Part One: Remodel War Stories: Are they Avoidable?
Posted by Bill Hansell on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 7:54pm.
Long before they've hired me for a remodel project, my clients have heard horror stories about construction. Projects go over-budget or over-schedule. General Contractors flake out and have to be replaced once, maybe twice, or, as I unfortunately saw on a project years ago, three times! Sub-contractors whom the Owner hasn't even met aren't paid and file liens. Material suppliers deliver something that looks completely different than what was specified. Shall I go on or have I already scared you off? Why the abundance of these stories? Are there so many lackluster individuals and companies in the field? As I've heard clients say to me at an interview, "I'm going to do this right and avoid all of that!" I just smile.
It's certainly a noble approach: Do your research and planning and expect that your efforts will be well rewarded. The hard part is that construction projects rely on a large number of people and factors and, when you think about it, are pretty complex undertakings. If you are a control freak, I advise you to stock up on the Xanax, and if it bothers you that your Architect or General Contractor seem at times a bit too nonchalant, know that it's a career induced defense mechanism and nothing personal.
Having said that, I do not want to be an apologist for many of those nightmare situations. Certainly, it's true that there is an extreme quality range in the business of construction which results in varying levels of products and services. Some of the people you will directly or indirectly hire have professional degrees, others trade experience, and some labor work. The level of experience and the value of that experience along with any individual's personal integrity will be all over the map. Match that up with pricing inconsistencies/fluxuations and the particular level you perceive as "value", and you will probably find a lot of bad apples to sort through. I don't know if "bad' is the right term to use, so much as inappropriate for the level of work/price you expect.
One reason for the many construction projects that haven't lived up to Owners' expectations, is just that: matching expectations to reality. Sneak into any networking meeting of construction professionals and you'll inevitably hear them emphasize that the main thing is to "manage the client's expectations". This mantra is stated with a reverence that suggests those who do it well must be experts in hypnosis or black magic. It's really a lot more basic than that. Most people, who are otherwise savvy, well educated consumers of clothing, appliances, and miscellaneous products, do not have experience in the relatively major and often once in a lifetime experience of remodeling their home. Therefore, it's not surprising that they need to learn what is reasonable to expect, what you can get for your money, and how long it will take to get it. While they're in the process of learning, it helps to have someone being honest and candid about what can be delivered in terms of price and schedule. Human nature and the competitive marketplace apparently don't collaborate very well to that end. The bad scenarios I've seen often start by a client being told what they want to hear or hearing what they want to be told.
Given that remodel projects are relatively one of the larger capital outlays a person spends their money on, they naturally involve a lot of stress and incentive to get it right. Since most people are not experts and don't want to use their project as a "learning experience", it's really critical to find professionals that you can trust. It's probably the most important factor in a successful project. This is underscored by the fact that almost all Architects and General Contractors are hired by primary or secondary personal relationships. You essentially need a Remodel Avatar to operate on your behalf. Once you have that person, the best way to use them is to explain your goals and parameters well and thoroughly, i.e. financial, schedule, and programmatic ones, and be open to the feedback that they will give. Being open to learning what things cost and how long they take is a big part of it. Otherwise, you are just postponing the pain.
The other part is going through the matrix of choosing what combination of options is right for you. By "options" I mean how to spread your money and time to best suit your goals. That is the real planning process. It involves investing time and money in upfront costs to determine the best course of action. Usually, this is also required throughout the project. For example, you realize that there is dry rot in a wall you opened up. You berate yourself for not hiring a GC with xray vision and note you'll do that next time but in the meantime you have a cost that needs to be absorbed by either addition or substitution. Then, you start removing the dry rot and realize that it keeps on going. At some point, you decide it's better to just stop removing sheetrock and drastically improve your capability for denial. Down the line you'll have completely purged your memory of the unpleasant experience and hopefully the wall won't fall down until you have thoroughly enjoyed the flat panel TV you bought in lieu of fixing it. This is the Zen of compromise.
Continue on to Part Two - Remodel War Stories....
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