Interviewing Tradesmen

Okay, so far 7 Certified Builders have replied to my job posting, and 4 have presented me with pretty good quotes. I know it is very important to have a good relationship with your builder, and at the moment I really like David Irwin, and BG Builders.

I have also met Ivan from Get it Tiled who I really like - so I might not bother getting quotes from other Tilers. Ivan is very professional and showed me his portfolio and samples which was great. His quote has come to about 15k which includes under-tile heating which I probably will not get - which will make Ivan's quote even cheaper.

I am getting each of our Bathrooms tiled from the floor to the ceiling, and our WC's tiled to window height - as this will give those areas the WOW factor.

I am yet to receive quotes from Electricians who have asked for my Lighting Plan before they can quote. Yes, gone are the days where people just used to have the one big lightbulb plonked in the middle of each room.

How cool is it that Lighting Plus provide free lighting plans? The catch is that you have to buy their lights, and choose the lights you want in each room on the spot.

I met with Chris at Lighting Plus in Manukau who was SO helpful. She helped me choose some chrome double downlights to go in most of the rooms, as they can be spaced further apart than individual downlights, meaning less lights and less cost. I have also ordered a nice fluro light for my breakfast bar, and 3 funky wall lights for my lounge area.

I dont think I will be going for a chandelier in the foyer as we have a pretty spectacular roof-light, and a chandelier may be over the top. Plus, I have only budgeted 3k for my lights :-P

SOOO Exciting!