1. Preparatory stage.

Design. Any renovation starts with an idea. Many people consider spending on a designer to be an unjustified excess, so they exclude his services first of all, creating a project on their own. Definitely, you will save a lot this way, but we still suggest you contact the designers for at least a consultation. Show your concept to a specialist, he will help you avoid planning mistakes, decide on a color, and tell you what elements you should pay attention to. Some designers work in a “specialist for an hour” format. It will cost you very little, and the result will be impressive.

Estimate. Many have encountered the problem when, during the repair process, consumables run out at the most necessary moment. Or vice versa, you finish finishing and find unpacked packages of plaster. This can be avoided by using various online calculators.

For example, you can download the VOLMA mobile application and use it to calculate the quantity necessary materials. The technology is simple and clear: you indicate the parameters of your apartment, and the program calculates the volumes required Supplies, up to the number of screws. For example, if you are planning to build a plasterboard wall, you need to indicate the surface area, humidity level of the room, fire resistance requirements of the structure and plans for the installation of communications, and the calculator will calculate the potential costs and provide the necessary shopping list.

Time. When planning repairs, try to minimize the amount of “wet” work. For example, cement-sand screed can dry up to a month. If you are renovating your apartment and renting another property at the same time, this can cost a pretty penny. Our advice is to study the market. Many companies offer high-tech mixtures that will reduce time costs. For example, the mixture for self-leveling floors sets within a week.

2. Logistics.

Procurement. If at the planning stage you know how many kilograms of putty you will need, then you just need to buy it in bulk. Firstly, you will save a lot, and secondly, most hypermarkets offer free delivery for large volumes.

Take a closer look at the promotions of construction stores. It is no secret that many of them have various discount systems, as well as loyalty cards with a discount for new residents, as well as buyers with a large purchasing budget.

Construction garbage. On export construction waste You can also save money. Cooperate with neighbors who are also busy organizing their homes by ordering one truck for two.

By the way, scrap metal collection points and electrical appliances can take it out on their own old stove and a refrigerator, and sometimes even pay extra for it.

3. Selection of a team of workers.
The first impulse of any person who wants to save money is to do everything himself. You can actually hang wallpaper, paint walls, and even build a partition from plasterboard yourself (including with the help of video tutorials on Youtube), but it is still worth paying for professional construction teams for plumbing and electrical work. It is advisable to choose those who have state registration (IP, LLC) and can provide a guarantee for their services.

A little trick - move some of the work to the cold season. This is the “low season” when you can count on a good discount from the work crew.

4. Finishing.

Walls. In addition to wallpaper and finishing putty with subsequent painting, there are still a lot of finishing options that may not only seem interesting, but also significantly save your budget.

You can find many application examples on the Internet. ordinary plaster as decorative. You can get excellent analogues of Venetian or textured plaster, and sometimes create real masterpieces. Some people use special rollers, a special application technique, improvised materials (sponges, polyethylene films and even a broom).

Another option original finish walls - use of OSB boards. This is compressed wood chips, the cost of which is about 200 rubles per 1 sq.m. It gives the walls a finished and pleasant look wood panel, which does not need to be additionally painted or covered with wallpaper.

Or you can completely abandon traditional decoration in favor of “loft” style interiors - brick and concrete walls with such repairs they are not finished with plaster, but are simply treated with varnish on water based. This way you can get a spectacular renovation for minimal money.

Floor. It is considered that the most budget and utilitarian option The floor covering is linoleum. It is easy to install, resistant to moisture and easy to clean. However, pitfalls may arise here too.

First of all, for linoleum flooring you need to have a very flat base. And if you bring the creaking floors of old Khrushchev-era apartment buildings to this level, then square meter“pie” will cost many times more than installing laminate floors. Speaking of squeaks. They can be removed quite inexpensively. Some craftsmen “extensively” stretch with self-tapping screws. Others drill a hole in the area of ​​the “noisy” joist and put it there polyurethane foam, filling the space and creating something like a pillow in the “sick” place. It is clear that this is just a “patch”, but it can help with total savings.

Ceiling. If you decide to save on the ceiling, choose a stretch ceiling. Its installation takes place in a matter of hours, and the work is much cheaper than leveling.

