REDWOOD CITY, California -- October 27, 2006 -- It's not always fiction when people tell their dark tales of remodeling nightmares, but many consumers are unaware that specific things they do and don't do can determine if their project is frightful or delightful.
REDWOOD CITY, California -- October 27, 2006 -- It’s not always fiction when people tell their dark tales of remodeling nightmares, but many consumers are unaware that specific things they do and don’t do can determine if their project is frightful or delightful.
Erik Sundquist, author of the consumer booklet “105 Essential Tips for Maximizing a Home Remodel”, says there are 5 things to absolutely avoid when undertaking a home remodel:
• Designing in a vacuum
• Hiring the contractor and/or designer too late
• Making many changes after construction begins
• Always paying late
• Living in the unreal world of reality TV
Designing in a vacuum - means that the client and architect work exclusively to design a project. The challenge, says Erik Sundquist, is “many times the project is over designed for the client’s budget”. “There is no reality check early on so the client ends up with high expectations only to be disappointed by the actual costs of a designed project he/she cannot afford”. “The results are often scary”, says Erik –“sometimes the client will shop for cheap bids to make the project work with their budget because they aren’t willing to adjust their expectations”. Taking the cheap bid is seldom a good idea.
Hiring the contractor and/or designer too late - means necessarily that key players in the remodel are left out of a crucial phase. “When the contractor and interior designer are left out of the conceptual design phase, valuable input is lost potentially costing the client thousands of dollars later” says Erik Sundquist. “For example, a contractor can determine early on if a design idea is too costly to be practical”. Design can also suffer because the valuable input of an interior designer is worthless if it comes too late in the game. Once the plans are approved and permitted, they are much more expensive to change.
Making many changes after construction begins - means change orders and schedule delays, a frequent component of any remodeling nightmare story. “I don’t think people really understand the cumulative negative impact on the budget and schedule by even just a few seemingly small changes”. “By putting the entire team of professionals together early in the process, changes and rework will be at a minimum because the project has been properly planned and thought out” says Mr. Sundquist.
Always paying late - means your contractor will go work elsewhere, someplace where the payments are prompt. This has obvious repercussions on the project schedule. “Most contractors don’t have deep pockets, they run their businesses with cash flow” says Erik. “If you want your contractor working on your house, pay him or her at predetermined contractual milestones in the project, and pay promptly”. “The last thing you want your contractor worrying about is how to make payroll and pay subcontractors”.
Living in the unreal world of reality TV - means your expectations can be too high for the project you are undertaking. “Most remodels can’t be completed in a day or even a week, it takes weeks and sometimes months to do a quality job”. What is seen for 30 or 60 minutes on a television episode is often the culmination of countless man hours behind the scenes and in actual production. “This is not practical for everyday remodels”, says Erik, “it would be cost prohibitive”. “Home shows on TV are great entertainment and can educate consumers on a wide variety of topics, but you have to keep your expectations in line with reality”, says Mr. Sundquist. “Otherwise your anxiety will elevate the tension on your project and cause some sleepless nights”.
“If one or two of the 5 aforementioned factors are in play on your project you’ve got a challenge, more than that and you might be writing your own remodeling nightmare story”, warns Erik. “The good news is that by avoiding them altogether your probability of a fairy tale ending increases dramatically”.
The 26-page booklet “105 Essential Tips for Maximizing a Home Remodel” was written by Erik Sundquist a design/build remodeling expert and consultant.
The booklets are $5 each. Order at www.remodelingtips.net or by sending a double stamped, self addressed envelope, and a check (U.S. funds only) payable to Coneky Enterprises - 4221 Burgundy Ct., Loomis, CA 95650 or call 916-652-4427.
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REDWOOD CITY, California -- October 27, 2006 -- It's not always fiction when people tell their dark tales of remodeling nightmares, but many consumers are unaware that specific things they do and don't do can determine if their project is frightful or delightful.
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