Renovation Ideas Blog

Why the home improvment business stinks...

I was just thinking that I have been in the home improvement business for almost twenty years. In that time I have had some great experience's with clients. Experience's that have not only led to a satisfying career but also great friendships.

When I think about why I got into this business to begin with it was because I love working with people. Of course I love the craft as well but there is something special about building projects that enhance peoples lives. If you have ever crafted something with your hands you can understand the great feeling when you step back and admire your work. 

To some old timers, 20 years may seem like a drop in the bucket but during that time the remodeling industry has seen the most dramatic changes due to the advances in technology, product development and the internet. However due to the economic fall out: consumer credit is tightened and some are choosing contractors purely on price instead of quality, experience and professionalism. 

So as a result many great craftsman are going out of business. The sad thing is many of them probably went into the business for the same reason I did. And its almost a guarantee that the contractors who low bid the jobs will be out of business too. So what happens next?

• Does the home improvement industry reinvent itself?
• Does some sort of standardization happen so all professional contractors can compete on a level playing field?
• Do we out source all the construction to India :)

Who knows but I look forward to meeting new people, more projects, new friends and the ride...

 

Home Office Remodeling- the homepreneur's best friend

If you are like most people your ideal home office needs to be in a dedicated area, have plenty of storage, and be tucked away from the day to day family activities. There are many areas of your home that can be converted into a home office such as a spare bedroom, a living room, a spare walk-in closet, part of your basement or part of your attic. Depending on your needs an office addition may make sense.

Most home offices dont need to be very big but need to be well thought out to make sure all the bases are covered. For example:

• Do you need file storage?
• Will you be using the office alone or sharing with a spouse or employee?
• Do you need an area for office supplies?
• Will you have more then one computer, plus a fax and or scanner?
• Do you like a lot of space to work? For example an Architect or Interior Designer may need more counter top space then a consultant would.
• Do you have to have a lot of natural light in order to work effectively.
• Will you have clients visiting you at home?

When it comes to office cabinetry both Apple Valley Woodworks and Canyon Creek Cabinets offer many office cabinet components that can keep you organized and streamline your home office operations.

We have built offices in almost every area of a home and some very successful people use them everyday as their main place of business. Typically when the economy is poor more small businesses are started  in the home by the homepreneur so don't under estimate the importance of an efficent home office to make your millions... 

 

Hire a remodeling pro and still save money...

Today consumers are faced with difficult choices regarding finding money for remodeling projects. Banks are not lending as freely as they once did, bonuses and raises are scarce and credit card fees are higher then ever. 

This combination potentially creates a perfect storm for project disasters. Contractors are forced to lower the prices of their bids to win projects, non-insured contractors compete for those same projects, and even worse non-industry professionals get into the market place looking for work and will do anything to make a buck.

To the consumer this creates a very dangerous and challenging situation. If contractor A (who is insured, a professional with years of experience ) bids $10,000, the non-insured contractor bids $8,000  and the non-industry, non-pro ( who wants to make a buck) person bids $3000 how does the customer make a choice? All three people look nice, seemed trustworthy and promised they could do the project. When money is tight some consumers will select one of the two lowest bidders and this is when disaster strikes.

Not only is it against the law in many states for non-licensed, non-insured contractors to perform work , some will take deposits and never start the project, some will never finish, the workmanship will be inferior and if something goes wrong down the road who will you call if the company is not around?

So how can consumers hire a professional and still save money?

• The client can self perform some of the work
• The client can perform some of the admin duties like permit submittal
• The client can shop around for cost effective material alternatives
• The project scope can be changed to fit a realistic budget
• Friends, family or neighbors can pitch in with demolition and painting etc...
• Suggestion: be honest with a reputable contractor and work together to achieve a win win situation.

The most important thing to consider when planning a large remodeling project such as an addition, kitchen remodel, bath remodel etc is to understand the risks involved when choosing to not hire a reputable, insured and qualified contractor to do the work.   

 

Remodeling your attic or basement to get more space

If you need more living space and want to keep the costs down explore remodeling your basement or attic.

Basement remodeling is great for offices, exercise rooms, playrooms, studio's, craft rooms, entertaining, family room and in some case can be used as an additional bedroom. If you do plan on building a bedroom in the basement make sure you understand follow the building &  fire code. Bedrooms need two means of egress and smoke/co detectors. If you don't know what "means of egress" is you know you need to hire a qualified builder who can walk you through the process.

Attic space is in some cases the hidden gem. You can utilize the attic space for the same things as a basement remodel however you get the opportunity to install more windows and skylights to bring in the sun.  There are code requirements for headroom and egress as well so make sure you plan properly and build according to code.

Overall attic remodeling and basement remodeling typically cost much less then building an addition, take less time and can increase the energy efficiency of your home. Another positive is that the impact to your daily life is minimize where as with an addition you may not be able to use portions of the house for extended amounts of time or have to move out completely.

