Renovations: the contract and the specification

Why the contract and the specification matter for renovations, and what makes a good renovation specification. A specification for renovating a building, or an apartment, has to be precise and professional.

Apartment renovation specification

By: engineer Ron Arad, Arad Bedek Bayit

The previous article covered the planning stage of a renovation: an architect, a plumbing and electrical planner where needed, and a structural engineer if structural changes are involved. A contract and technical specification come next, and they are essential before work starts.

They reduce the chance of defects in the first place, and if defects still occur through a tradesperson's poor work, they make it possible to hold that person accountable and get the work corrected. Arad Bedek Bayit prepares specifications and contracts before a renovation, or before buying an apartment, and stays involved through the renovation and the execution of the agreement.

The cost of a proper specification and contract, drawn up with a home inspection company's help, is repaid many times over: without them, a renovator can walk away from defects simply because nothing was defined in advance.

Contract and specification versus the tradespeople

The contract has two parts: a technical part (the specification), describing the type of work, and a contractual part, describing the terms of the agreement (cost, payment, schedule, and so on).

The technical specification

The technical specification lists every job required from each tradesperson, and for each one describes the materials and method of work required.

Here is an example for flooring (illustrative only, not to be copied: a real specification has to be built around the actual work required). Type of work: flooring throughout the apartment, including bathrooms (floor and wall tiling), balcony, skirting boards and grout.

The work includes related items such as door thresholds and profiles, and black material (cement, sand, and so on). White material is at the client's expense.

* Leave out profiles, door thresholds or even grout, and you risk the contractor demanding extra payment for them late in the job, once you have no choice but to pay because nothing was agreed in advance.

Flooring requirements (a small sample, for illustration)
The work must follow Israeli Standard 1555, Part 3, for ceramic flooring, and include removing debris and preparing a clean surface. Where needed, a layer of sand mixed with cement is added, per the standard, to reach the right level, and so on for every other type of work: windows, doors, plaster, paint, plumbing, electrical, and more.

Building and apartment renovation specifications

Whether you need a specification for a building renovation or an apartment renovation, make sure it is drawn up as precisely and professionally as possible, to avoid problems down the line.

The contract

In renovation work, terms are sometimes agreed with nothing more than a handshake, or at best a page that barely describes the deal. The contract is what protects the apartment owner: it is what gets the renovation done properly and any construction defects fixed if they occur.

It should spell out the essentials, including: the contractor's full name, license number, ID number, contact details and address; the cost and payment terms (payment should track progress, never in advance); a clear schedule; and a daily penalty for delays is worth agreeing on too. It is also wise to hold back 10% of the payment for three months after completion, to guarantee any defects get fixed.

Renovations and the specification: summary

Many of the defects we find during a home inspection could have been avoided with a proper contract and technical specification in place. These documents also do useful work of their own: they drive away contractors who never intended to do the job right, acting as a filter before work even begins.

Writing a contract and technical specification is a job for engineering firms that specialize in it, backed by legal advice, not for the apartment owner, even one who happens to be an engineer. Arad Bedek Bayit prepares specifications and contracts of this kind, along with everything related to real-estate appraisal and the home inspection process, covering every failure and fault hidden from the eye.

For details, call 077-670-4444.