How Closely Do I Have To Watch My Renovation Contractor?

Q:

How closely do I have to watch my Renovation Contractor?

A:

Since you’re asking this question I have to conclude one of two things;

1. That you’re a complete control freak or
2. You don’t entirely trust your renovation contractor.

If it’s the first one I can’t really help you as you’re going to do what you’re going to do regardless of what advice I can give you.

So let’s deal with the second one;

You don’t entirely trust your renovation contractor. If this is the case then you actually have a real problem and you should think about why you are hiring someone that you don’t completely trust to do something to your home?

You are allowing someone into your home, access to your personnel things and your family, your also paying a lot of money for this person to work on your home and this should really be thought of as an investment in your home. You’re putting a major investment in your home in the hands of someone you don’t actually trust.

The big question is why did you hire this person in the first place?

Usually it has to do with money. Most people that end up hiring someone that they don’t fully trust is because they came cheap or cheaper then everyone else. Well when it comes to renovations you get what you pay for. There’s a reason they are cheap;

• They use cheap material.

• They don’t follow proper safety procedures.

• They are not properly insured.

• They don’t know what they are doing.

• They will not give a proper warranty or any at all.

• They do not hire qualified sub-trades.

• They try to do all the work themselves (electrical, plumbing) instead of paying for a certified professional.

• They won’t give you a proper schedule for the project.

• They don’t clean up properly after themselves.

• They do not employ enough people to do the job in a timely manner.

• They deal in cash (either partially or fully). This is to avoid paying WSIB and income tax.

You should rethink your renovation contractor and either raise your budget or scale back your renovation to the point where you can afford it with a qualified contractor that you are comfortable with and one that you can trust.

There is no quicker way to ruin your home or your finances then hiring the wrong person to renovate your home.

If you don’t trust your renovator find another one and fast.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

I've been waiting for a remodeling contractor to call me back for three weeks, should I keep waiting?

Q:

I called a remodeling contractor but they didn’t call me back and it’s been 3 weeks, should I keep waiting or try someone else?

A:

Good remodeling contractors are usually busy throughout the entire year no matter what season it is or the conditions of the economy. But a remodeling contractor that can’t find the time to call you back after 3 weeks is not just busy they are unorganized.

If you run a successful remodeling business it’s not just because you are good at making people’s houses look great, it’s also because you are organized and have the proper policies in place so that your staff know what to do at all times no matter what scenario.

A well run remodeling business will have a plan in place that will require someone to call you back and make an appointment to meet with you; this should happen even if they are so busy they cannot take on anymore work. If they are so busy that they cannot help you at that time they should be able to meet with you to discuss your project and then give you a date that they would be able to start it.

This could be as far ahead as a year from now, it doesn’t mean that they expect you to wait a year for them to come but it’s a courteously and professional thing to be able to tell the person what your current timeline looks like. They do this not anticipating that you will wait for them, they do it so that in the future when are planning another renovation you will think to give them a call because of how professional they treated you even though they didn’t have too.

A lot of remodeling contractors are really busy and can’t call people back because they don’t have the proper office staff to handle it, they are running their company with little to no staff or management.
This is the kind of person that you want to avoid, they might not be able to present you with proper bills or show up when you have a warranty issue.

The best kind of remodeling company is the kind that has somewhere you can walk in and has an office staff, this means that there is always somewhere to go and talk to a real person or complain if that’s what you need to do. This kind of remodeling company will not be cheap as they will have more overhead then the average carpenter with a pickup truck but that also means that they rely on happy customers and repeat customers more than the guy with the truck.

Your remodeler shouldn’t be the cheapest, which means that they are doing everything legally and will be able to take care of all your needs and wants. The cost of construction is the cost of construction if the company is really inexpensive then there usually is a reason and that reason is usually not a good one.

You’ve been waiting for a call for 3 weeks, I’d start calling other companies, look around and ask people you know, if they liked the work they had done then they will probably refer someone to you.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

The Remodel Rollercoaster

The Remodel Rollercoaster

Understanding the construction process will help owners manage their expectations.

Here’s a quick quiz...

It’s two months into a major kitchen and great-room remodel. Bearing walls have been removed and new structural beams installed. Old plaster has been stripped. New wiring and plumbing has been roughed-in, insulation blown between the studs, and sheets of drywall screwed in place. The drywallers are sanding the seams in preparation for that first, shiny coat of paint. How do most homeowners feel?

The question illustrates a crucial issue. There are two things happening at each stage of a project: the actual construction and the homeowners’ perceptions and evolving feelings about it. Fortunately, most people react in predictable ways at predictable times, so an experienced remodeler will understand how to help owners through the inevitable ups and downs. If the homeowners know what to expect, the ride becomes easier and more enjoyable.

As the project begins, homeowners are typically very excited—and why shouldn’t they be? Pre-construction ups and downs involving plans, specs, and product choices are behind them. The space they’ve been imagining for years is about to take shape.

Emotions tend to remain high as workers start removing the old frame and finish. Yes, it’s a hassle not to have a working kitchen, but it’s only temporary and will be worth the final reward.

The final result will more than offset any short-term inconvenience, but the project may take longer than the homeowners are emotionally prepared for. Shows like “Extreme Home Makeover,” where a home gets renovated in a week, give a false impression. This kind of television magic may add stress to real-life schedules.

Once the interior framing is complete and the electricians, plumbers, and heating technicians begin roughing in their systems, emotions may take a dip. Progress seems to slow and excitement can wane.