Window. Windows are the weakest link in the energy profile of a building. Despite their constant improvement, they continue to let too bright and hot rays into the room in the summer and lose precious heat in the cold season. Therefore, you should not skimp on the quality of windows. When choosing a window solution, you need to pay attention not only to the profile (of course it matters), but also to the double-glazed window. Remember that 80% of a window is made up of double glazing - and a lot depends on its quality and characteristics. Cheap double-glazed windows will allow heat to pass through, and you will soon find all that you can save on the purchase and installation of windows in your heating bills.

Each master will probably have hundreds of other ideas and life hacks on how you can save on repairs. We will be glad if you share them in the comments to this article.

Part one - new hope

“I had to communicate a lot with friends and colleagues, and also dive into the abyss of the Internet - how people get out of the situation. And something interesting came to light - a revolution is unfolding in the home renovation market, similar to the one that has already bombed all taxi drivers. Boorish taxi drivers who are less You won’t be able to move your trough for less than 500 rubles. The prices are determined by the aggregator company, no matter what it is called Yandex or Uber, the service becomes predictable and inexpensive.

The situation changes in the same way construction market- Internet services take on the work of selecting a team and calculate the cost of repairs at understandable prices. As far as we have been able to find out, there are now three main leaders:

Done - quickly and adequately

The service commands respect - everything is grown-up, you choose a design, agree on the price, hand over the keys and receive a turnkey repair right on time. The question here is not how to find a team. The service takes care of all issues and resolves them. But of course it's not free. If money is not an issue, this is an excellent option; they will do everything as promised. But if the client is not a top manager at Gazprom or a colonel in the police, this can hit the pocket quite hard, especially if this pocket has become somewhat thinner over the past couple of years.

- reliable as the buildings of the Latins

Allows you to solve the most painful issue when you need to calculate the cost of repairs. Usually at the beginning the foreman says - “The owner is 120 thousand and that’s it!!” But every day there are difficulties that workers heroically overcome. But for some reason, overcoming this always leads to an increase in the cost, so you begin to think about the price of kidneys on the world market.

Smetus makes it possible to quickly calculate a repair estimate, and you don’t need to enter a lot of numbers in 10 windows. I set the dimensions with the mouse, chose one of the design options, and received a calculation. It's free and at least useful for dialogue with the repair manager. If the difference in price between Smetus and the brigade is large, this is a reason to seriously think about it. Either the knights of the puncher lower the price, raising it in the process, or they want to make excess profits. The customer is not interested in very greedy employees.

Plus, the site has a protected transaction service, which guarantees repairs at the calculated price with an accredited service team, in the proper quality and on time.

- everything is like in life

Huge selection of options. Hundreds of brigades ready to rush into the embrasure with a jackhammer. But pricing and guarantees are not very clear. It's like a station market. Someone will do the repairs for 20% market value apartments, someone is ready to do the same work for a bottle. How to choose normal employees is unclear; choosing a team is again like a lottery. At least, the selection procedure is more transparent than according to an advertisement in the business press “Announcements of ZaMKADYSH” or “From Hand to Hand”.

Part two - experience, the son of difficult mistakes

The choice was made in favor of Smetus, as the golden mean of these three options. How it all turned out. I chose a design option, entered the room dimensions, and immediately received an estimate. For those items that are familiar - the prices seem to be real, the frog is not pounding in my chest. I left a request on the website, they called me back pretty quickly and told me what they could offer. If I agree to their team, they draw up a protected transaction, i.e. All stages will be accompanied by an expert. If the team does something wrong, the expert will act as an arbiter. Well, in general it’s useful because I’m into technology construction work I understand something like setting up carburetors. That is, frankly speaking, a little less than nothing.

The cost of a protected transaction is zero rubles. This is if you give the go-ahead to the certified Smetus team. If I insist that the repairs will be done by my personal kunaks from sunny Tajikistan, then I will have to pay 5 percent of the repair cost. But since past experience only made me want to kick the workers, I naturally didn’t have my own team. I entrusted the choice of crew to the service, since it is in their interests to send adequate builders.

