Ask Our Experts at DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
Q: How do you help clients stay on schedule when supply chain delays or back orders happen?
A: The easiest way to address this is not to be in a hurry to start your remodeling project. It’s understandable that people who may have waited years to finally be in a position to go ahead with a remodel are super excited and want to dive in as soon as possible. Don’t. We simply won’t start a project until we have everything that our client has selected in our possession and that it has been checked for accuracy and for any damage. Then we transport the items to the jobsite when they’re ready to be installed.
My mantra has always been ‘I’d rather be looking at it than looking for it. It’s also the reason you should only begin your project when you have a thoroughly developed and well-thought-out comprehensive design/plan and all of your product selections have been made. Remember, the industry term is called Design and Build; NOT Build and Design.
Completing the design of your project and making product selections after construction begins is a bad neighborhood that you never want to drive through. It leads to countless delays in the schedule (does anyone have a spouse that LOVES to live in the extended chaos of a remodeling project?) and a seemingly endless collection of wallet-draining change orders. It’s the number one reason behind the horror stories about the 6-week project that ended up taking 6 months. And trust me when I say that remodelers hate it as much, if not more, than homeowners do.
Q: How do you handle unexpected issues once walls are opened up?
A: The only people who like surprises are children on Christmas morning. For homeowners and remodeling contractors, surprises are almost always a bad thing, but I believe that at least 90% of the issues that may present themselves once deconstruction begins could, and should, have been discovered during a thorough pre-construction examination by an experienced remodeling contractor. Skipping this is a huge mistake that can lead to expensive change orders that may have been avoidable.
In order to present you with a detailed and accurate proposal, time should have been spent examining the exterior of your home, your basement, and sometimes even your attic in order to find where piping, wiring, and ductwork may be present, as well as which walls are load-bearing and which are not. If a home is old enough, it’s almost a sure bet that certain hazardous materials will be present. By knowing these things ahead of time, they can be addressed in the original construction agreement, and you can budget for them up front. However, there may be hidden things that even the most experienced remodeler can’t anticipate ahead of time, such as mold, insect infestation, or, my favorite, substandard alterations that were done during a previous remodel.
When that happens, we bring the issue to the homeowners’ attention and begin a conversation about options and solutions to correct the problem and what the cost would be. When a decision is made on how to move forward, it is documented in writing with both parties receiving a signed copy, and then work resumes on the project. You can greatly increase your chances of avoiding these situations by selecting a contractor that is more than just familiar with, but specializes in that type of project.
Ask Our Experts! We would love to hear your questions for our industry experts, so they can address your questions in their next expert article. If you have any expert questions, please submit them to amartens@bestversionmedia.com so we can share them with our panel of knowledgeable experts. Our experts include DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen and JEM Med Spa, so if you have questions surrounding remodels or anything med spa, please let us know. If you are interested in becoming an industry expert, please reach out. We want to hear from you!
