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Most renovations do not fail on the building work. They fail on the managing.
The bricklaying is
usually fine.
Renovations come apart on decisions made late, money tracked loosely and expectations nobody wrote down. This guide is about that half of the project, the half that is yours. It assumes you are a homeowner rather than a professional, and that you have a job to hold down while all of this is happening.
Written for homeowners
Nobody has ever explained how a building project is shaped. This lays the whole arc out on one page, then takes it phase by phase.
The documents that protect you
What a contract must state, retention at five per cent reducing to two and a half, how to price a variation, and what to verify before anyone starts.
Four habits, not a system
A weekly meeting, a written summary, a decision log and a five-column money sheet. Together they prevent most renovation misery.
The parts nobody warns you about
Living on site, the low point in the middle, neighbour relations, and what to do when it is going seriously wrong.
- 01The Brief and the ScopeWriting a scope that can actually be priced, the five scope traps, and why creep is mostly yours.
- 02Choosing Your TeamMain contractor or trades direct, how to read a quote, the warning signs, and the conversation that tells you most.
- 03Contracts, Insurance and PaymentWhat the contract must state, retention, paying safely, insurance to verify, and safety coordination under Directive 92/57/EEC.
- 04Permissions and InspectionsWhat you may need, the inspection sequence, who books what, and why the completion or conformity certificate is the point.
- 05The ProgrammeThe critical path, the lead times that quietly kill programmes, and a workable domestic build sequence.
- 06Controlling the MoneyOne spreadsheet with five columns, variations priced before they happen, cash flow, and the costs people forget.
- 07Living Through ItStay or go, protecting what stays, the low point in the middle, and keeping the neighbours on your side.
- 08Decisions and CommunicationThe weekly meeting, the decision log, deciding at the right level of detail, and the decision deadline list.
- 09Problems, Delays and DisputesThe three kinds of delay and who carries each, handling quality issues, and what to do if it goes seriously wrong.
- 10Snagging and HandoverHow to snag properly, practical completion, the handover pack, and the defects period.
- 11After the BuildThe house file, the first year, insurance and value, and a maintenance rhythm.
Plus the Project Control Sheet: the whole project on one printable page for the kitchen wall.
Written for European homes,
not adapted for them.
Building contracts, regulations and consents are set nationally across Europe, and they differ more than most people expect. This edition is built around your national standard contract form rather than one country’s, safety coordination under Directive 92/57/EEC wherever more than one contractor is on site, approval under national building regulations with the local inspectorate and its completion or conformity certificate, national rules on party walls and boundaries, the reduced renovation VAT rates many member states apply, and the mediation or arbitration most European contracts expect before litigation. Prices in euros.
Add to basket using the button at the top of this page. Your download link arrives by email straight after checkout.
What format is it?
A 36-page A4 PDF. Your download link arrives by email straight after checkout, and you can read it on any device or print it at home.
Which country is it written for?
All of the EU, and none of it exclusively. Contract forms, building regulations, party wall rules and renovation VAT are set nationally, so the guide sets out the European framework, names the things that differ between member states, and tells you what to confirm locally rather than pretending there is one answer.
I have already started. Is it too late?
No. Chapters 5 to 9 are about running a live project, and the money sheet, the decision log and the weekly meeting can be introduced at any point. If you are mid-build and it feels chaotic, start at Chapter 6.
Do I need this if I have hired a good builder?
A good builder makes the building work go well. This is about the half of the project that is yours: the scope, the decisions, the money, the consents and the paperwork. Being a well-organised client is what gets a good builder’s best work.
Is it legal advice?
No. It explains what a domestic building contract should contain and where disputes usually start, so you can brief a lawyer properly and read a contract critically. Take professional advice before signing anything or relying on any figure in it.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
This is digital content supplied immediately. At the point of purchase you expressly consent to us beginning supply before the end of the withdrawal period and acknowledge that your 14 day right of withdrawal ends once the download link is issued. The full notice is at studioakiva.eu/widerrufsbelehrung. Separately from that: if the link fails, the file will not open, or you received the wrong guide, email hello@studioakiva.com and we will put it right or refund you.
Would you rather we did it?
Studio Akiva is an award-winning interior design studio working across Europe and a twelve-time Houzz award winner. If you would rather have professional eyes on your scope, your contract or a project already under way, book a free fifteen-minute discovery call.
