The riskiest renovations and how homeowners can avoid the headache

When Brisbane man Daniel Baker* set about finding a contractor to paint the outside of his Queenslander, he thought it would be relatively straight forward — get quotes, choose one, and hey presto.

“He painted the house and said, ‘You’ve got a 10 year warranty on any defects, contact me if anything happens,'” Mr Baker said.

Three months after the completion of the job, which took six months, and $23,000 later, the paint started peeling from the weatherboards.

“I called him and called him and tried to get him back,” Mr Baker said.

The contractor finally returned, but Mr Baker said the weatherboards were not sanded and the peeling paint was patched up with a different colour.

“It looks awful, let’s put it that way,” he said.

“In desperation,…