Depending on the size and scope of the renovation project that you want to take on you are probably going to have to go through permits, drawings, engineers and designs. All of these things are needed for your large renovation project to commence.
What most people don't realize is that until you actually hire a contractor to do the renovation work you will be doing all of this pre-renovation legwork by yourself. To hire a contractor you will want to get a price for your project, to get a proper price for your project requires that you have drawings, designs and engineering. The one person that can help you do all of the things you need to do (the renovation contractor) doesn't really want to help you until they have been given the job and they know they will get paid for all their time and effort.
There is a solution, what you need is a consultant. Not just any consultant but a company that consults on renovations because it does renovation contracting as well. Village Builders does this, we will consult on renovation projects to help homeowners get their permits, drawings, engineering and designs. This consulting doesn't come with any strings to the rest of the project, we charge you for the consulting work, help you get everything you need and then if you want to hire us do the renovation we will complete it for you. If you want us to bid on the job with other builders then we will do that too. In-fact if you have a contractor that you want to do the job and want us just do the consulting as the renovation progresses we will be happy to do that as well.
Consulting works by us charging you an hourly fee for our time and then the fee of any professional that we hire on behalf of you the homeowner. For example; if we hire an engineer to do drawings for parts of your home then you would pay their bill and anytime that we as the consultants worked with them.
As consultants we can give you preliminary budgets for the project, these budgets would be based solely on your ideas before you have your drawings so that you understand the scope of monies that you are getting into. We will also give you budgeting on the renovation once the drawings are completed so that you can have something to use as a template to compare the other bidders for the renovation work. This way you are able to weed out the bidders that are too low and the ones that are excessively too high.
If you are thinking about taking on a large renovation project and you don't know were to start, then call or email us at Village Builders, we can help. info@villagebuilers.ca
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
Showing posts with label proper budgeting for your renovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proper budgeting for your renovation. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Monday, August 10, 2015
Optimizing The Budget When Renovating Your Home
Optimizing the Budget
The ability to ‘value engineer’ the project is one hallmark of an experienced pro.
Stretching to get the most value for the dollar is a sport we all love to play. This certainly applies to a home remodeling project. It’s not unusual for the homeowners’ vision to be out of sync with the budget. Although this can be discouraging, a professional remodeler can suggest creative solutions that reduce costs while still delivering that vision.
The method for finding these solutions is called ‘value engineering.’ This is really just a fancy term for doing everything in a way that optimizes the return on every dollar—but pulling it off is easier said than done.
One of the differences between a merely competent remodeler and a real pro is the understanding that value engineering is not a random cost-cutting exercise; instead it’s a systematic and thoughtful approach to satisfying the homeowners’ most important needs using the funds they already have.
Items that can be value engineered include the project design as well the materials and products that go into it. The remodeler will scrutinize the plans and specifications (or the homeowners’ concept, if plans haven’t been drawn yet) and suggest alternatives that lower costs while maintaining quality.
The goal is to support the homeowners to make informed choices.
Most people only understand these types of tradeoffs in broad terms. They know that granite countertops and solid wood cabinets will cost more than laminate counters and wood veneer. But obvious contrasts like that aren’t what we’re talking about.
Real value engineering is more subtle. It’s not unusual to be able to shave thousands of dollars off the budget for a big remodeling project by making a lot of small adjustments that only minimally impact the way the new space looks and feels—if you know how to do it right.
How does the remodeler know where to make those adjustments?
By asking the right questions in the right way, identifying patterns in the answers, and reading between the lines. A remodeler who is good at this can often uncover priorities that the homeowners weren’t able to articulate. Solutions can then be tailored to those priorities.
For instance, it may become clear that some spaces can be altered while others can’t. If the homeowners have more enthusiasm about the master suite than the kitchen, they might be amenable to less-expensive fixtures in the kitchen but not in the bath. Where substitutions must be made, the trick is in knowing which lower-cost materials and design features will deliver the needed performance, aesthetic, or warranty features, but without increasing maintenance costs or reducing the home’s longevity.
If the project is an addition, value engineering may include reducing exterior wall space by simplifying the facade. Exterior walls cost a lot more to build than interior walls, so a facade with fewer corners, nooks, and crannies will require less materials and labor. Changes could be as simple as moving windows or doors a few inches to eliminate framing members, or as complex as adjusting the footprint of the new space to make more efficient use of materials.
It can even mean working with subcontractors to rethink pipe, wire, and duct runs. In fact, good value engineering is a team effort, and a good team of subcontractors will be accustomed to helping make it work.
Remodelers who do this well are able to draw on deep design and construction experience, solid business processes, and very good people. Those attributes are, of course, the hallmarks of a pro.
Warm Regards,
Doug Abbott
Village Builders
The ability to ‘value engineer’ the project is one hallmark of an experienced pro.
Stretching to get the most value for the dollar is a sport we all love to play. This certainly applies to a home remodeling project. It’s not unusual for the homeowners’ vision to be out of sync with the budget. Although this can be discouraging, a professional remodeler can suggest creative solutions that reduce costs while still delivering that vision.
The method for finding these solutions is called ‘value engineering.’ This is really just a fancy term for doing everything in a way that optimizes the return on every dollar—but pulling it off is easier said than done.
One of the differences between a merely competent remodeler and a real pro is the understanding that value engineering is not a random cost-cutting exercise; instead it’s a systematic and thoughtful approach to satisfying the homeowners’ most important needs using the funds they already have.
Items that can be value engineered include the project design as well the materials and products that go into it. The remodeler will scrutinize the plans and specifications (or the homeowners’ concept, if plans haven’t been drawn yet) and suggest alternatives that lower costs while maintaining quality.
The goal is to support the homeowners to make informed choices.
Most people only understand these types of tradeoffs in broad terms. They know that granite countertops and solid wood cabinets will cost more than laminate counters and wood veneer. But obvious contrasts like that aren’t what we’re talking about.
Real value engineering is more subtle. It’s not unusual to be able to shave thousands of dollars off the budget for a big remodeling project by making a lot of small adjustments that only minimally impact the way the new space looks and feels—if you know how to do it right.
How does the remodeler know where to make those adjustments?
By asking the right questions in the right way, identifying patterns in the answers, and reading between the lines. A remodeler who is good at this can often uncover priorities that the homeowners weren’t able to articulate. Solutions can then be tailored to those priorities.
For instance, it may become clear that some spaces can be altered while others can’t. If the homeowners have more enthusiasm about the master suite than the kitchen, they might be amenable to less-expensive fixtures in the kitchen but not in the bath. Where substitutions must be made, the trick is in knowing which lower-cost materials and design features will deliver the needed performance, aesthetic, or warranty features, but without increasing maintenance costs or reducing the home’s longevity.
If the project is an addition, value engineering may include reducing exterior wall space by simplifying the facade. Exterior walls cost a lot more to build than interior walls, so a facade with fewer corners, nooks, and crannies will require less materials and labor. Changes could be as simple as moving windows or doors a few inches to eliminate framing members, or as complex as adjusting the footprint of the new space to make more efficient use of materials.
It can even mean working with subcontractors to rethink pipe, wire, and duct runs. In fact, good value engineering is a team effort, and a good team of subcontractors will be accustomed to helping make it work.
Remodelers who do this well are able to draw on deep design and construction experience, solid business processes, and very good people. Those attributes are, of course, the hallmarks of a pro.
Warm Regards,
Doug Abbott
Village Builders
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)