 

 

Bathroom Remodeling

It seems like bathroom remodeling projects are very popular these days. Its a great way to build value in your home and since they don't take long to complete you can get satisfaction in about a week or two. In most cases bathroom remodeling is fairly inexpensive as compared to larger additions and kitchen remodeling projects. 

They are fairly easy to plan for and there is huge amounts of information on the Internet. From information on planning and budgeting, to trends and colors there is no shortage of good information.

For cabinetry I wood check out Apple Valley Woodworks, Aristokraft, Norcraft and for plumbing fixtures check out Kohler Moen and American Standard. For ideas visit HGTV they have a great website.

Magazines are also a good place to get ideas and remember to mark the pages so you can show your contractor if you don't plan on doing the bathroom yourself.

If you are going to remodel your bathroom and want to save some money there are things you can easily do. The first is the demolition, although it is hard work and creates alot of dust you can save between $500 and $1000 depending on the size of the bathroom. The next area that most people will tackle on there own is the painting. You can save between $250 and $1000 depending on the size of bathroom and the type of finish.

 Unless you have done it before I would leave the plumbing, electrical and tile to the pros.

 

Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinetry

We have been a dealer of Apple Valley Cabinets for about three years now and have nothing but great results. We have installed the cabinets in kitchens, bathrooms, offices and for mudroom cabinetry.

Apple Valley Woodworks is a family business located in Southington Ct. I recently had the opportunity to tour the factory and get a first hand look at the amount of craftsmanship that goes into each cabinet and accessory produced. Although portions of the cabinets are manufactured using high tech machinery there are high trained operators watching every step. When it comes to fabrication and finishing the cabinets are handled bycraftsman wathcing every detail.

Some of the features include:

TUFF-CORE CONSTRUCTION All Apple Valley kitchen and bathroom cabinets use the same high quality dowel and glue construction technique-there is no lower grade box at Apple Valley. 2. 3/4" THICK CABINETS Apple Valley uses M-3 Grade, 45# Industrial Quality Engineered Wood, or choose a 7-ply all-wood box and matching shelves in our Custom Wood line 3. FULLY CAPTURED BACK WITH HANG RAILS The back of the cabinet won't pull apart from the cabinet sides, and hang rails aid in proper installation and alignment of cabinets in your kitchen or bathroom. 4. INTEGRATED STRETCHER ON LARGE BASE CABINETS Provides additional stability with cabinets that won't sag under the heaviest counter tops. 5. FULL ACCESS Forget the center stile and front frame, Apple Valley cabinets offer full access to the entire cabinet which means more storage space and easier cleaning. 6. FIVE DRAWER SYSTEMS Melamine, melamine FXS (full extension slides), solid wood, dovetail or stainless steel-all five of our drawer systems come with a lifetime guarantee. 7. BETTER DRAWER CONSTRUCTION Apple Valley uses four-sided drawer construction with a "fully captured" (drawer bottom is held in grooves on all four drawer sides) bottom to prevent the bottom from spilling the drawer's contents. Drawer front is adjustable for precast alignment after installation. 8. LIFETIME-GUARANTEED HINGES Hinges are adjustable six ways to provide your kitchen with a perfect finish. 9. VARIOUS STANDARD DEPTH CABINETS AT NO EXTRA CHARGE Four standard base cabinets and three standard wall cabinet depths are available. This allows you more flexibility with no custom charges. 10. THOUSANDS OF OPTIONS Literally thousands of combinations of door style, edge profiles and finishes.

If you are thinking about a project that requires cabinetry I suggest taking a look at Apple Valley Woodworks.

Remodeling Budget-- Good or Bad?

I met with a potential client a few months ago to discuss a remodeling project. The whole scope consisted of an office and master bedroom addition, a kitchen and bath remodel, as well as several other smaller items. Rather then prequalify the client on the phone, I figured I would do it in person once we met. So when I arrived I got a tour of the house as well as all of the ideas and the wish list.  I then asked the big question "do you have a budget"... the meeting turned from pleasant to uncomfortable in a matter of seconds. The potential client proceeded to explain to me that he was not stupid and knew that if he told me what he wanted to spend then thats exactly what all the contractors would charge. Now having been in the construction business for almost twenty years, I have never been in a situation where my price was cheaper than what the client had expected nor have I accepted a project based on what the client wants to pay. At Stone Creek Builderswe build estimates like projects one piece at a time, specifically tailored to that project. I explained that I understood his concern; however, not to discuss his budget would just make the bidding and proposal review process much more difficult for him and for the contractors to bid properly and competitively. I explained that the project could cost $200,000 - $350,000 depending on all the variables. Did they want Aristokraft cabinets or Apple Valley Cabinets, crawl space or basement, standard trim or custom trim, wood floors or carpet, etc. All of these items can dramatically change the cost of the project. So without a budget one contractor could be at $200,000, one at $265,000, one at $375,000, etc. - all based on different assumptions and different material choices.  Hypothetically, if the budget was $150,000, the time spent by all parties would be wasted producing proposals that didn't fit the financial requirements of the project. If the budget was put out there from the beginning, then the contractors bidding the project could have developed a scope of work based on that budget. In that case the proposals would be more competitive, more detailed and most likely within 2-5% of each other, not 15-30% different and over budget.

