What to Expect When You Remodel
Remodeling your home is exciting, and it's also a big project. We've found that the smoothest remodels start with clear, honest expectations on both sides. So here's what the process really looks like, what we'll ask of you along the way, and what you can always count on from us.
Jump to: Design · Preparing Your Home · Staying Home or Moving Out · Keeping Your Home Clean · Who's On Site · Communication · Changes Along the Way · Our Quality Standards · What's Included · After Your Project
The Design Phase
Design is where your project really comes together, and it takes more time and more decisions than most people expect. Our goal is to wrap up design in about two months. Making decisions as they come up is the biggest thing that keeps it on track.
Even one kitchen or bathroom involves dozens of choices: the layout, cabinets, countertops, tile, faucets, lighting, flooring, trim, paint colors, and appliances. We'll guide you through each one. It helps to have everyone who'll weigh in on decisions at your design meetings, and to make selections by the dates we set together. Changing your mind while we're designing is completely normal. Going back to change something you've already approved can push the schedule out and may add design costs. Once the design is final and construction is planned, changes are handled the way we explain under "Changes Along the Way."
Preparing Your Home
A little preparation before we start makes the first days go much more smoothly. The main thing is clearing the work area, and the path to it, of furniture and personal belongings.
You'll also want to plan for a spot to store materials (a garage stall works well), room in the driveway or yard for a dumpster, and a portable restroom unless our team can use one of your bathrooms. Heavy dumpsters and delivery trucks can leave marks on a driveway, and your utility bills may run a little higher during the project. We also suggest setting aside money for a thorough cleaning once the work is done. More on that below.
Staying Home or Moving Out
A remodel turns part of your home into a construction site for a while. There will be dust, noise, smells from paint and adhesives, and rooms you can't use. Real remodels take a lot longer than the quick makeovers on TV.
Many of our clients stay home during their remodel, and it works out fine. Others find it easier to stay somewhere else for part or all of it. That's often the better choice if anyone in your home is sensitive to dust, smells or noise, has health concerns, or if we're remodeling your only kitchen or full bathroom. If you stay, it helps to set up a quiet space away from the work and to plan to be out on the loudest, dustiest days. Your Project Manager will let you know when those are coming. If staying elsewhere might make sense, it's good to include that cost in your budget early.
Keeping Your Home Clean
We protect your home with floor coverings and dust barriers, and we sweep up the work area at the end of every workday.
Our daily cleanup means debris swept up, scraps in the dumpster, and tools and materials put away neatly. It doesn't include dusting finished surfaces each day, cleaning rooms outside the work area, or regular housekeeping. Even after our final cleanup, fine dust keeps settling for days or even weeks. That's why we recommend planning for a thorough cleaning of your home once the project is done, either on your own or with a professional cleaning service. We're happy to recommend cleaners we trust.
Who's On Site, and When
You'll notice the activity at your home changes from week to week. Some days are busy, and some days no one is there. Those quiet days are part of the plan, not a delay.
Quiet days usually mean we're waiting on an inspection, a material delivery, or drying time. Drywall mud, tile, and finishes need time to set before the next step can start. We work with a group of trusted, independent specialists, such as electricians, plumbers, and tile setters, who we call our trade partners. Your Project Manager schedules each one, oversees all of the work, and stops by regularly. If you'd like something changed or have a question, please bring it to your Project Manager rather than the person working that day. That way every request gets approved, priced if needed, and written down, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Communication
We keep every update, decision, and schedule change in one place: JobTread, the online system we use to manage projects. You'll get an update from us every week during construction.
Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, and phone calls are always welcome during that time for quick questions. Texts work well for short questions, and for anything urgent, like a water leak or a safety concern. Messages that come in after hours or on weekends get a reply the next business day. Anything that changes what we're building, the price, or the schedule gets confirmed in writing in JobTread, so we're always on the same page.
Changes Along the Way
Once construction begins, any change to the plan is written up as a "change order." That's a short written agreement describing the change, what it costs, and how it affects the schedule. The best way to avoid them is a design that's fully decided before we start.
Changes usually come up for one of four reasons: you decide to add or change something, a selection ends up different from what was planned, we find something hidden behind a wall that needs attention, or a building inspector requires something new. When that happens, we'll explain it, price it, and show how it affects the schedule. Once you review and sign it, and the change is paid for, we go ahead with the work. We don't make changes based on a conversation alone. Getting it in writing protects you as much as it protects us. Changes made during construction often add time as well as cost, since materials need to be ordered and work rescheduled.
Our Quality Standards
We hold our work to a higher standard than the building industry's official guidelines for how a home should look and perform. Those guidelines are published by the National Association of Home Builders.
We look over finished work the way you'll live with it: standing at a normal distance, in normal lighting. Natural materials like wood and stone vary in color, grain, and pattern, and that's part of their beauty, not a flaw. Most older homes aren't perfectly square or level, so new work is carefully fitted to what's already there. Near the end, we'll walk through your space together and make one list of any final touch-ups, often called a "punch list," and take care of every item on it.
What's Included
We stand behind our work with a one-year warranty, take good care of your home throughout the project, and manage every part of the construction from start to finish.
We're responsible for the quality of our work, any damage our team causes, getting the required permits and inspections, protecting the work area, and keeping you informed. So there are no surprises, here's what isn't included: problems that existed in the home before we started, normal wear on driveways and lawns from equipment and deliveries, damage caused by outside delivery companies, belongings left in the work area, products covered by the manufacturer's own warranty, and the everyday disruption of living at home during construction. Your signed agreement spells all of this out in full.
After Your Project
Our relationship doesn't end at the final walkthrough. Your remodel is backed by our one-year warranty on our workmanship, and the manufacturer warranties on products like cabinets and fixtures are passed along to you. If anything comes up, just let us know in writing and we'll set up a time to take a look.