Remodel Time!
Welcome back everyone and happy Friday!! I am going to take a guess that most of you out there are suffering from a tryptophan hangover. I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and I want to take a moment to let you know that I’m thankful for you my faithful readers. As you can see from the above images, I spent most of my holiday week helping remodel my mother-in-law’s house. We needed to get the house wheelchair ready which meant all the thick plush carpet had to go. Of course, after I got the carpet ripped out in one section of the house, I came across tile that had been there since probably 1960. Needless to say I’m a little stiff, a little sore and have an incredible sense of accomplishment.
So, the first question is, are you thinking about a remodel project around your home? The first and best piece of advice I can give you is however long you think it is going to take add 3-5 days. We in the industry try to give our homeowners the best possible expectation of project length and unfortunately our best educated guesses are usually wrong. I thought going into Mom’s house two days’ tops for the entire demo to get ready for the tile guys to come in and do their thing. I could not have been more wrong. After the first two days, we had about 60% of the carpet out and had not even started on the tile. In retrospect, I probably should have hired someone to do all the demo work, however just like you when doing a home project I want to save money where I can.
So, now that you know it is going to take longer than you think, the next question is what are you going to attempt on your own, and what are you going to contract out? I can tell you from my recent experience, you will do better breaking out your checkbook vs. breaking your back. Next up, who are you going to contract to do the work? As always, I suggest doing your due diligence. A few articles ago I discussed what you should look for when hiring a contractor. To recap, check the licenses, check reviews and referrals, and make sure first and foremost you are comfortable with the company you are hiring. I am a firm believer in going with your gut when it comes to the final choice of contractor. I can’t tell you the number of times when I’m hiring someone that the price is absolutely the last thing I look at. Yes, price is important when making any purchase, however the best advice I can give you is don’t make price the only factor when making your contractor choice.
As a veteran of several remodel projects; stay on top on the guys doing the work, understand that things are always going to go wrong in some way or another, it’s construction – it happens. Most of all, when you are in the middle of the project and you feel like screaming at the top of your lungs because of this or that, close your eyes and visualize the end result and think of all the years of enjoyment your remodel project is going to bring you!
Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical is always here to help you any way we can. Visit our website at www.artplumbingandac.com or call 1-800-475-1504 to let us assist you today. As a reminder, if you have a topic you would like me to blog about, or any questions on any of my posts, drop me a line at [email protected]
House Whisperer out!!
