Has it been 6 weeks already?

It’s actually been more than 6 weeks, but it was six weeks ago since the contractor started the home renovation.  He should have been there a week before, but was tied up on another project.
It wasn’t a problem then.  And you can’t start the job by hassling the contractor to be there on time.  Where’s it going from there?

Have you looked at the causes for the delays?  Actually was there an original agreed to shedule?  If did not agree to a schedule, how do you know the remodel is late?

The first thing you need along with a good contractor and quote, is a construction schedule, that at minimum, identifies the critical activities for the project.  A critical activity is one that if delayed or if it takes longer than planned, will extend the completion date.

The schedule should also outline the points at which decisions from you are required.  This way you can be ready with the information the contractor requires to keep the project moving.

A good schedule is not difficult for an experienced contractor to put together.  And maybe that’s a differentiator you should not ignore.

What do you do to prepare for your renovation or remodel?

• Do you read books?  If so, what books have you read?
• Do you research on the Internet?  If so, what have you found?

 

Is there a need for advice on remodels or renovation projects?  If so, what kind of advice are you looking for?

• Advice on methods of construction?
• Advice on codes?
• Advice on costs and budgets?
• Advice on specific contractors?
• Advice on contracts?
• Advice on what types or what work has good payback?

 

Let’s hear from you . . .

- Frank Soellig

Design-Build, Lump Sum, Contract Management, Cost Plus are all agreements of how the risk of the renovation or remodel project is allocated.  Which one you pick is up to you and your contractor.

I say it’s up to you and your contractor because, it’s unlikely that you actually managed to solicit the three quotes as recommended in the previous item.  Why you didn’t get the quotes is your thing, but you did cheat yourself out of some very good information. 

My bet is you didn’t get the three prices because you felt the project is pretty clear and straight forward and it doesn’t need a formal drafting of a scope of work with the drawings and specifications.  Perhaps too, you feel that you don’t have the experience to draft such a document and you believe hiring someone to do this is too costly when the very helpful contractor can do this for you.

It does take time and effort to put such a document together.  And your project just doesn’t warrant it.  It’s easier to call the reference you got from your neigbour, find out when the busy contractor could possibly find the time to do you a favour and come and look at your project.

The contractor will walk though the project with you.  He will point out things that you hadn’t thought of that need to be done.  He will also point out things that you should do while you’re at it.  And he will offer advice on whether you should do this or that.  All of it good advice, no doubt.

The problem is that this renovation project is now getting a tad out of control.  Not too much.  But you’re loosing control never the less.  This is normal, because at some point the contractor will have total control of your project,  and depending on the chosen type of contract, your wallet.

Unless you know exactly what type, make, and size of door that you want, and what type and number of recessed lights you want, the contractor will specify these items.  He will price them and the other items that you’ve not thought about.  And before you know it, the project becomes either a design build or cost plus project.

Design build is just that.  The contractor designs the work and builds it.  He is responsible for the design and he is responsible for the construction of the design.   If something doesn’t fit, work or wasn’t thought of. it’s not your problem.  It’s very unlikely that you will receive a true design build proposal.

More likely you will receive a cost plus proposal based on the contractors’ specified products.  The elements of the bid are hopefully a complete recitiation of your requests made at the project walk through.  But if there is something that is missed or wasn’t thought of, such as who does the removal of the old door and floor tile, the contractor will either ask you to do the work, or ask you for more money.

Depending on the complexity of the renovation project or remodel, and they all look simple in the beginning, it may be OK to go the design build or cost plus route.  Although make no mistake about it, it takes someone very experienced to chart the often rocky shores of these types of arrangements.

- Frank Soellig

How much is all this gonna cost?  No one knows.  You know how much you want to spend.  You can still remember when the project was only supposed to be new tile on the walls and new flooring.

Somehow that oh-so simple renovation project has tuned into a full remodel.  Since the tiles are coming off anyway, let’s dig onto the walls and add some cable for the internet.  And since we’re going to replace the countertops, they don’t match the tile anymore, we should get a new sink.  Plus more and more.

Once the wants and needs are planned and comitted to paper, it’s time to get some quotes for the work.  How many prices to solicit?  If the market is busy, to get three prices, the bare minimum if you are at all concerned about budget and costs, you need to get at least four or five companies interested in your project.  That’s right, I said you need to get them interested.

In order to evaluate the prices when they are presented, you need to ensure that you know what the full extend of the scope of work entails.  The best way to ensure this it provide a scope of work document.  The usual manner is a series of drawings and written specifications.  The more specific and detailed the request for pricing, the less difficult it is to review and make sense of the pricing.

Beware of the low price.  No matter which quote you accept, understand that this is merely the starting price.  And it never gets less expensive.

- Frank Soellig 

It’s your meet the contractor moment. And you are somewhat worried about what the contractor will think about your project, your ideas and you, though you should be concerned about the competency, integrity, and trustworthiness of the contractor.

Before you get to this point, you should have done as much research on potential contractors as possible. No time, you say? Perhaps, but you never want to be in a position where in hindsight you wonder; What was the rush? A bit or a lot of legwork in the pre-selection phase of your home renovation or remodel is worth evey effort you expend.

Ask your friends for references. How about your coworkers? At least one of your neighbours knows someone who has done something similar to what you are planning. Get their nominations for quality contractors.

