Shanghai Daily news

The life of anyone redecorating an apartment or house in Shanghai is full of anxiety but Sam Crispin has some tips that will ensure peace of mind if they are followed carefully.

In recent months I have sold houses or apartments to a German, a French man, a Belgian and an Englishman. This may sound like the beginning of a joke but you can be assured that decorating a newly bought home in Shanghai is no joke. It is an emotionally charged and highly frustrating process. A few tips for expats are given in the following few paragraphs.
A local wife or husband (or Chinese friend) who can manage the contractor is essential.
Keep a sense of humor. When a worker hammers a nail through the water pipe he installed the day before try not to let it get you too upset. The contractor will fix it. On the other hand, if you find they have put the bathroom tiles on upside down, by all means feel free to let rip.
Take a “hands-on” approach. A friend of mine sent me an SMS message saying he was on the back of an open truck crossing the Lupu Bridge having been to pick up materials. If you have the time go on site every day you should do so.
Pay particular attention to hot water systems, airconditioning and wiring. Get your contractor to give you a “proper” quotation. What I call a “proper” quotation is a list of materials and labor at cost price with a reasonable profit added at the end. In this way you negotiate on the cost of the inputs and the profit separately and the inevitable variations to what has been agreed can be easily calculated.
Manage your own procurement. Buy all the materials yourself, or at least the highvalue ones. Believe it or not, your friendly contractor may try to make a bit extra on the side.
Keep a good supply of cigarettes and drinks on hand. If you are decorating a house on a compound you will get frequent visits from the property management staff wanting to poke around and find out what you are up to.
Keep them on side by plying them with smokes and drinks. Take this one step further and visit the management office in advance for a chat with a box of chocolates and tea. The staff are probably bored and will be willing to help if approached in this way.
Get a full set of drawings. Your contractor should give you drawings of electrical wiring and pipes as well as the full work schedule. When further work is needed to the house at a later date you will need to know where the pipes and wires are.
Control payment. Withhold the last 5 or 10 percent of payment until two or three months after completion. If any remedial work needs to be done after you move in, this gives your contractor the incentive needed to make him do it. If they do not come back to do the work, you will have cash in hand to pay someone else to do the work.
The above guide won’t solve all your problems but it might help with some of the hassles. And those of you with a penchant for riding across Shanghai’s bridges on the back of open trucks will have fun!

Sam Crispin has 10 years of property agency and investment experience in Shanghai and he can be reached by e-mail at samcrispin@msn.com