Seven Steps to Avoid Nasty Missteps on Your Project
Two years ago, an attorney and an engineer started a major remodel and moved, with their two children, into a small guest house behind their expansive home. Why the project, which was initially expected to take eight months, remains unfinished is the subject of debate. The couple, who asked not to be named, blame their contractor. The contractor blames the couple.
Though their dispute is worse than most, many construction projects are delayed by poor scheduling and management on the part of both homeowners and contractors.
Savvy homeowners, before breaking ground, would be wise to work with their builder on a viable schedule that can help get the project completed on time as well as get occupants out of the house during the worst days but keep them available when decisions need to be made.
How do you do it? Think of it as similar to planning a wedding or other major event requiring advance notice and scheduling. Even though you’re probably anxious to get started, force yourself to plan ahead and take your time. If you try to throw the project together at the last minute, some piece is sure to fall by the wayside. The consequences could be unpleasant and costly.
Instead, go step by step:
1. Start with the weather.
If your remodel will expose any part of the house to the elements for a period of time (you’re taking off the roof to build a second story or opening a wall to add on to the front or back of the house), try to schedule the job during months that are normally dry. Naturally, it’s impossible to know whether you’ll get unseasonal showers, but you’ll at least decrease the odds of a weather delay--or of having remaining floors or walls ruined by acts of God that are not covered by your contract.
2. Check your contractor’s calendar.
It’s in no one’s best interest to start a job when your contractor, or his or her subcontractors, are simply too busy to get to your site. If the contractor you want can’t be ready for six months, consider waiting. Not only will that allow you to hire the person who you believe is best for the job, it also will give you time to get all your ducks in a row--arranging financing or saving up more money, or picking out windows, tile, carpet, cabinets and knobs at good prices. Realize you don’t have to do these things before you start. But, if you don’t, you’ll have to scramble to complete them when construction is underway.
3. Consider how long you need to pack and plan.
If you’re doing a major remodel that will require you to move out of a portion of your house--or even move out completely--be realistic about how long it will take you to pack up things and move them out. Remember that the start of the job sets the tone for the project, and getting things done on time requires a partnership between you and your contractor. If your contractor waits for you now because you wanted to start before you could be ready, you might have to wait for the contractor later.
4. Get a timeline.
Before you start, sit down with your contractor and walk through the timing of the project. When will the major elements start and finish? When must you decide on and order finish materials, such as carpets, cabinets and tile? (If you don’t order something ahead that takes time to make or ship, such as cabinets or windows, your project will languish while everyone waits for them to arrive.)
Also, if you plan to live in the house while it’s being remodeled, ask whether there will be phases in the project that will be particularly noisy, dirty or difficult for you to live through. If there are, consider taking a vacation to get your family out during the worst of them.
This timeline helps you see whether your project is progressing as scheduled, and gives you warning about when you need to make decisions. If you’ve set up progress payments based on the start or finish of major elements, such as framing or completing the roofing or drywall, it also tells you when you need money available.
5. Respect the professional you hired.
One of the problems in the seemingly endless project undertaken by the attorney and engineer is that this couple started second-guessing their contractor from the get-go. While they dispute who is at fault, both sides reiterate these same facts: The engineer/homeowner came in during framing and took a level to each piece of wood, demanding that the contractor reframe anything that was off by a fraction of an inch. The contractor, who had successfully framed several hundred houses in the past, explained that tiny differences got fixed later in the process, but the engineer wouldn’t hear of it. He demanded that several fully framed walls be ripped out and rebuilt. Then he returned with his level.
The project suddenly got pushed to the bottom of the contractor’s priority list. When it was done, the walls were framed with scientific precision, but the beauty of the framing was behind the walls. No one but the homeowner and the contractor knew the difference.
“You are not building a piano,” says Rob Rosebrugh, an experienced contractor with RR Construction in Thousand Oaks, who says all contractors have had clients like this. “There are certain tolerances that are standard. An eighth-of-an-inch indentation over an 8-foot stretch is just not something you need to worry about.”
Naturally, if you see something that appears drastically wrong, ask your contractor about it. If you don’t get an adequate answer, stop the project and get another expert to take a look. Otherwise, if you took the time to check out your contractor’s credentials, references and history, assume your contractor knows what he or she is doing.
6. Be available.
Remodels, particularly of structures that are more than 20 years old, are lessons in decision-making and problem-solving, says Dee Bailey, vice president at Harrell Remodeling in Menlo Park. Homeowners must be available to answer questions when things go awry or details on the plans simply aren’t clear. Otherwise, your contractor may be forced to delay the work until you’re around to make the judgment call.
Although you can be available by phone, some things are hard to describe in words. It’s wise to regularly show up at the job site.
Some architects suggest you set up weekly meetings to check progress, and ask and answer questions. But many homeowners do the same thing in more informal fashion.
Patrick Higgins, a West Los Angeles homeowner, was in the habit of stopping in and checking on his job on a nearly daily basis, for instance. Frequently, he’d bring a six-pack and chat with the contractor over a beer at the end of the day.
When the contractor suddenly realized that a support beam was going to create an unsightly dissection of the vaulted ceiling in the Higginses’ daughter’s room, homeowner and contractor had already established a healthy dialogue. They looked at the offending beam “for hours” discussing how to best handle it, says spouse Lisa Higgins.
In the end, they decided to use the beam as part of a loft that not only solved the problem, added to the square footage of the house and created a wonderful play areafor their child.
7. Do unto others.
Talk to 10 homeowners who have finished a remodel and you’ll hear some horror stories. This can sometimes cause homeowners to assume they’ll have trouble before they start and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s another horror story in the making.
But when homeowners show their contractors some respect and thoughtfulness, they’re often rewarded in dozens of subtle--and sometimes overt--ways.
“A little kindness goes a long way,” says Bailey. “We have one person right now who set up a little coffee bar for our guys. I’ll tell you, the guys are there on time and ready to go first thing in the morning. And, if [the owners] need a little help moving a temporary refrigerator, or anything else, those guys are going to be right there for them.”
Rosebrugh had a similar experience when he remodeled the Higgins home. He and the Higginses quickly established mutual trust.
The Higginses wanted to move into their home by the winter holidays--even though that was a short time frame for their major remodel. Rosebrugh made sure the project was done so they could. Then, he wrapped the house with a big red bow and left a bottle of champagne on the dining room table.
“Their house was done several years ago,” adds Rosebrugh. “But, I’ll tell you, if they had a problem today, I’d be there in a heartbeat.”
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Next week: Making changes.
For the entire Remodeling 101 series so far--Part 1: Preliminary Digging; Part 2: Preparing a Plan; Part 3: Reviewing the Plans; Part 4: Defining the Details; Part 5: Interviewing and Hiring the Contractor; Part 6: Getting It in Writing; Part 7: Sticker Shock; Part 8: Construction Financing--visit https://www.latimes.com/remodeling101.
