Renovation Project
How To Deal With Changes During Your Home Renovation Project
Undoubtedly there will be at least a few, if not many changes during the course of your renovation project. Often these are due to owners’ changes of mind as he sees the project materialize or due to legitimately unknown conditions which tend to crop up during most any renovation project. Be aware that there are always unknowns that nobody could have anticipated in a renovation whether it is a home renovation project or a commercial one.
With this in mind it is extremely important that you, the homeowner, never, ever give any instructions during the construction process to anyone other than the General Contractor who is responsible for the overall project’s completion and cost control. In addition you should ONLY give instructions to the contractor or his designated representative in writing. Here’s why: If a subcontractor or other worker on the project approaches you, the homeowner, with a problem or situation which will require a change or additional work (or cost) and you verbally approve it “to keep things moving” you are asking for trouble. IF you do this you will eventually get a bill for the added work and/or materials and you will have no opportunity to argue about the amount or even whether or not the work was necessary. The workman or sub who asks you really doesn’t care because he is likely getting paid hourly. He will just turn the time and costs in to his boss, eventually the boss will invoice the general contractor and it’s usually too late to argue.
This sort of situation has cost homeowners a great deal of money and has been the cause of many lawsuits. The innocent act of verbally approving a change can be expensive. Typically the party asking you for an OK will not mention additional cost or time. Instead he will emphasize the necessity for a quick decision to keep him working and to complete the job. The problems inherent in this scenario are surprisingly easy to avoid but it takes a solid game plan and good self discipline to properly handle.
As a homeowner dealing with a renovation project you can absolutely count on being faced with this situation or something similar.
The bottom line here is that if a change is needed (even one which should save you money) it is extremely important that you communicate with the general contractor (the party with whom you have a written agreement) in written form. This can be a hand written memo, an email, a fax or a typed letter. Any form of communication that will result in a “paper trail” or provide documentation that can be used later as proof will suffice. In this document or memo you must describe the work agreed to be performed, acknowledge that it is a change to the original agreement and include some estimate of the additive or deductive costs anticipated. At the time this will seem like a lot of hassle but rest assured that the process will end up saving you much bigger problems and hassles later. Verbal agreements are fine but never forget that “selective amnesia” is rampant when it comes to money and construction projects.
About the Author
Hal Herndon is an architect with national certification and active licenses in several states. His firm generally specializes in commercial and industrial projects. Over the past few decades he has handled several of his own home renovations and has designed and built two custom homes for himself. In addition he has helped numerous friends and clients through the often painful process of renovating their homes. He has also recently written an easy to understand guide for homeowners who are planning renovation projects For more information on how to control your home renovation and avoid problems, click http://www.homerenovationbook.com.
Deck Building Part 1
|
|
Six Step-by-Step Video Home Improvement Set: Interior Paint and Wallpaper, Furniture Refinishing, Framing, Roofing, Underground Sprinklers, Children’s Playsets [Project Guide Included With Each Video] $175.00 Six video set and project guides: 1) Interior Paint and Wallpaper: Complete instructions for finishing walls from painting to hanging of wall coverings and special section on stenciling. 2) Furniture Refinishing: Complete instructions for stripping and refinishing furniture to achieve a smooth even finish and techniques for stripping flat and intricate surfaces. 3) Framing: Basic framing technique… |
|
|
Glass and stainless steel mosaic tile for backsplash or bathroom glass tile project $24.99 Stunning Stainless Steel and ABSOLUTE WHITE GLASS STRIPS Mosaic Tile – Ideal solution for Kitchen Back Splash or Borders. LIMITED STOCK > *Contact us if you need less or more |
|
|
Bath, Sink, & Tile Epoxy Refinishing Kit for Dummies – Triple Bathroom Makeover Kit $223.35 Its easy to re-do your surfaces. Get professional results for hundreds less than a professional refinisher, and thousands less than replacing your bathroom. Make your old, tired baths and sinks look brand new! Change your pink, blue, avocado and brown bathrooms into gorgeous, new showpieces! Ultra-hard epoxy formulation lasts for years! Amazing ‘For Dummies’ Brand Epoxy Refinishing kit contains ev… |
|
|
LASCO SCH 40 1/2 Inch PVC Pipe Caps – 10 Pack $3.99 For your DIY and new construction projects…. |
|
|
Biography: The Home Depot $9.35 Soundtrack: English…. |
|
|
Designing Duggars $1.99 … |
|
|
Major Work Out $1.99 … |
|
|
Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: with 350 Projects and 2000 Photos (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide) $18.98 Black and Decker Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair With 350 Projects and 2300 Photos…. |
|
|
Small Bath Solutions (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating) $9.99 Bring big style to a small bathroom In these tough economic times, more and more people are downsizing their living spaces to smaller, more functional homes. But as typical living quarters become smaller, it doesn’t mean that those dwelling in smaller digs need to sacrifice style along with space. Small Bath Solutions is packed with example bathrooms, galleries of ideas, and tons of … |
|
|
Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Finishing Basements: Step-by-step Projects for Adding Living Space without Adding On (Black & Decker Complete Guide) $12.50 Creating extra living space affordably has never been easier. This book shows dozens of different uses for basement spaces, then shows readers exactly how to accomplish each task. Painstakingly clear photos leave nothing to the imagination, as they teach consumers exactly how to handle modern materials and tools to add an extra bathroom, a family room, bedroom, home office, or game room to their… |