No one likes to think about having to “survive” anything, and certainly not a remodeling project. But in our experience as professional remodeling contractors, we’ve come to learn and advise our clients that there will be ups and downs with every project. It’s our job to minimize stress and flatten out inevitable emotional peaks and valleys.
Room additions are often the most complex and time-consuming types of remodeling projects. The scope of work on these projects makes stress management especially important.
Consider, for example, the impact of removing an entire roof to accommodate a second-story addition, or displacing a kitchen to add an adjacent family room. A family’s day-to-day life can be impacted for several weeks. That doesn’t mean, however, that the payoff isn’t worth it … especially if client and contractor work together to manage the project and minimize stress.
To help our homeowners cope, we take time to go over the entire scope of the remodel before we sign a contract. We work with our clients to identify and rectify “pinch points” that might cause anxiety. We'll find out how we can be as unobtrusive as possible. We'll find out the best time to start in the morning and explain how we'll control dust and boot prints from getting past the construction zone. We work hard to accommodate the sensitivities of our clients and reduce the amount of intrusion—and related stress—they feel.
We find it useful to sit down with all members of the household to discuss the project, address any potential impact, and map out responsibilities and concerns. It also helps to plan contingencies, such as temporary cooking or sleeping areas, and make those spaces as comfortable and “normal” as possible. The goal is to create a partnership—between our company and family members—so that everyone feels connected to the project and excited and committed to the ultimate goal.
We also advise homeowners to prepare their neighbors. A room addition project often requires several tradespeople, as well as our crewmembers, which can limit street parking. It is helpful to let your neighbors know what’s coming, the time frame for completion, and our daily start and stop times. It might also be a nice gesture to invite them to an open house when the project is done to show them your new space and thank them for their support.
The most important stress reducer by far is effective communication. We make it a point to set up regular meetings throughout the project to discuss progress, make decisions or selections, and address any concerns. It is incumbent on both contractor and client to keep those lines of communication open, honest, and respectful. If there’s a problem that crops up between scheduled meetings, we can usually tackle it right away, keeping everyone's stress level in check … and our clients out of “survival” mode.
Warm Regards,
Doug Abbott
Village Builders
This is an excerpt from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc
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