How to Prepare Your Home and Yourself for a Remodeling Project
First of all, congratulations on making the decision to hire a contractor, versus trying to tackle a home remodeling project on your own. The vast majority of homeowners do not have the skill to tackle a major remodel as either a DIY project, or as a general contractor. The remodel project will be significantly more expensive if you begin a project and have to hire a contractor to finish it. Many times, the items that need to be fixed are more expensive the second time around. The phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” is appropriate when referring to major construction.
Although you won’t be asked to do any actual physical labor, you will be asked to help with the preparation of your home. We have provided you with some tips to help you get through this transition period before and while your home is under construction.
SCOPE OF WORK
First of all, it is necessary to have a first ‘introductory’ meeting to discuss the scope of the work you are considering. Many times, our designer can help you make important decisions about the most efficient use of space, or perhaps give you additional possibilities for an adjustment in the design you may not have considered. This first appointment is important to both us and you to determine the projects you are interested in pursuing at this time. Many times, clients have multiple projects they would like to do, but would like to break them up into ‘phases’. We can help you prioritize these projects so that they are done in the most efficient way possible.
ESTIMATE
After the initial scope of work is discussed, we will send out a team member to look at the project and prepare an estimate. This will give you an idea of the cost of the project. This will be an opportunity for you to compare your budget with the actual cost of the job. Many projects contain ‘options’ that you can accept or reject at this point, which will help with budgeting your project.
PERMITS
After your project scope and estimate have been approved, if your project requires a permit, we will submit the necessary paperwork to the required agencies to obtain the proper permits.
SELECTIONS
Many construction projects include items that you will need to purchase. Plumbing and/or lighting fixtures, tile, countertop material, and other decorative items that will complete your project. Most of these selections will need to be made and purchased before we begin the project, as those selections may affect parts of the project. For instance, if you choose to use a farmhouse sink, the cabinet will be built or modified differently than if an undermount sink is chosen. Many clients prefer to choose selections on their own. If you would like some assistance in ‘pulling it all together’, our designer can assist you. Many clients find Houzz, Pinterest, and other websites helpful when looking for ideas.
SCHEDULING
After the permit is approved, we will want to discuss the schedule with you. Although it is difficult to predict the schedule too far in advance, we will be able to give you an idea of what is to happen when. Our team will update you on the schedule for the day and the week ahead.
BEGINNING YOUR PROJECT
Although we will be doing the ‘heavy lifting’, there are a few things you will want to do before we begin your project. It is advisable that you move fragile and precious items from the work area, including pictures off of the wall in the work area. Although we strive to keep the area as clean as possible, construction is dusty, we want to ensure that your precious items are safe.
If your project is a kitchen, you will want to set up a temporary ‘kitchen’ for meals for you and your family.
We love your animals, but it is necessary to make sure your animals have a place to stay that is out of the construction area. We want to ensure their safety and comfort, and open doors, power tools, and just the disruption to the household can be stressful for any family pet.
We will be installing plastic sheets between the work area and the rest of the house to help contain dust. We will, however, provide a way for you to access areas that you will need to get to while the project is progressing.
For the duration of the project, our team will strive to keep you up-to-date from the day we begin demo, to the day the project is complete. We try and give you as much notice as possible, but do understand that with some of the trades, schedules are quite ‘fluid’. If something changes with the schedule, we will let you know as soon as possible.
We are happy to provide references of clients we have worked with on their projects. They can give you valuable information about how their project went.
We want you to know that at Renaissance Design and Construction, we are honored that you are considering us to help you achieve the home of your dreams.
We look forward to meeting and working with you!