When I was driving back to the office I thought to myself - why is it that when people purchase other items in life such as a house, car, flat screen tv, vacation, etc., they establish a budget first but when remodeling their home some people don't. Why, in some cases, do people choose the cheapest bid without understanding the contract specifications which usually leads to change orders and a higher cost anyway? 

Then I thought about what a difficult relationship builders and clients have. There is a better way when we build trusting relationships first, where the budget is discussed openly, and then build projects. I think the experience is better for the client and better for the builder. In some cases, we have found this better way and I hope I find it more times than not.  

Preparing Your Home for a Remodeling Project

So your selected a contractor, the contracts are signed and the permits are ready, now what?

Most likely your contractor requested that you move your items from the work areas so that the work can be performed properly. So what exactly does this mean? Do the rooms have to be completely empty? Can I store stuff in the basement or garage? Can I stack everything in one room and then move it around as the project progresses? Those are all good questions and the best way to start is to ask the contractor where the best place is. During a remodel the contractors need access to adjacent areas so maybe the basement or attic isn't a good place to store items.  In some cases there is just not enough room in the house to store the items and either a portable storage container and or a mover may be the best option. After all its a lot of stuff to move and since it needs stored properly why not have a professional move it. Check out http://www.bdmovers.com/ for a list of professional moving services available. Not only is a mover a good option before the remodel but its even more important after. With new floors, paint, trim etc the last thing you would want to do is cause any damage.

Successful remodeling projects are a team effort between you and your contractor. Check out www.stonecreekbldrs.com/remodeling-boot-camp-remodeling-planning/ for more ideas from Stone Creek Builders and Remodeling Boot Camp.

 

Hiring the Right Contractor Part 1

Hiring the right contractor can be easy if you follow some simple steps and have a understanding of how contracting works. I suggest reviewing the information at Remodeling Boot Camp.

We will start with how contracting works: In a nut shell a contractor is asked to provide a proposal for a scope of work. Sometimes they are given architectural drawings and sometimes the client explains what they want done. Regardless, the contractor must obtain from the owner "a scope of work" in order to put pricing together. Unfortunately this is where mistakes can be made because of different interpretations between the architect, client and the contractors. This is why you can get five prices from different contractors and end up with five different prices. Now don't get me wrong, the price fluctuation is not solely based on interpretation but its a big part of it. We will get into some of the other reasons why the prices can be different a little later.

I first want to tell you how to minimize interpretation errors. The best way to make sure you are giving the same scope of work to each contractor is to outline it on paper and give each contractor a copy. If you have architectural drawings to hand out, provide a supplementary list of clarifications. Trust me when I tell you the plans may not contain enough information to combat contractor interpretation errors. Also request that each contractor outline the scope of work that they have included in their proposal. One last very important thing is to ask the contractor to include anti-change order clause in their proposal. What I mean by this is that many contractors will purposely leave out items in their proposal which lowers their bid and contract price only to hit the client up with change orders during the project. When this happens, you lose control of your budget and in many cases you end up spending more than the highest bid you received.

Ok - now to some of the other reasons your proposals come in at different prices: contractor cost of doing business may be different then others, cheap vs. skilled labor, inferior vs. quality workmanship, poor vs. good business skills, insurance vs. no insurance, etc, etc, etc. Keep in mind that a professional company will have insurance, skilled labor, quality workmanship, an office staff to support the field operations, etc. so most pricing provided by professional companies will be in the same ballpark. If there are price variations with professional companies you can consider, expierence, communication skills, references, photos, professionalism, response time to your emails or calls, etc.

Stone Creek Builders -- www.stonecreekbldrs.com provides clients with professional building and remodeling services.

 

Having the right mindset when remodeling your home is the key to success

Having the right mindset when remodeling your home is important to your health and the success of the project. Managing the stress associated with remodeling is crucial. Many people expierience different emotions during the remodeling process. From the fear of the purchase, the distruption of daily routine, delayed schedules, dust, permit delays etc are just a few of what can upset you. The main thing you have to remember is that the construction process is inherently very slow, unpredictable and difficult to control. When things happen it doesnt mean that your contractor is dropping the ball or that the process is broken it just means you are expierencing some of the problems associated with remodeling or building a home. As a contractor we deal with those types of problems on every project, every day so we have been conditioned to expect issues. The key is that you and your contractor work together as a team to work through the issues and have open lines of communication and understanding at all times.    

Understanding and having clear expectations is the best way to combat the remodleing blues. In the end as long as you work as a team with your remodeling contractor your project will be successful and enjoyed by you and youe family for years.  Stone Creek Builders http://www.stonecreekbldrs.com/ uses a web based software system called http://www.co-construct.com/ to help manage communication and scheduling delays. The great thing about co-construct is that both the builder and the client has access so no one is in the dark.

We would love to hear from any people who remodeled there home and beet the remodeling blues. Share your expierences with us @ http://stonecreekbldrs.web3.hubspot.com/share-your-story/