Be Prepared for Upheaval and Headaches during
a Home Remodeling Project
By: Mark J. Donovan
A home remodeling project is a major
endeavor and quite disruptive to its occupants. Unlike a new home construction
project you don’t simply swing by on the way home from work and take a quick
peek at the day’s progress and then continue on to your comfortable living
arrangements. Instead, with a home remodeling project, your family is subjected
to 24/7 inconveniences, dirt, dust, and interruptions. In addition, kitchen and
bathroom services may be less than optimum during the home remodeling
construction.
Consequently when embarking on a
home remodeling project it is important to prepare very carefully and not
leave any stones unturned while planning the project. A top notch home
remodeling contractor can help prevent many of the pitfalls that can lead to
a miserable experience during the home remodeling work, however, it is wise
for you to take matters into your own hands and plan accordingly.
There is a fairly long list of items that you should absolutely consider and
plan for before starting your home remodeling project.
Summarized below is a list of these
items.
Temporary Kitchen
/ Bathroom Services during the Home Remodeling
If your home remodeling plans include the kitchen or bathroom, make sure your
contractor has plans for incorporating temporary kitchen and bathroom services
for you. You shouldn’t have to move out of the home or go without basic kitchen
and bathroom services. If the home remodeling contractor says you do, then find
another contractor.
Order Long Lead Items Well in
Advance
The last thing you want to have happen, after framing a home addition onto the
side of your home, is to wait weeks for the windows to arrive on the job site to
button up the addition, particularly if it is the middle of winter. Likewise,
you don’t want to delay your kitchen remodeling project by having to wait for
kitchen cabinets to be made. Make sure to identify long lead items well in
advance and order them so they arrive on the jobsite just before you need them.
Dangerous Existing
Building Materials
If your home was built prior to 1979 there is a very good chance that it
contains lead paint and/or asbestos in it. With any home remodeling project
involving a home built before 1979 make sure that the home remodeling contractor
is RRP certified. The RRP stands for Renovation, Repair and Painting. By federal
law the contractor must be RRP certified. Lead paint and dust is extremely
dangerous if ingested by humans. Also, asbestos can be found in flooring and
pipe and duct work insulation material on older homes.
Inhalation of asbestos can lead to
lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. It is important that the asbestos
and lead paint be taken care of by a licensed abatement company prior to the
actual home remodeling work.
Portable Toilet
Unless you are comfortable with contractors and subcontractors using your
bathroom on a daily basis, make sure to include the cost of a portable toilet on
the job site.
Debris Removal
Home remodeling projects generate a lot of trash, dust and dirt. Make sure to
have a dumpster on the property during the home remodeling construction and make
sure the contract states that the home remodeling contractor will clean and
sweep the jobsite at the end of every day. A filthy jobsite is a harbinger for
jobsite accidents.
Dust
Dust is a major problem on a home remodeling project. Make sure you discuss with
your contractor in advance on how the dust will be mitigated and contained from
entering the rest of the home, e.g. via the use of plastic walls, fans, etc.
Driveway Protection
Inevitably your driveway will be disturbed or damaged during the home
remodeling. Heavy trucks can crush asphalt and cement edges and old trucks and
vehicles often have oil leaks.
Photo by Mark Donovan
Make sure you discuss with the
contractor how the driveway will be protected or repaired at the end of the home
remodeling project. Also, take a lot of BEFORE pictures for your records.
Landscaping
In addition to your driveway being damaged or disturbed, likewise landscaping
and shrubbery around the home is often damaged. Again take pictures before
construction begins and make sure you discuss in advance with the home
remodeling contractor how the landscaping will be protected or repaired.
HVAC Sizing
Often when building a home addition on to a home, the finished living space is
too large for the home’s existing heating /air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Consequently a new furnace or HVAC system is necessary. Make sure you talk with
your home remodeling contractor about this concern and have a HVAC engineer come
out and assess whether or not you will need to increase the size of your HVAC
system.
Storage of Unnecessary Furniture and other Belongings
If at all possible, you may want to consider storing some of your furniture and
other belongings in temporary storage to eliminate some of the clutter on the
jobsite and to protect it from damage.
Contractor License and Insurance Certificates
It is imperative that you confirm that the home remodeling contractor has the
proper contractor licenses for your state and has adequate liability insurance.
Don’t take his word for it. Demand copies of the licenses and contact the state
and insurance company to confirm he is in good standing and actually has
insurance coverage.
Work Schedule
Make sure you include in the home remodeling contract when the contractor and
sub-contractors will be on the job, including start and stop times and what days
of the week. This way you’re not surprised when they are hammering nails at 6:30
in the morning.
Protecting the Rest of the Home from Damage
Make sure to discuss with your home remodeling contractor how the rest of the
home that will not be undergoing renovations will be protected from damage, such
as destroying the hardwood floors, nicking walls, and breaking items within the
home. Subcontractors running in and out of the house can track in lots of dirt
and mud, and the errant 2x4 can often find its way going through a wall during a
home remodeling construction project.
Payment Schedule
Make sure the home remodeling contract includes numerous milestones for payments
based on work completed to your satisfaction. I repeat, to your satisfaction.
Don’t accept any contract that requires a lot of money up front. Your only
leverage for ensuring the work gets done to your satisfaction is the money you
hold in your pocket. Once you give it up, don’t expect much in return for being
nice. Sorry, it’s a cruel world.
To conclude, a home remodeling project is a major endeavor and should not be
jumped into lightly. It will disrupt your life for many weeks, and possibly a
few months, depending upon the size of the home remodeling project. So be
prepared for discomfort and some headaches. By addressing the items I mentioned
in advance, however, you can mitigate much of the pain and discomfort.
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