The thing you are looking for, want and need, paradoxically can’t be given at this meeting. Trust is not a token that can be handed over merely by asking for it. Trust and integrity are travelers down the same road. Trust is something that built over time as result of numerous small transactions rooted in faith.

Does that mean the you have to put you faith out there and hand over your trust and future cash, blindly? There are clues worth watching out for in your intial interactions with this contractor. Luckily common sense and past experience in trust building will serve you well.

Bottom line is, does this contractor say and do things to show that he is looking out for your interests? You may think you are the only one being asked to extend your trust. The reputable contractor is a similiar situation.

- Frank Soellig

Paper. . . . It’s everywhere. Although we are living in a digital world, when you are doing any type of renovation or remodel, regardless of size, you will be bombarded with paper.

You’ll have two options on how to deal with the avalanche. One is to do nothing special, just let it come in and overwhelm you. The plan here is to hope for the best. The other is to diligently document and file.

In an analog world, a good binder, a decent hole punch, and stapler are your main weapons. Divider tabs and highlighters are another level althogether. If you want to ascend to the guru level you will need those little ‘Sign Here’, ‘Approve’, ‘Review’ sticky tabs.

If you are digitally inclined, you could scan the paper and get it onto your filing system. Once scanned, you can tag the file with keywords to assist in the retrieval of the information when required.

That’s really what the entire documention thing is all about. The number of decisions required in a typical renovation project are staggering. You need a way to keep a record of not only the decision, but also how you arrived at it.

What’s the toughest thing about documention? It’s not what you think. It the old 80-20 rule. Eighty percent of all the stuff you file, you will never need. The problem is that you don’t know which decision falls into which pile.

That means you’re stuck doing as much filing as you can.

- Frank Soellig

Quality is an interesting topic.  It’s something that is hard to define in writing or even in pictures.  You can as easily tell sub-par quality as you can tell superior high quality.

Where it get’s tougher in renovations or remodels, is the middle ground.  In the vast area between total crap and the unafforable and unattainable, lives what we deal with most times.  The product is usually well suited for the purpose.  It does it’s job and has a reasonable service life.

Where there could be some conflict is in the expectations.  You expected something greater than what you received.  The door just doesn’t have the weight you expected.  The fridge is noisier that you thought it should be.  And the tile floor joints are uneven.  Surely this isn’t right.

Then there is the marginal quality.   Paint is paint, right?  Those drywall tape joints are a bit rough, but then they all are, and if you don’t get too close you don’t notice them too  much. 

And finally there is hidden or concealed work.   There are items that you’re not even aware of having possible lower quality.  The plumbing within the wall, the electrical wiring, or the vapour barrier details around the windows all could be less than expected.  If you pulled a permit for the work, at least you have some confort in knowing that the work was inspected by the departments having jurisdiction.

The tough part in a renovation is that quality is as much a feeling as it is a reality.  If you trust your contractor and have carefully reviewed the specifications, you are well on your way of receiving what you paid for.

The problem is, who can you turn to if you have a truly bad feeling or merely some doubt?

- Frank Soellig

We can have this done in four (4) weeks!  Great.  Just what you wanted to hear.  This should be no sweat.  Let’s get it going.  Let the demo begin . . .

Oh, do we need a permit?  How long will this take? Two weeks? Huh!

I thought you were ordering that.  How long to get it here? What!?!  Three weeks to get a sink?

Where are the plumbers?  They were supposed to be here today.  Why aren’t they here?

I could go on, but the point is, time keeps on moving on.  Your renovation might not keep pace.  Lack of planning is the usual suspect.  But so is lack of scope definition.  And add in lack of supervision and coordination and you have a full blown project.

Scheduling is a time management tool that is not to be overlooked on even the smallest of contracted remodels.  The process of scheduling can uncover problem areas or undefined scope.  Developing a good schedule or detailed task list early can go a long way in avoiding some of the pitfalls described above.

- Frank Soellig
 

Any venture is by definition risky.  Some endevours are more so than others.  Where do home renovations fall in the spectrum?

The larger and more complex the anticipated work, the more inherent risk.  Undefined risk, not an oxymoron, can have a huge negative impact on your project.  When undefined risk meets reality, it surfaces as a surprise.  As previsously suggested, Surprise = Cost, therefore, Risk = Cost.

Well drafted contracts define and allocate risks to the party best able to deal with it.  There is a premium to have a contractor assume risk and you will pay for the pleasure of not having to worry about a specific risk event.

Who do you think ends up shouldering the risk without a contract?  My guess it’s . . . YOU!

- Frank Soellig

Pitfall: I thought that was included!

If you don’t define a comprehensive scope document, you will be in for surprises.  When doing any home renovation, surprises are not what you are looking for.  In most instances, Surprises = Extra Cost.  Of course, size and complexity of the remodel are closely related to the number and impact of unexpected items.

It’s not that unanticipated events can be eliminated completely, but with some foresight, you can minimize their size and impact.  This means that you need to have thought through the project as completely as possible.  Determine what you will provide and what you expect the contractor to provide.

It’s best to write down what you will do and what you expect the contractor to do.  Provide this document to the bidders and ask them to price the work as indicated.  In so doing, you will understand the proposed work more completely.  And so will your bidders.

A scope document also reduces unknowns of the renovation or remodel project.  Unknowns are risk.  And risk shifted to the contractor naturally costs you more.

- Frank Soellig