At this point, it helps for homeowners to remember the importance of good lighting, plumbing, and heating to their long-term satisfaction. Investing the time to do things right will pay off big later on.

As professional remodelers, we understand how challenging this phase of the project is for homeowners, and we step up our communication about the progress that is being made. We find that providing an understanding of what is going on, along with realistic time estimates, helps to even out the emotional bumps for homeowners.

After the rough-ins are done, the contractor insulates the walls and hangs and finishes the drywall.

We are now entering the home stretch. The last phase includes installation of trim, flooring, cabinets, and fixtures. Here, excitement begins to rise again as the finish line pulls into sight. By final cleanup, emotions will be at a point nearly equal to where they were at the beginning.

How best to navigate this emotional journey? How does one enjoy the highs and take the dips in stride? Awareness about the process goes a long way. Study the schedule and know what is going to happen and when. Think of the project as a story, and the schedule as the plot outline. A good remodeler will work with the homeowners to fill that outline with details that minimize the impact of the tough times with an eye on delivering a quality project that meets the owner’s vision, on time and on budget.

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

I want to remodel my bathroom what should I lookout for?

Q:

I want to remodel my bathroom what should I lookout for?

A:

Bathroom remodeling is the bread and butter of the renovation industry. The bathroom is one of the most used places in a home. It is also one of the places where people spend the least amount of time (unless of course you are a teenager). Because of this problems in bathrooms usually go unnoticed for years before anyone tries to fix them or correct the problem before it causes damage.

One of the biggest things that you need to lookout for when doing a bathroom remodel are the places where water has been leaking. In a large bathroom there are a lot of places that water can leak and collect without you the homeowner ever knowing that it has happened. Water can leak and collect in and around the following locations:

• Behind, around or underneath the toilet.

• Behind, around or underneath the tub.

• Behind, around or underneath the shower.

• Underneath or in the bottom of the cabinet of the sink.

• On the walls because of humidity.

The first house that I ever owned was built in the fifties and had been re-faced a couple of time but never completely remodeled. I started by gutting the entire bathroom (the only one in the house), my plan was to do demolition all day having the toilet re-installed and working by that night. This would give me a working toilet (a place too read my book among other things). Boy was I wrong.

After gutting half the bathroom I got to where I was going to remove the toilet and set it outside until I could re-install it later that day so that it would function as the remodel continued. What I found when removing the toilet was that the toilet had been leaking for probably at least 10 years, because of this the floor was completely rotten around where the toilet was sitting (I had only owned the home for 18 months at the time). The only reason anyone never fell through the floor into the crawlspace below was because the plumbing was well fastened to the floor joist. Basically the drain for the toilet was holding up the toilet (and anybody who sat on it), the vinyl flooring and the rotten plywood.

The removal of the rotten floor and reframing the area took several days, I also had to bring a plumber in to re-pipe the toilet because I was forced to cut the plumbing out of the way to repair and replace the damaged plywood sheeting. I ended up having to stay with my parents for a couple of days while all of this happened. Luckily for me there was not a lot of mold created from the leakage of the toilet and that the toilet was the only fixture that had been leaking. It also helped that there wasn't a finished basement underneath to damage just a dirt floored crawlspace.

I have found worse things in other bathrooms, I have opening up walls behind showers and found mold. Mold  to the point where we had to spray a water-downed bleach solution all over the inside of the wall cavity just to kill it before we could continue working safely. I have found living snakes, mice and other creatures that like damp places and have found whole rotten rim-joist on the outside of the walls in houses where the shower drain was leaking. Rotten rim joist that were in such bad condition that when you looked at the outside of the home you could see that the wall and the roof were sinking in the area.

So when you are asking me what you should be looking for when you remodel your bathroom  you should plan on having a contingency fund. You are almost guaranteed to need it. Remember also that you should plan to spend the money fixing things properly while you have the opportunity, waiting to do it later will only cause you more of a headache and will also cost you more money.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

What changes or upgrades can I make on my renovation once it has started?

Q:

What changes or upgrades can I make once things are underway?

A:

The answer depends on the remodeler, and is something the homeowners need to be clear on before work starts. One advantage of working with a professionally managed company is that the there will be systems for managing such changes smoothly.

Unfortunately, changes can add expense and time to a job. A remodeler with a great preconstruction process will work to ensure that the plans and specs satisfy the homeowners' vision before work starts.

In extremely large renovation jobs it’s unavoidable to end up having changes from the original designs and job descriptions. Because you are not starting new you have to be able to work with the existing structure of the home. Remodelers though knowledgeable about how to renovate all manner of homes do not come with x-ray vision.  This means that they will come upon issues that will require changing the original plan of action to deal with what is found once interior and exterior walls are opened up.

Finding wiring, heating, plumbing and/or gas piping in the walls can require a change of plans as it can be impossible or costly to remove or relocate them from their existing position in the home.
Other problems like rot, improper building practises and updating to newer building codes can also have a great affect on how a renovation unfolds once it starts.

Because of this a professional and well organized remodeler is usually able to upgrade and /or make changes to some parts of the home from the original plan while keeping track of expenses compared to the original estimate.

The changes or upgrades that you want to avoid are the ones that involve redoing or removing work that your remodeling contractor has already completed. This will help ensure that you aren’t wasting your money and your remodeler’s time.

Rob Abbott
Village builders Inc.