As your personal home contractor, we help our clients understand how the remodeling/renovation process works, especially pre-construction and construction timing. It typically takes 4-8 months of design, permitting, and estimating before we can start construction, and construction timing often depends on the remodel depth. The smaller the remodel, the quicker the design process and permit turnaround.
Initial Discussion
The process begins with our remodel coordinator listening and discussing what you want from your remodel. We listen to your wants, needs, and dreams for your home. These discussions help determine if we are the right fit for each other on your project.
Face-to-Face Meeting
Our next step is scheduling a Zoom or in-person meeting to review the project and define the details. During this meeting, we review photos of things you like and discuss your project budget. After reviewing the pictures and defining the project scope, we're typically able to determine a ROM (Rough Order of Magnitude) Estimate for this project. At the end of this meeting, we decide if we move forward into the design phase.
Design
Design starts to make the project come alive! There are a couple of steps:
We work together and discuss the look you want for your home.
We develop a design agreement that details the process and establishes a deposit amount. The deposit is 5% of the ROM estimate.
Once signed, we will schedule the initial design meeting at your home.
From there, our designer schedules further discussions to help determine the project's finishes and selections.
If applicable, we determine whether there’s a need for structural engineering. If so, we'll bring a structural engineer into the project.
Design Completion
Once the finishes and selections are selected, the designer completes a set of drawings detailing the project. The finishes and final drawings are then handed off to the remodel coordinator to begin our "construction" estimating process.
Estimating & Scope Defining
We'll set up a walk-through to give our sub-associates a chance to review this project in person. We review the selections and drawings. Then, we work with you, our subs, and the designer to mitigate any possible issues that could arise mid-project. We continue defining the project specs (what we're responsible for) so that our lead carpenter and you have clear expectations for the project.
Budget Review
Once we've finished assembling our specs and estimate, we set up a meeting to review the documents. We'll go over the estimated costs, and if everything is agreeable, we sign our construction agreement, you place a 20% deposit, and we work out the construction timing. If the estimate exceeds what you've budgeted, we can discuss options for removing or altering the specs to align with your budget.
Submitting for Permit: We take your remodeling plans to the city to review and approve. The municipality may suggest changes or accept the drawings and provide the permits. We stay in touch with the permitting office throughout the process.
Permit Approval
The city or county then approves our permit to allow us to start the remodeling process. This step feels like it takes the longest. Once we receive permit approval, you'll soon be hearing from us about when we can start your project.
Construction
Now is when we begin making your house dreams come true. Before starting construction, we'll assemble a schedule to help you plan when you need to be out of the house (i.e., floor refinishing) and the timeline for us to finish the buildout. We establish a weekly meeting between you, the lead carpenter, and the project manager. The weekly meetings allow us to stay current on changes and make timely project decisions. Surprises come with the joy of remodeling, and we've found these weekly meetings help us better manage the projects to ensure we're all on the same page and helps keep away that overwhelming feeling.
Completion
Celebration! Your remodel is finished and ready for you to enjoy. During the last week of the project completion, we'll do a walk-through to review any potential issues we can resolve before demobilizing. We'll also set up a photo shoot to capture your remodel in pristine condition. On the last day of the project, your one-year warranty begins.
Now that you know the inner workings of the remodeling process, it's time to start planning! This information gives you a better idea of what it takes to complete a remodel/renovation.
If you're ready to begin the process or have questions, contact us at 425.392.8301.
