It’s springtime and we are heading into summer and it’s that time of year again. Renovation time. The time when every Contractor is overbooked and challenged to please everybody all the time. But you’re one of the lucky ones! You have a contractor safely secured for your upcoming renovation project. You have a signed contract and you’ve made a deposit. Good on you!
Your contractor has your complete list of goals, he’s provided you with the things that you need to provide him to make the project a roaring success. Demo is underway; maybe almost complete? And then it happens. You look around and you see all the things that aren’t being done. They’re just little things really, the door knobs look a little dated, your light switches looks so yesterday, the molding really could use a refresher and since were working on it anyway, isn’t this the best time to add this in?
Which brings us to the most expensive language in any renovation project.
“…and while you’re here, could you just…”
Resist temptation. Really. Stop before you utter these words as they’re followed by the dreaded two word phrase that will kill your renovation budget:
(queue suspenseful music)… Change Order.
Folks? There is no “…and while you’re, here could you just…” freebie.
I mean no disparagement against a contractor. I love contractors. They make my job possible. They make your house renovation possible. But they have to earn a living and those little words “…and while you’re here could you just…” Will end up costing you more time, more money and take your project off course faster than almost anything.
Why is it that these “simple” additions cost more? Well, realistically not all of them will cost more. Some will be easy and will follow inline with that is already in the works. Some of these a forward thinking contractor may have envisioned anyway. But not always.
A good thing to note about your construction project is that there is an order to things and the GC (General Contractor) will be coordinating the trades for maximum efficiency. Each type of job will most likely have a specific trade or sub (sub-contractor) that will do their own thing. So if you’re “while you’re here” task involves demo, for example, this will necessitate an extra day of demo, rather than the extra hour it would have taken if they’d done it on the original schedule. The same is true of ALL trades. The GC will program the job at the onset of the project.
So what to do? Well by all means ask the contractor if there’s something you really want. In the trade, we call this “scope creep”: where the project expands while in progress. If that type of item has not yet occurred, it can most likely be added into the project with a simple price adjustment.
But the better solution? Have a well conceived plan before you go into conversations with your contractor. Too often a job starts off with something simple and before you know it, there are more options on the table. So think big FIRST, then see what can be scaled back and done later and what tasks are better served to get done within the scope of your current project.
Some examples:
- Want new flooring? Great but if you’re planning on moving any walls down the road hold off on this until those renovations are complete.
- About to buy expensive window coverings? Be sure you don’t want to upgrade your windows first.
- Updating the tile in your tub and shower? THIS is the time to decide how much you love your bathroom fixtures. The pretty part of the fixture that you can see is called the “trim kit”. The stuff inside the wall is called the rough-in plumbing and THIS is not easily changeable nor is it a “one size fits all”.
- Buying new appliances? Check the electrical requirements FIRST. Does that cool new range require any upgrades to your electrical panel?? This can be a surprise if you’re well into construction.
Every job has more examples where being prepared is the key! If you’re kicking off a renovation, we’d love to help. Even if it’s as simple as a plan review, don’t hesitate to reach out to see how we might be able to help!
XOXO,
Pamela
PS – have a smaller project? Read all about what I call “The Starter Kit“
