
2. Clearly specify the brand, specifications, and model of all building materials.
(3) Engineering Cost:
1. List all items.
2. List the unit price, area, and total price for all items.
Day Three
I. Contract Template >> Click to view Beijing's home decoration contract
Before signing the contract, it's most important to ensure the contract is drafted according to Beijing's unified standard. Generally, decoration companies with stores in home malls use this type of contract and register it after signing. If problems arise during the renovation, you can directly seek assistance from the home mall. This method provides a certain level of protection for consumers.
II. Points to Note When Signing the Contract:
1. Project Timeline: For a typical 100-square-meter two-bedroom apartment with simple renovations, the project timeline is around 35 days. To ensure safety, decoration companies usually set the timeline to 45-50 days. If you're eager to move in, you can negotiate this clause with the designer during the signing.
2. Payment Method: Typically, the contract stipulates an initial payment of 60%, followed by 35% upon successful inspection of carpentry work, and the remaining 5% upon completion. If you follow this payment structure, by halfway through the project, you would have already paid around 95% of the fees to the decoration company. If issues arise later in the renovation, it would be difficult to constrain the company financially. Thus, it's recommended to reduce the initial payment to 30% and pay another 30% midway.
Midway Payment: The contract usually specifies the mid-term payment time as "halfway through the project, carpentry closure." However, projects often involve overlapping tasks. The official halfway point should be: completion of carpentry, kitchen and bathroom wall and floor tiles and ceiling, wall leveling, and electrical renovation.
3. Additional Projects: During the renovation process, there may be additional or reduced projects, such as adding a cabinet or modifying water and electricity lines. These should be paid for at the start of the project. How much should each item cost? If you wait until after the project starts, the designer might dictate the price. If possible, make a copy of the original detailed quote provided by the decoration company to prevent them from switching items or changing prices when signing the contract or adding projects. Also, note that any settlement fees should only be paid if you signed off on them before the project began. Any unsigned items can be refused payment.
4. Warranty Clause: Since the entire renovation process is primarily manual on-site production rather than full factory automation, various small quality issues may arise. The responsibilities of the decoration company during the warranty period are thus crucial. For example, if issues occur, does the company fully cover both labor and materials, only labor, or are there other restrictions? These must be clearly stated in the contract.
5. Water and Electricity Costs: During the renovation process, water, electricity, and gas are used on-site. By the end of the project, these costs can add up significantly. The contract should specify who bears these costs.
6. Construction According to Plans: Strictly adhere to the plans you've signed off on. If discrepancies are found in dimensions compared to the design plans, you can request rework.
7. Supervision and Quality Inspection Timing and Frequency: Most decoration companies assign different construction teams to complete various parts of the project. Quality inspectors and supervisors are the company's main means of overseeing these teams. Their frequency of on-site inspections is critical to project quality. Supervisors and quality inspectors should visit the site every 2 days. The designer should also visit every 3-5 days to ensure the on-site construction aligns with their design.
III. Supplementary Clauses:
1. List in detail the main building materials involved in the renovation, including brand, specification, price, and model. For example:
Category Brand Specification Price
Core board Penghong low-formaldehyde core board 1.22*2.44 meters 105 RMB per piece
2. List the unit price, total price, and construction techniques for each construction item. For example:
Project Unit Quantity Unit Price Total Price Construction Techniques
Wall Painting Square Meters 37 31 1147 Apply interface agent once, apply Meichao Yiguapin, sandpaper polish, apply Dulux five-in-one second generation, use high-pressure airless spraying equipment for spraying, one coat of primer, two coats of topcoat
3. Detailed construction drawings: Indoor dimension drawing; furniture layout drawing; water and electricity renovation drawing; ceiling drawing; specific door styles; detailed home drawings (elevation, cross-section, detailed node drawings for on-site produced items like TV background walls); overall home style effect drawing, etc.
Day Four
Recommendations for High-Cost Performance Building Material Markets
1. Home Improvement Stores: Homemart, Oriental Garden, B&Q
Advantages: Unsatisfactory building materials can be returned anytime.
Disadvantages: Fewer varieties and colors compared to regular building material markets.
2. Building Material Markets:
Huilongguan Building Materials Market: Absolutely cheaper prices, ordinary cabinets can be purchased for 750 RMB per meter.
Lanjingligia: Convenient location, right next to the light rail station. Moderate prices, suitable for common people to shop. And they also sell appliances and furniture...
Day Five
What Building Materials Do I Need to Buy?
Before starting the renovation, having a reasonable grasp of the renovation budget is very important. Below, we have compiled a series of detailed information on various building materials products, including prices, models, colors, real-life pictures, etc., for your reference.
Living Room Renovation Main Material Purchase List
Bedroom Renovation Main Material Purchase List
Bathroom Renovation Main Material Purchase List
Kitchen Renovation Main Material Purchase List
Hardware List
Sanitary Ware List
>> Full Text
Day Six
Renovation Process - What to Do After Starting
First, ensure all your commencement procedures are ready. These procedures are mainly handled at the property management office and typically include the following aspects:
1. Sign the renovation agreement issued by the property management.
2. Provide your own renovation drawings, mainly for water and electricity line modifications and non-load-bearing wall alterations.
