Home Renovations, A Tale from Start to Finish

A project is in process from the time you start to think about it, until you move in and start enjoying the finished product. Starting and going through the process can be fun, so why shouldn’t the completion be as easy and without the stress before that final check is written? It dawned on me about 20 years ago that we would work with some clients that were extremely fussy and some who would just move right in without even looking for any issues beyond an obvious item that hadn’t been installed. 

I realized a few truths:

1. The carpenter managing the project was too deep into the items to see the project objectively at the end. After all, all those hours of hard work have created a lasting and quality project and they were living in the job. 
   
   
2. The lighting in the project changes from the beginning to the end and makes it difficult to see any blemishes until all the finish lighting is in.
   The clients who used a magnifying glass were not doing it to be difficult, and maybe the clients who didn’t bring up minor issues just didn’t want to come across as high maintenance.
   
   
3. We use one of the most published charts in the construction industry to help clients with how they will be feeling. See “What To Expect Emotionally” below. The one big missing item is “punching out”. A terrible term that sounds like the time the Owner and the Contractor come to fists over what is done and what isn’t. It actually means going through a final checklist and using a paper punch to note what had been remedied.

It finally dawned on me that I could reduce the stress for the client (and everyone else) if we added designer punch to our process. About a week before we offer our client the time to pull out the fine tooth comb, the project designer spends some time with a flashlight and post-it notes. Now that our subcontractors are familiar with this, they love making sure it is perfect. Additionally, our own carpenters know they are less likely to miss something and the client doesn’t have to spend the time they did before and still has a chance to be that second or third look.

There will inevitably be some minor issues that come up during or after move in. Most warranties offer hardware adjusting type of things up to 90 days to fine tune items that will later become part of normal maintenance, or perhaps a small nick is put in the floor by the furniture delivery company. If your remodeler doesn’t have this scheduled automatically, then ask for a 90 day review- and all the little adjustments of other small finds can be rectified at one time. 

The idea for this article came to me on a site visit when Lisa was busy marking paint touch-ups….. if you don’t have a designer, don’t be afraid to make your discovery known with the post-it! Happy remodeling!