Are you an avid watcher of reality home design and renovation TV shows? Do you feel motivated with design ideas when watching everyday people achieve AMAZING results on an allocated BUDGET AND in such a SHORT time? Surely these design ideas are achievable in the real world….. Think again!
During prime TV viewing, there is never a shortage of home renovation shows to watch. Australians get real satisfaction from watching the ordinary mum and dad design and execute these amazing spaces. It is such captivating viewing, BUT unfortunately it leaves us with unrealistic expectations when it comes to building our own home.
A professional builder may, on the other hand find such programs frustrating to watch. This is purely because the results are often unrealistic in the time frame, resulting in rushed and inferior quality.
Have you ever noticed on these shows, the number of tradespeople working on the home at any one time? Do you think this is ideal to achieve superior quality?
An organised builder will schedule each trade to attend to their work without having other trades working above or below them. Allowing trades their own space and time, ensures that short cuts are not taken and the work is not rushed. Not to mention the health and safety concern for each worker.
These shows can actually lead to home owners feeling disappointed when their expectations with build times differ greatly from what they have seen achieved on television. Reality TV programs give viewers a distorted image of the time frame that it actually takes to build a new home. Always be guided by your professional builder, as they know best how long it actually takes to build a home of exceptional quality, and isn’t that what you want?
Building a quality home involves carefully planned processes that must be followed in order to achieve the desired results. A bathroom cannot be completed in a few days like what can be portrayed through these programs. There is a process that must be followed and each stage of this process must be completed accurately BEFORE moving onto the next. Wet areas require waterproofing. Waterproofing needs time to cure (without contact with anything and this includes tradesmen’s feet). And, this curing time is very dependent on favourable weather conditions including sun, light and warmth. The waterproofing is a critical stage inspection and requires an inspection by a council building inspector. Tiled floors need a sand and cement bed to be laid with the correct falls. This bed needs adequate time to dry (again requiring favourable conditions). Tiles need to be laid, floors and walls. Grout is applied. All this before the vanities, toilets, baths, bathroom accessories, shower screens and mirrors are installed. So, as you can see all this takes time and requires a particular process.
When building a new home, clients may feel ripped off when they realise that the reality of the prices of items vary greatly from those on the shows. The truth is, unless you have the support of a myriad of sponsors offering their products at highly reduced prices in exchange for exposure and advertising; expect to pay the actual price in the real world.
These shows are great for learning about new design trends, innovative products and suppliers. And they can be fun to watch as the contestants juggle their roles and expectations of each other. The occasional tiff between the contestants can also make for entertaining viewing.
Consider these shows as entertainment and an opportunity to ignite your imaginations. Leave the execution to the professional builder and you can be assured that your home will be one that is built with absolute integrity and quality for you and your family to enjoy for many years to come.