3. Obtain a "commencement certificate," which is posted on your door for property management inspections.
4. Entry permits: mainly for the workers to avoid unauthorized personnel entering the community during renovation. (Fees vary by community, usually 15 RMB per permit, 5 RMB for the production cost, with the remaining 10 RMB refunded to the owner after renovation completion). When obtaining entry permits, it's best to bring the foreman responsible for your renovation and two one-inch photos of the workers, along with one copy of their ID card.
5. Renovation deposit (varies by community, but generally at least around 2000 RMB, usually refunded to the owner three months after renovation completion).
6. Garbage removal fee: This fee is for the property management to clear renovation waste and differs from the fee paid to the renovation company. It's usually around 300 RMB for a two-bedroom apartment, varying by property management company.
Things to Do After Starting Renovation:
1. Have the foreman responsible for your renovation provide you with a list of materials you need to purchase and the time they need to be delivered to the site. Many renovation teams only inform you a day in advance when they need certain materials the next day, leaving no time to take leave to purchase them.
Main Material Purchase List: Living Room Bedroom Kitchen Bathroom Hardware Sanitary Ware
2. Understand the basic schedule of the project, such as when the water and electricity line modifications, carpentry sealing, tile laying, and ceiling keel fabrication will be completed this month. This way, you can reasonably arrange your time to check the quality on-site during important steps.
3. Know the inspection and supervision schedule on-site, and you can agree on a time to go together. This way, any issues discovered can be resolved promptly.
4. If you find any construction issues, do not let the workers change them directly. Even if you tell them, they may not necessarily do it. You must inform the quality inspector or the foreman, which is more effective. It's best to have it in writing to avoid disputes after the renovation.
Day Seven
Today is finally the start!
Tasks to be done:
1. Hand over the keys to the construction unit.
2. Go to the site to brief on the situation, such as where to add telephone lines, etc.
3. Pay the first installment of the renovation fee.
Participants required:
Designer, construction personnel, and relevant technical personnel must be present.
Material Inspection: On the first day of work, usually, only the core panels need to be inspected. Here are five tips:
1. Is it a product from a legitimate manufacturer? Check the manufacturer's trademark, production address, anti-counterfeiting mark, etc.
2. Does the formaldehyde emission in the product test report reach less than or equal to 1.5 mg/L?
3. Is the surface of the core panel flat, free of warping, deformation, bubbles, or dents?
4. Are the strips arranged uniformly and neatly, with minimal gaps? Are there any signs of decay, breaks, insect holes, or knots in the strips?
5. If the core panel emits a fragrant wood smell, it indicates low formaldehyde emissions.
Day Eight
To achieve better renovation results, I demolished some walls...
Many people want to make their living space "limitlessly vast," so they choose to demolish walls, for example, removing the partition wall in the kitchen to create an open kitchen. However, this hides many risks.
It is essential to know which walls can be demolished and which cannot, otherwise, I can responsibly tell you, the consequences could be severe — affecting the structural safety of the entire building.
Walls that can be demolished:
Non-load-bearing walls, usually indicated on the floor plan. They are generally thinner, approximately 10 cm thick.
Walls that cannot be demolished:
Counterweight walls: Usually the walls below the balcony windows in older houses. Never demolish them. Load-bearing walls: These walls cannot be demolished, nor can large openings be cut into them.
Day Nine
The Most Profitable Project for Decoration Companies - Water and Electrical Line Renovations!
Water and electrical line renovations are the most important, but for most decoration companies, this is also the most profitable part.
Therefore, during the design phase, it's crucial to strictly control the budget. Some decoration companies will refuse to tell you the total cost of water and electrical renovations in advance, citing that the exact numbers depend on the actual on-site data, making it hard to estimate.
As a result, when homeowners settle the bill, they often find themselves paying an extra few thousand yuan for this project, putting them in a very passive position.
Solution: Before signing the renovation contract, require the designer to present the water and electrical line renovation plans and calculate the potential quantities for the following items based on the drawings: telephone line renovations, power socket renovations, switch panel renovations, water line renovations, cable TV line renovations, and network line renovations. Calculate a reasonable cost based on this to avoid excessive additional charges.
Day Ten
How to Deal with Workers
I. Methods to deal with designers:
1. Designers usually have some discount authority as a bargaining chip for signing contracts. Make sure to bargain until the end.
2. Designers familiar with various construction teams can recommend the team with the best construction quality. After using threats and incentives, insist that they name the foreman with the highest construction quality and include this in the contract.
3. Don't just listen to the designer's theoretical ideas. Ensure all details are implemented in the drawings and included as attachments in the renovation contract.
4. A designer who doesn't visit the construction site isn't a good designer. Require the designer to visit the site at least twice a week to ensure consistency between the design and