Renovation contingency for a 970 sq ft Manchester apartment at £526,500

[AishaSlate]

If the sequencing is wrong, the cost could rise well beyond any saving on finishes. I’m assessing a 970 sq ft Manchester apartment priced at £526,500, with an initial renovation allowance of £157,200.

The work covers the kitchen, bathrooms, floors, decorating, electrical assessment and some energy improvements. No extension is intended, but I still want to rule out structural problems before committing. Contractor quotes are hard to compare because access, remedial work and making good are treated differently in each one.

How much contingency would you keep outside the stated budget? I’d also like to know what should be established first about concealed wiring and plumbing, moisture, approvals and building access. Long lead-time materials concern me too, since one delayed item could hold up several trades.

 

[ravi_taxes]

With that many exclusions, I would initially keep 15–20% outside the £157,200 rather than treating it as available for upgrades. Ask every contractor to price against one scope and identify fixed prices, provisional sums, client-supplied items, waste removal, making good, VAT and access costs separately. “Electrical checks” also needs defining: does the quote include only inspection, or any resulting remedial work?

 

[still_brick]

Is this a modern purpose-built block or an older conversion, and are the kitchen and bathrooms staying in the same positions? Also, which floor is it on, will the apartment be vacant, and what restrictions does the lease or building management impose on working hours, deliveries and water isolation? Those answers could change both sequencing and contingency more than the choice of finishes.

 

[light_cedar]

I wouldn’t assume a large total budget automatically covers the risk. The troublesome phrase is “moderate energy upgrades”: contractors could interpret that as anything from small draught-proofing measures to work affecting windows, ventilation or heating. Write down each intended measure and who is responsible for any building approval. Otherwise it becomes a convenient exclusion later.

 

[makeTheCanvas]

I disagree slightly with simply adding 20% and moving on. A contingency can hide an unresolved scope. Spend a little of the pre-construction period reducing the big uncertainties first: inspect accessible plumbing routes, establish how wet areas can be isolated, clarify the electrical findings and ask whether any age-related material survey is appropriate. After that, a smaller contingency may be more meaningful because fewer items remain provisional.

 

[avery_roofs]

Sequence it backwards from the items with the longest lead times, but don’t order them until dimensions and approvals are settled. A sensible outline is investigation and design, permissions, strip-out, hidden repairs, first-fix electrical and plumbing, inspection/testing, closing walls, waterproofing and tiling, kitchen installation, flooring, decorating and final connections. Ask who carries the cost if delayed materials force trades to return.

 

[kian_roofs]

For moisture, don’t accept a general “looks dry” comment. Ask the surveyor to examine around windows, external walls, bathroom junctions and any accessible service penetrations, while distinguishing an active problem from old staining. On plumbing, find out where isolation valves, risers and waste connections are and whether access requires opening finishes in your apartment or coordination with building management.

 

[miro_ash]

Permit timing and block approval timing should be shown separately on the programme. Even without an extension, management may want details of noise, flooring, deliveries or alterations to shared services; the exact requirements depend on the building. I’d ask for those requirements before agreeing a start date, then make the contractor state which approvals they obtain and which remain the owner’s responsibility.

 

[ravi_taxes]

Javier’s questions are still the hinge here. Until the building type, layout changes and access arrangements are known, 15–20% is only a holding figure. I’d create an exclusions register from all the quotes, send the combined list back to each bidder, and require a written response against every line. That should expose whether the apparent price differences are real or simply work shifted into exclusions and provisional sums.