Remodel

Review this section for some things to consider and think about prior to our appointment.

Vision / Goals

This is the softer side of your remodel, but possibly the most important. At the end of the day. you want a space that fits your everyday life style and a space you will love being in. Things to think about:

• What is your end goal? Will you be staying in the home for the foreseeable future or selling?
• Your lifestyle
• Will kids or pets be in the space? (Some materials more durable than others…)
• Budget (discussed in greater detail below)

Materials

There are so many material options on the market and the price range between them can fluctuate drastically. You don’t necessarily have to have every material you want to use figured out (and rarely does anyone) but if you have a general direction, it will help us create a more realistic proposal. Some things to think about the project may include:

• Showers: tile or fiberglass
• Flooring: tile, carpet, or engineered flooring
• Counter tops: granite, quartz, solid surface, laminate, etc.
• Decking: composite or treated lumber
• Windows: casement or picture windows

Budget

Your budget is a big factor in your remodel. Many people do not feel comfortable discussing their budget at the initial appointment as they don’t want it to influence the contractors estimate. This is a valid concern and we have no problem if you hold these cards close to your chest at this time. However, there are some advantages if you fill us in on your budget. These include the following:

• Generally, we have a good idea of what certain materials cost and there is large spending range across the materials. If you provide us with some indication of budget we can help you select and estimate for materials to fit within that budget early on. This will limit any surprises down the road.
• Because there are so many different options with remodels, we want to be able to help you find the perfect fit. At times getting exactly what you want may require a larger budget; however there are ways to get you close to what you want but at a lesser cost.
• Getting your hopes up – The absolute worst thing we could do is get your hopes up about a project and you receive our proposal and realize it is bigger than your budget allows. By filling us in on your budget early on, it will help us determine what can be done within your budget and create a realistic estimate.

Your Contractor

At the proposal phase, you are in the initial stages of gathering estimates for your projects and selecting a contractor. It is important you feel comfortable and trusting of the contractor – these are called soft skills. We won’t go into details on this item as we’ve written an entire blog post about this exact subject here.

Handyman

Handyman jobs are usually smaller in nature but common things to consider include:

• Contractor Selection: Reputable and Reliable – There are many individuals out in the marketplace that claim to be able to complete this type of work. And many people would say handyman work is “easy”. However, a good handyman has to be a jack of all trades to be able to competently and efficiently complete your tasks. A great handyman is hard to come by for this reason. They have to have experience across multiple trades in order to be effective.
• Jobs to be Completed: Many times our handyman jobs are numerous, unrelated tasks around a clients home. If possible, it is great to have a list of the projects detailed out so as not to forget any items.
• Schedule: How soon would you like the work done?
• Bid vs Time & Material: Would you like the work to be bid or completed at time & material? Either way, we will still want to come review most jobs prior so we can properly prepare for the job.
• Home Access: Will you plan to be home when the work is done or will you give us a key / code to access the home?