How to organize a remodeling project

Let’s face it, hiring a contractor to remodel your home is a bit scary.  You’ve probably heard plenty of horror stories about blown budgets, missed deadlines and homes that look and feel like a war zone for months on end.  It doesn’t have to be this way!

Construction projects are complex

There are hundreds, even thousands of details that have to be orchestrated for a project to be built successfully.  It’s critical to capture those details and turn them into a set of documents which are clear and complete.  Unfortunately, most contractors don’t have a good process for managing the planning aspect of a project.  Likewise, architects and designers often focus on the design, but lack construction knowledge.  Problems occur when key information slips through the cracks resulting in a poor remodeling experience.

To ensure that our clients have a great experience, we’ve developed an effective process to keep things organized.

Plans and Specifications

Good communication starts with detailed plans and specifications. They drive everything we do.  They are how decisions are documented and essential project information is conveyed.  Planning a project is really a collaboration between the client and contractor.  A professional contractor will help their client navigate the decision making process to land on the best choice for the design, function and budget.  Unfortunately, many contractors skip planning and create a contract full of allowances.  Decisions are delayed until the 11th hour (and beyond) and who knows if the allowance is any good?  This approach is a recipe for stress, delays and cost overruns.  Again, it doesn’t have to be this way.   We use tools like 3d design software, Google Docs, Basecamp and Chris’ uncanny ability to sketch perspectives to help us communicate project details.

Scheduling

Building a project without a written schedule is like driving in an unfamiliar city without a map.  You’re unlikely to get where you want to go very quickly or efficiently.

Here are the key elements of an effective schedule:

Realistic- don’t schedule for perfection, allow for some make up time.  It’s better to create the schedule once than it is to constantly revise it because something took a little longer than hoped.

Commitment- get ‘buy in’ on the timeline from project participants before publishing

Shared- make sure the project participants see how their part impacts others.  For example, if a subcontractor knows that starting or ending later than promised will mess up the next guy, they’re less likely to let that happen (nothing motivates like a deadline!).

Managed- Make sure the schedule is reviewed regularly and that any slippage is dealt with quickly and effectively.

Follow through

This means making sure that as the project is wrapped up things are done right.  As we finish up, we note anything that needs attention and take care of it.  Then we do a Final walk-through with our clients to make sure that all work is complete.  Our goal is to minimize or eliminate the punch list.  But if there are any final items that need attention, we take care of them quickly and efficiently. The job isn’t done until it’s done.

Conclusion

Being organized is critical to a successful project and happy client.  It doesn’t happen by accident.  Having a process for collaborative communication, effective scheduling and commitment helps us make every project a success.

If you’d like to learn more about how organization makes for a better remodeling experience, send me an email here.