The workers arrived and the process began. Since I couldn’t understand whether they were doing everything using technology or not, I asked for an expert. Even before work began, the service created an online channel for my project, and workers uploaded reports there every evening. I couldn’t resist asking a question, and an expert joined in. In simple words explained why the team went through so much trouble with pouring screed under the laminate. It turned out that everything was based on technology.

Everything was done on time, they didn’t ask for money, materials didn’t suddenly run out - this is exactly how I imagined the turnkey renovation. I signed the act with a light heart and found no reason for modifications. As a result, I saved myself about five kilograms nerve cells and I suspect that money too. The service is really useful, I never doubted the correctness of my choice. I'm glad that they came not only for a taxi, but also for repairs. Apparently, after unmanned taxis, robots will start renovating apartments. But so far so good.

Part three - freeing you from the pain of repair

In Russia there are many services that help carry out repairs with minimal losses for mental health or wallet. the site protects against everything, and it is not the customers who pay for its functions, but the repair teams. And this is also transparent - they receive an estimate and a project that the customer made on the website, simply by moving the mouse. Therefore, you don’t have to wait for the words “This is the owner here, we need to double the budget.” There are options to organize repairs according to a transparent scheme without unclear payments.

P.S. The photo shows the apartment being renovated and after."

As a rule, we can fix minor “cosmetic problems” in an apartment with our own hands - many people know how to whitewash ceilings, hang wallpaper, change sockets and even lay tiles. But do-it-yourself repair cleaning the entire apartment is a difficult and lengthy task.

It may be too costly: difficult to calculate required amount materials, you will have to work in your free time from your main job - which will not benefit either her or you (when should you rest?). Big renovation It's better to leave it to professionals.

How to choose a repair team that will do everything efficiently and on time and will not force you to fork out an unexpectedly large sum? It’s good when there are relatives, friends or acquaintances who have already dealt with one of the teams or companies, are satisfied with the result and are ready to recommend excellent craftsmen! What if you have to search on your own?

Searching for builders on the Internet: pitfalls

Have you decided to look for contractors online? Eat good companies and skilled private teams for apartment renovation, but how not to make a mistake with the choice? Learn some tips on how to find the right ones.

Note whether the contractor requests upfront payment. If so, let this be a warning: scammers may disappear with your money and you will never find them. Prepayment - only for materials for repairs, and even then - if you do not intend to literally purchase them together with the contractor!

Immediately see whether the contractor enters into an agreement with the customer. In case of any controversial situations, the contract will be the only proof that these were the people who performed the work for you.

It’s not there - you can ask for the damaged interior, as they say, “from Pushkin.” For serious contractors, the contract is concluded for a legal entity.

Another sign of a conscientious contractor is the ability to pay by bank transfer.

Try to familiarize yourself with the portfolio of the company/team. If the gallery is presented on the site and looks too attractive, make sure that it is not a 3D visualization (the interior looks perfect, there are no people in it, the weather is sunny) or photos stolen from other, perhaps even foreign sites (check using Google Search according to the pictures).

Private teams may not have a portfolio at all - do not hesitate to ask for contacts of previous customers, call them. Professionals have nothing to hide!

Find out about the composition of the brigade. Ideally, you should get to know the designer, foreman, and employees before concluding a contract. If two people show up to you and introduce themselves as “jacks of all trades” - this is not the case!

A plumber, electrician and plasterer rolled into one is a cyclist swimming a marathon distance (exceptions are so rare that they almost never happen). Good master for apartment renovation is a specialist worker who knows his job down to the last detail.

A serious company or the right team will never tell you the full cost of repairs if they have not yet seen the property and have not carried out necessary measurements and calculations. When drawing up an estimate together with the foreman/foreman/company representative, keep in mind - final cost may turn out to be higher than the original one (additional purchase of building materials, breakage of tools during work).

The inattentive pays more

If you really want to get good repair apartments, don’t be lazy - pay attention to the following points.

Take a look at the budget you have compiled. Make sure everything is included necessary work- otherwise, then it will start: “Who will pay for the skirting boards?”, “We also hung a door here...” - and the final cost of repairs will turn out to be more than stated earlier. Room for shenanigans!

