Tell us about your career in Renovation Industry ?
Started working in 1995 as a trainee with my uncle who was running is Civil Contractor business. Worked in renovation & Interior projects of hospitals, schools, hotels, building & residential projects. I was fortunate to try & learn everything under the roof. Later started working independently as Contractor & consultant. Also worked on projects by reputed Architect Jayant Patel, Meena Puri & few others. Did work for Interior designer Nimesh patel. For ContractorBhai I have done several Home Renovation projects in last 2 years.

I am specialized in Renovation of Small Homes, extremely good at flooring designing which are normally done in residential living rooms, Multiplex, Cinema halls, Big company, showrooms etc.

What is difference between commercial & residential projects?
There are many difference like in commercial
– we have to work in deadline which is provided by builder
– work is little bit more faster as all flats have same design.
– Work quality is easy to manage in commercial projects

In residential work
– In home renovation deadline is provided but we have to be flexible, because home owners sometimes change plans.
– If Home Owner is living in the house during renovation that slows down the work. In city like Mumbai, its not always possible to pay big rents to move for renovation.
– Floor tiles are different for each rooms
– You have to pay more attention towards various minor details.

In payment terms which are more organized commercial or residential?
Home Owners are always sincere. In residential project payments on time. We take part payments as work progresses.

In commercial payments are done after every 21 days & even some time it take more than 45 to 50 days to release payments.

What quality of material is used in commercial & residential?
Obviously in residential projects good quality of the material is used. As in commercial builders are buying in bulk order direct form the factory. Many builders don’t mind using average material which is cheaper.

In resident owner is buying it for himself. Quality & Brand are verified before buying the materials.

What are common complaints of Home owners in work?
We suggest home owners on all aspects, offer them guidance on what material to buy. But sometimes they buy material which is not appropriate or low quality. This creates problem in future.

Sometime some of home don’t want to release the payments on time, this delays the work. Because worker pages have to be paid almost every day.

What problems do you face when there is delay in payments?
Payments are usually not delayed, but in some cases if it is done then work gets slow down or halted. Contractors have to make payment for buying material & daily wages to his team. There is limit to how much a Contractor can leverage. Its all about business ethics. How would feel if your boss comes & tells you end of the month that your salary is getting delayed by weeks time or I will pay you less then what your salary is.

While buying flooring Tiles & Wall Tiles – what should we check ?
– In tiles check brands & reputation of shop from where you are buying. If you are buying tiles which hare not easily available in market easily then you have to plan carefully. Nowdays tiles are made in China. If you hit shortage of tiles, there is no guaranty if you you will get same design & pattern after few weeks.

– Before buying you ask supplier to show them around 6 to 8 tiles placed on floor & ask there contractors to check if he finds it OK. Sometimes joints don’t match correctly, corners are not with proper cut. If there is any bend in tiles or color variations then avoid the product.

What problem we see if un-experienced contractor or low budget contractor do work?
Anything & everything can go wrong.Good contractors quotes home owner as per market rates. If you find another Contractor who quotes 20-30% lower then that’s a big alert. You need to dive deep in to what material he is planning to use.

What are common reasons in delay Home Renovation projects in Mumbai?
Main reason for delay in Mumbai renovation projects can be Sand supply. Sand is a big sad story. I don’t want to get in to details of all wrong & right things that happens before sand reaches your local store. Sand prices in Mumbai varies a lot. I might give you quote & then 3 months later sand price is doubled. Its tough.

Some other common reasons which are applicable for Home Renovation projects in any part of India –
– material selection – Home Owners sometime take lot of time to decide on material.
– sometimes there is delay from supplier.
– Home owner increased the scope of work & is now arranging for payments.

What services you provide after completing work?
Its a give & take. If you made last payment & treated my team well, we will do everything to solve your problems. There is no fix rule as 3 months or 6 months. Some of my clients call me even after years, then its about how good is relation. We try to build relation for life long with every new customer. But you cannot clap with single hand.

What do you suggest clients while buying bathroom fitting & tiles?
We would suggest you to buy the branded top fitting for the bathroom as they are long lasting. You might find at lower prices also but they are not so good as branded.

In tiles we would like to suggest bright colors & one line of highlighter which will add glance to yours bathroom.