What is the first thing a customer should do when planning a renovation?
Find the contractor you want to work with.
I have run into many homeowners who embody the saying “Save a penny to spend 2.”
This is a homeowner who starts a project, gets halfway through and realizes either they are in too deep or they no longer have the time to finish the project. The cost to go into a halfway completed or partially started project is substantial. There is the cost of figuring out what is going on, and trying to work with things done out of order or purchased materials. The cost of often undoing work and redoing it, as often the problem that prevented the client from finishing is that they made a mistake several steps back. Or having to do more work because a client may have created issues somewhere else that now need to be dealt with.
Start by calling a contractor
There are many contractors out there who are happy to give advice, will do free consultations or will work with you to get your project done within a budget that makes sense for you.
Your home is most people’s biggest asset, there are dozens of systems and hundreds of things to know when working on a home. Many business owners have been in the trade for years, even decades and understand these systems. It only looks easy because we have been doing this for as long as we have.
There is an entire practice called building science that examines how a building interacts within itself and with the world around it. Not taking the time to understand the implications of your renovations could have a huge financial impact on you.
Finding the person who will complete your job properly is the first thing you need to do. Start working with them.
