Contingency and hidden-work questions for 125 m² Utrecht renovation

[yard.steady]

The 85-day programme already looks tight, and my main concern is how much concealed work could emerge once finishes are removed. The property is a 125 m² small multifamily in Utrecht, with a preliminary renovation allowance of €251,500.

The work includes renewing kitchens and washrooms, replacing floor finishes, redecorating, assessing the wiring and making some energy improvements. Nothing is being added to the building structurally. I am less worried about specification choices than old pipework, moisture, electrical remedial work and gaps in a contractor’s quotation.

What contingency would you keep separate at this point? I would also welcome suggestions for survey access, tender questions and checks on permit timing that could turn those unknowns into priced items before the contract is signed.

 

[LongChalk]

With that much hidden work, I would initially ring-fence around 15% as contingency and resist using it for finish upgrades. If plumbing access, moisture and the electrical scope remain unclear when the contract is signed, I’d want closer to 20% or separate provisional allowances for those items. A percentage alone is less useful if the contractor can quietly treat exclusions as extras.

 

[writesAndOak]

Are the units vacant during those 85 days, and is that calendar days or working days? That changes the sequencing considerably. I’d also want to know how many kitchens and bathrooms are included and whether services are shared between units. Shared risers or inaccessible pipe routes could affect several work areas at once.

 

[talia.nash]

I’m not convinced that simply increasing contingency to 20% solves this. Spend a small part of the investigation budget before agreeing the main price: selective opening around wet areas, inspection of accessible service routes and moisture readings where staining or poor ventilation is suspected. The aim is to turn concealed work into measured scope while design changes are still cheap.

 

[talia.nash]

Also ask every bidder for a written exclusions list rather than relying only on their scope description. Specifically: making good after opening walls, disposal, temporary services, access equipment, testing after electrical work, reinstating fire or acoustic separations, and who repairs finishes damaged by plumbing access. Those boundary items are where sequencing arguments tend to start.

 

[kit_escrow]

The 85-day programme may be the tighter constraint. Map decisions and deliveries backwards from the kitchen, bathroom and flooring installation dates. If materials are not confirmed early, trades either wait or work out of sequence. I would also keep any permit or approval timing outside the contractor’s optimistic site programme until the relevant requirements have been confirmed locally.

 

[HonestHorizon]

Moisture deserves its own investigation rather than a line inside “bathroom renovation.” Ask whether any dampness comes from active leakage, failed seals, condensation or an external source, and what must dry before walls and floors are closed. Otherwise a quick programme can hide the symptom and then install new finishes over an unresolved cause.

 

[warm_grain]

One caveat to “no structural extension”: internal work can still uncover structural questions. New service openings, removal of boxed-in elements or changes to heavy bathroom build-ups may need clarification even if the footprint stays identical. I’d ask the surveyor to identify anything that should not be altered or drilled before demolition begins.

 

[HonestHorizon]

Agreed, Lara. That also supports Chloe’s selective-opening suggestion, but the openings need to be coordinated. Have the contractor, surveyor and whoever is defining the electrical and plumbing work agree what they need exposed at the same visit. Random exploratory holes can create repair costs without answering the important routing questions.

 

[RealMoss]

For electrical scope, ask whether the price covers inspection only, identified remedial work, new circuits for kitchens and bathrooms, distribution changes, testing and making good. For plumbing, ask where isolation points are, whether pipe replacement is local or route-wide, and how concealed leaks will be priced. The answers should identify assumptions, not just say “as required.”

 

[anika_vale]

I’d put the tenders into one comparison table using the same work sequence: investigation, strip-out, drying or remediation, first-fix services, inspections, closing up, finishes and commissioning. If one contractor has omitted a step, their lower total is not really comparable. Require proposed durations and dependencies for each phase rather than accepting a single 85-day bar.

 

[oren_deals]

At this point I’d keep the contingency toward the upper end suggested by Zara, then reduce it only after coordinated opening-up and clarified bids. Before fixing the total, confirm whether the €251,500 includes design and survey costs, approvals, temporary protection, waste, taxes and all reinstatement. Those answers will show whether the contingency is protecting against genuine unknowns or merely covering items missing from the preliminary budget.