You may not know exactly how much skirting boards cost or how the installation of a door is paid for - nothing will stop cunning craftsmen from specifying a larger amount and pocketing the difference. A smaller footage of the premises is indicated, the discount of the contractor purchasing building materials from the supplier is “forgotten”, “left” items in the estimate (for example, you do not have to pay for the installation of scaffolding) - all this increases the cost of the work! The amounts in the estimate and in the contract must match.

Control the “hidden” side of the work - rough finishing of surfaces, installation of electrical wiring and heating. If there are “jambs”, subsequent rework will hit the wallet hard. Rough finish bathroom - cement plaster, other rooms - gypsum, fix this in the contract, the price of finishing depends on the type of plaster.

Feel free to invite technicians from the organization responsible for the operation of the building to take engineering Communication and put their signatures on the acceptance certificate. If an accident occurs - a fire, a short circuit, a burst of pipes - the team or company will be held responsible for poor quality work.

Little things and delays (“then it will straighten itself out”) in repair work does not exist! You then want to “admire” protruding seams, unfitted joints, carelessly pasted wallpaper, unevenly painted surfaces, crooked installed switches and sockets in the wrong places?

Do you love skewed doors and windows that won't close? Be sure to track how work is done in these areas. Describe all shortcomings and set a deadline for correcting them.

The final acceptance certificate for all work must be signed by the contractor and you. The date of signing is the beginning of the warranty period for the work (the contract must contain information about this period!). Before the designated date, workers are obliged to eliminate all shortcomings and defects - and do it free of charge.

Apartment renovation is not necessarily a natural disaster, but always a major event in the life of one individual family. Will it be possible to pass this test with minimal loss of money and nerve cells, in...

Apartment renovation is not necessarily a natural disaster, but always a major event in the life of one individual family. Whether it will be possible to pass this test with minimal loss of money and nerve cells largely depends on the right choice performers. Let's listen to the opinion of the masters of the online household services service YouDo.com about choosing builders.

Private owners or construction company?

What's better, private master or an official repair and construction organization? There is no clear answer to this question. Each person you interview will draw from their own experience, and it can be both positive and negative.

When assessing the advantages of both approaches, it is worth taking into account objective points.

Stroyfirma

Relations with a construction company are regulated by an agreement that stipulates the rights and obligations of the parties, and this is a plus. In case of trouble, you will know who to file a claim with.

A correctly drawn up contract stipulates not only the terms and conditions of payment, but also warranty obligations, so if over time any deficiencies are revealed, you have the right to demand their elimination.

In a serious state construction organization specialists are usually present different profiles: plumbers, electricians, plasterers, painters, tilers, as well as designers, it is possible to organize the delivery of materials, garbage removal and other issues. Their work is organized centrally, which is more convenient for the owners.

To be fair, it should be noted that construction firm It may well collect money from clients, delay repairs, and then go bankrupt. And then the owners will be faced with a dilemma: to lead long litigation or give up and hire other people.

In addition, you do not know for sure who exactly will be sent to your site. Perhaps you talked with an experienced foreman and gained confidence in him, but he only “controls” the work process, and poorly trained “hard workers” recruited from nowhere may knock on the door.

And, of course, prices from a construction company are always higher due to overhead costs.

Private owners

The services of private owners are usually cheaper, since they do not have to maintain an office, secretaries, accountants, and support staff.

True, some also save on taxes, preferring to work without a contract.

Therefore, you need to build relationships with private masters more carefully. For example, you can insist on concluding a contract in simple written form: this will protect your interests in case of trouble. In addition, think over a clear payment mechanism that would suit both parties, for example, pay for completed work in stages.

The qualifications of the craftsmen do not depend on belonging to a construction company, and a good builder who values ​​​​his reputation will not only complete all the work perfectly, but will also correct repair defects without objection if any arise.

You can also select specialized specialists yourself, for example, on the website YouDo.com, and they will cost you less, but you will need to spend time searching, studying reviews and ratings.

Control is necessary

Regardless of what you ultimately choose, remember: control is always needed, and especially if you are absolutely involved in the repair. strangers. Don’t leave things to chance, be sure to visit the construction site, check major stages of work, and ask questions if necessary. Perhaps, when hiring private craftsmen, you will be required to go deeper into the process, but having an agreement with the company is also not a reason to relax.

