Yes, how does it work? You have been looking for a special property for some time. You eventually find and buy a dream of a property, but some work still needs to be done.

Euphemistically said. Because actually a lot of work has to be done. But you are so in love with the building that you take it for granted. Then a long process starts of making plans, making designs, consulting with the geometra about the (im) possibilities, quotations from various parties, selecting sanitary facilities and tiles. You travel back and forth between the United Kingdom and Italy, you would almost get it back and forth. And then it may happen that you cannot be present due to work or other circumstances to monitor the progress of the work. You wish everything would go much faster, it doesn't make sense for you, do they actually work… there in Italy?

Ok… all very understandable. And now from my point of view: what do I do to ensure that the renovation proceeds as smoothly as possible without major frustration on both sides? How can I make sure the contractor doesn't get stressed because he doesn't know how to proceed? Or the painter who would like to know what color to put on the wall? Or the plumber who really needs to know the dimensions of the washbasins in connection with the connections? How do you make it clear to the customer that certain activities really have to be done before we can proceed to the next phase? Or that certain things unfortunately have to be carried out differently than planned at an earlier stage? How do I make it clear that they are really busy at work?

The magic word is communication. Of course, I would almost say. After all, everything revolves around communication. But in this specific case it has to be made transparent and so I take a record number of photos of all kinds of details and situations. Photos of washbasin models, power strips, ducts or doorways that really need to be enlarged. They are not just beautiful pictures, but also of floors that are exposed, rubble and broken walls ... Color numbers, quotations for bathrooms, links from kitchens, emails with updates and questions. In the hope that we get as close as possible to the ideal as the customer has in mind.

In addition to providing insight into the progress of the work, the administrative part of the renovation is also part of this. The invoices need an explanation, halfway through and at the end of the renovation there will be a financial overview and this also needs to be translated. The additional work that is almost always there and that initially received oral approval must also be confirmed in writing. The contracts for the utilities have to be concluded and I can go on like this for a while. Construction supervision is a complete supervision that covers all aspects of such a project. That is what makes it so fun and challenging.

It goes a bit far to publish the more than four hundred photos that I have sent to the client, in the case of this particular renovation. Below is a small selection that gives a reasonable picture of the way of communicating and providing insight into a renovation. My advice, however, is to come and have a look yourself now and then. Nobody is perfect and what initially seemed like a good idea can turn out differently during the work.