Renovation Tips...Part 1

I figured with 5 home renovation projects under my belt, I could post some renovation tips and share some of my knowledge that I have learned thus far. My disclaimer here is that I'm not claiming to be an expert and all of these may not apply to your own personal situation, I'm just sharing my knowledge. Also my experience comes from renovating old homes in downtown Toronto so my advice comes from dealing with those types of homes. Now since that's out of the way, let's begin!

The Contractor:

• Do research before your project begins- before getting a quote research various things such as, the way things should be done properly, different approaches, the big no's, etc. Knowledge gives you power to negotiate, but remember who the real expert is
• HGTV is not realistic- keep in mind that when watching renovation shows on HGTV, there is a lot of behind the scenes happening that is never shown on TV. These TV shows have big crews of 15 + people working on the house so the timelines are unrealistic for a regular home renovation. Also only selected mistakes and delays are shown on TV
• Get more then 1 quote- get multiple quotes, you're about to spend thousands of dollars of your hard earned money, isn't it worth it? Rule of thumb, 2-3 quotes for smaller projects, 4-5 quotes for bigger projects, but remember the lowest bid is not necessarily the best one
• Don't under value your contractor- although some times we can get carried away negotiation,  don't forget contractors work hard, have overhead to pay and also need to make a living. Also getting them to commit to a lower price then they would normally does not motivate them to start and finish your project faster, they may take side jobs to make up the shortfall which hurts you in the end. Instead ask for deeper discounts on material (if you're not purchasing it yourself) as contractors get commercial discounts
• References- ask for references and check up on them to see the quality of the contractors work and how easy it is to work with them
• Contracts- insist on contracts with a break down of how much everything will cost so that there is no discrepancies at the end when it's time to pay
• Hire specialists-although general contractors are jack of all trades and may give you a better quote because they are doing all the work, throughout the project this may back fire on you for several reasons. If your contractor gets sick, the project comes to a halt and may not meet your deadline, the project will not move as fast as you anticipated as one person can only do so much and contractors can become overwhelmed, which further delays you. The saying goes jack of all trades or master at one.
• Communication is key- Ensure your contractors understand your vision for your project. Don't be afraid to speak up and let your contractors know when they are doing something wrong or something you don't like, remember this is your money, risk and investment and communication is key with any relationship, whether it's personal or business
• Make a list- of everything that needs to be done in your home and set realistic deadlines for each task so that everyone is on the same page. Make sure your contractor has a copy of this list and re-evaluate it with them every week. If the contractor is consistently not meeting your deadlines then have a sit down and find out why, are your deadlines unrealistic or are the contractors not fully committed to the tasks at hand?
• Payment plan- make a structured payment plan with your contractor. Don't give them all the money upfront or hold onto it until the end of the project. Most contractors require a deposit upfront which makes me concerned. Talk to your contractor and come up with a plan where you pay them every week, 2 weeks or 3 weeks for work that has been done or hours put in. I'm a strong believer in paying for work that's completed and not promises of future work to be done
• Attitude- although craftsmanship is important, so is the attitude of your contractor and how well you work with them, it ensures a smooth renovation. You want a contractor that is a problem solver and not a drama queen every time they are faced with an unforeseen obstacle
• Supervision is a must-giving your contractor free rein on YOUR project is not advisable. Make sure either yourself or someone you know, is always dropping by the home to note progress and to let your contractors know someone is always watching. If you have extra time, find an excuse to be at the home for extended periods of time each day, as from my experience people tend to work harder and take less breaks when you are there working too
• No such thing as a perfect contractor- they all come with their flaws, you just need to decide what you can live with and what you cannot live with as you have to deal with these contractors every day during your renovation and see them in your home

***Most important tip....TRUST YOUR CONTRACTOR! If you can't trust them, then you shouldn't hire them to renovate one of your biggest investments. There's a lot of shady contractors out there which give the good ones a bad rap, just like any profession. So make sure to take the time to find the one that's right for you, isn't it worth it?

Well that concludes part 1 of my renovations tips. Make sure to pop by next week for part 2, where I will be discussing The House.

Did you find these helpful? Have any of your own tips you would like to share?