“There must be a person on site who can organize the sequence of work, coordinate the schedules of subcontractors, specialists, timely delivery of materials, and so on. He must not only have organizational skills, but also understand technology. If there is such a competent person in a private team, they will be able to ensure the appropriate quality of work,” says Alexander, an experienced foreman. - At the same time, it is worth taking into account the volume of tasks. It is possible that a single craftsman will do an excellent job of decorating a tiny studio in a new building and, even more so, wallpapering a secondary apartment. In addition, owners who have started repairs on their own often invite highly specialized specialists to carry out specific works plumbing, electrical and so on.”

Criteria for selecting masters

Decency, organization and professionalism are qualities that everyone would like to see in the performers to whom they entrust their precious home. In practice, you may encounter different people, therefore, objective criteria are needed to help evaluate professional level stranger. Here are some of them:

Portfolio with photographs of work. Nowadays, not only interior designers, but also foremen, plumbers, tilers and even plasterers acquire portfolios. Looking through the photographs, you can ask about the specifics of the project, the difficulties that arose during the work, inquire about the choice of materials and technical solutions. This will allow you to form an opinion about the candidate.

Recommendations and the opportunity to visit finished facilities. It is good if the employee can provide reviews and recommendations from previous employers. In some cases, you can arrange a trip to the site to see the quality of the work in person.

Tools and connections. An experienced construction team always has all the necessary tool, they can also find subcontractors to carry out specialized tasks. A specialist who has been in business for a long time has solid discounts at construction stores. And vice versa, if a master asks you to buy him a tool and shows signs of incompetence, it is better to say goodbye to this person immediately, even if he has already started work - it will get worse.

Estimation of repair costs. It is no coincidence that prices on the websites of repair companies begin with a cautious “from...”. Without seeing the object and not knowing the wishes of the customer, the master will hardly be able to indicate at least the approximate cost of the work. Therefore, you should be wary if a representative of a construction company names the exact amount right in the office: most likely, during the repair process, additional costs will emerge, and the services of “specialists” will become significantly more expensive.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to explain to the customer that it is impossible to tell offhand how much the repair will cost. Some people perceive this as if the master is selling himself on his price... In reality, visiting the site, taking measurements, inspecting it, and discussing all the details in detail with the client is a mandatory event. Only after thoroughly finding out all the customer’s wishes can we talk about something. Usually I take at least a day to draw up a work plan and count the amount of materials,” says Yuri, the head of a construction company.

And, of course, it is important that there is no hostility between the contractor and the customer.

“Personal contact and mutual understanding are intangible, but very important element successful repair. So I always strive to find mutual language with the client. It's not just about banal politeness and neatness appearance, although they also say a lot about a person. A true professional will always be able to explain clearly potential client, what work will be performed in his house, will advise several solutions, and if necessary, he will explain it on his fingers. This is not the case when you need to boast about your knowledge of special terminology; the client is not required to understand the intricacies of construction. By the way, I personally always have doubts about masters who come and start scolding those who came before them. This cheap way assert yourself, explain to the client how to redo it and do it well,” adds Yuri.

Yes, you and I are concluding an agreement for Lion Group LLC, which stipulates: the start date of work, the time limit for completion of work, and warranty obligations. which amount to 2 years for general construction work and 10 years for engineering communications - electrical installation and plumbing work.

Do you charge a fee for taking measurements?

The visit of a process engineer is free and does not oblige you to anything. When you meet with our representative, you will receive detailed advice on all your questions regarding your repair. Find out what you can save on and what you absolutely cannot save on. Where and what materials are best to buy, etc. After the meeting, you are left with the most accurate, understandable estimate with calculated volumes and prices. That is, you will understand how much you pay and for what, the nature, quality of work and materials.

Do you perform certain types of work? Electrical, plumbing, tiling, etc.?

No, we only carry out comprehensive renovation Full construction

Do you provide a guarantee for the work performed, and what kind?

The warranty on the work performed is 2 years for general construction work and 10 years for engineering communications - electrical installation and plumbing work.

How does payment work?

Payment occurs in stages, according to the work performed, according to the annex to the contract (schedule of work and payments). Most often, payment for work is made once a month. With each payment, an interim delivery and acceptance certificate is drawn up and a certain stage of work is closed.