Month: December 2019

While watching the news recently, we were reminded of the sad reality in our society: there are too many people out there running scams for money and ruining many people’s lives.

Whether building a new house or remodeling an existing one, the process of construction on a home is a chaotic and stressful time for most home owners; there are so many decisions to make and so many aspects to consider that it could make anyone’s head spin. Added to that stress is the biggest and most important decision of all: which contractor to hire for the job.

We have all heard horror stories, one of which was on the KTLA channel 5 news a few days ago (http://ktla.com/…/warning-issued-for-homeowners-about-dang…/).

So, how does one choose the right contractor? How can one distinguish the professionals from the scammers?

We wrote about this subject on one of our blogs a while ago, see:https://trinitybuildersanddesign.com/choose-general-contrac…/; but in light of the recent news report, we feel it’s a good time to remind homeowners of the importance of doing research prior to hiring any professional to do work at their houses, and most importantly, always ensure the professional is licensed and bonded.

For most homeowners, the mere thought of embarking on any remodeling projects will send them running in the opposite direction. It is not only the budget and the construction mayhem that scares most people away, although that is probably the most horrifying aspects, but the designing and putting ideas together that will send most minds spinning long before there is even any thoughts of the hammer hitting the wall.

If you are like most homeowners, you probably have spent countless hours on the internet browsing thru, and saving pictures of design ideas that appeal to you. This is the most exciting phase, but once the time comes to get down to it and put all this ideas together cohesively and tastefully, all of a sudden the whole thing sounds too overwhelming.

That is when a designer comes in handy, they will usually be flooded with ideas just by looking at a certain space, and they have a keen eye to creatively transform just about any space into the most beautiful creations. Which sounds fine and dandy, but one of the biggest obstacles here is that although all the designer ideas seems amazing, you still cannot picture how it will all tie in together in your home. You are suddenly flooded with questions and doubts; how will it look? Will it really flow together? Will it make sense?

That is when a 3D design comes extremely handy, it brings all your thoughts and ideas into life, right in front of your eyes, and you can then picture, quite literally, what the space will look like once finished.

You have decided to remodel your home, have hired a contractor to do the job, have plans in hand and are now ready to get started; all the hard work is now done! Well… not so fast! There is still a lot of work to do prior to swinging the hammer.

1- To Stay or Not To Stay, That is The Question.

It is not only a matter of whether you can live with the noise, debris and limited access to the home, but also a matter of convenience.

If you are remodeling a bathroom for example, and you only have one bathroom in the house, it will probably be best to find an alternate place to live during the project. There have been homeowners who have opted to stay and find creative solutions to this inconveniences such as using a neighbors restroom, however needless to say this is not the most ideal scenario for most of us.

2- Mind Your Neighbors.

Unless you live in a condominium, you probably do not need to inform your neighbors, nor do you need to get approval from them for any portion of your project, but that does not mean that you shouldn’t give them a heads up.

During any construction projects, it is almost always inevitable for there to be some sort of inconvenience to your immediate neighbors, whether it is the noise, parking, dust or even in some cases needing to go thru their property.

It is also a good practice to inform your neighbors of what to expect and ensure them that all efforts will be made to ensure they will be inconvenienced as little as possible. Many times, just giving them a heads up will avoid future headaches.

3- Be Prepared for The Unexpected.

In a perfect world, if you do all your research and prepare everything for the project ahead of time, everything will go smoothly and the project will finish within the time frame; however, unfortunately this is not the case in a majority of cases. The old saying “if this walls could talk” would apply perfectly here.

Once demolition starts, often unpleasant surprises will be awaiting just behind the walls. Anything from old wires that were just tucked behind drywall to old pipes that need to be replaced or sometimes even mold will be discovered.

Always leave a budget aside for this types of unpleasant surprises, otherwise you might find yourself having to cut from some of your wish list in order to cover this costs.

4- Cutting Cost Can be Costly.

Often times a homeowner will get quotes from separate pros for specific jobs, and will decide to hire different professionals individually to save money; our advice is, unless you have extensive experience in managing construction projects and have sufficient free time in your schedule, DON’T DO IT.

While it may seem that you will be saving money, at the end of the day it will almost always cost you. A general contractor usually works with the same subcontractors over the years, and know how to manage every aspect of the job to ensure a constant flow of work.

Managing different crews to work together and harmoniously is time consuming and requires experience to ensure the proper steps are taken throughout the project and that nothing is overlooked. Each individual trade professional, will be concerned only in finishing his portion of the job with no regards to the big picture, and that is when an experienced project manager will come in handy.

5- Your General Contractor Will be Your Best Friend.

It is crucial to hire a general contractor that fits well with you and your family. (We wrote a previous blog going in details on “How To Choose a General Contactor” https://trinitybuildersanddesign.com/choose-general-contractor/).

Stablishing an open and positive relationship and communication with your contractor from day one is crucial in ensuring that the project goes smoothly and as painless as possible. You will be seeing and speaking with this person quite often, and you want to make sure that you feel confident that all your questions will be answered at all times, and your concerns will be addressed properly and in a timely manner.