One of the keys to a successful home renovation project is clear communication between you and your contractor before the job even begins. There needs to be a clear understanding about the goal of the job, your wishes and the hard reality of your budget.
And that can be tough. I get it; you see a great new kitchen floor at a home show or in a magazine; or you see crown moulding in a television makeover show and you want it. But sometimes you need to manage your expectations and distinguish between a "need to have" and a "want to have."
Once I was called into a client's home because they wanted a quote on a new hardwood floor. But within a few minutes I found serious problems with their supporting floor joists that absolutely had to be addressed first. It was serious.
Their response surprised me, but I've seen it a few times since so it's not uncommon. They were upset and disappointed. Not because there was a serious structural problem in their home, but because I refused to do the hardwood job until the joists were repaired.
Sometimes, there's just not enough money to do it all, but people still dream. They play games with themselves and with the contractor. Can you still do X? What if we only do half now? What about...? What if...?
It's time for a cold shower. The truth is, you can't have it all. Most people have a budget and it's limited. You have to stick to what you can afford and you need to prioritize what's important.
I'm in the business of building and renovating, so it's in my interest as a contractor to promote home improvements. But we need to understand limits and know what's possible. It's fine to dream; that's what gets new ideas off the ground. But, when your contractor tells you it can't be done -- or that it'll cost X and you only have Y -- you should listen. And that doesn't mean running to the bank to borrow more money. It means modify your expectations.
Good communication means you also need to make sure your contractor is listening to you. Homeowners aren't the only ones who need reality checks. Contractors, designers and architects can get excited by ideas and carried away by possibilities, too. And their enthusiasm can sweep up homeowners and take a project off track and over budget.
Good contractors feel a sense of pride and ownership they're going to bring to the project. And they might be inspired, too. Inspired enough to bring in some grand ideas, additional expenses and pie-in-the sky thinking you just can't afford.
It's important to set realistic goals when you talk to you contractor, designer, or architect -- and communicate that information. Finding that right person is the first step, but then you have to keep both feet on the ground. It's easy to get carried away -- your enthusiasm and dreams, combined with the creativity of your contractor, can get you over budget.
If you present your budget, your goals and your dreams then your contractor may have to tell you the brutal truth -- that you can't have it. Your goals may be unrealistic. Unfortunately, many people mentally price jobs based on cost of materials -- then they ballpark some figure to get a sense of what they think the job costs and believe it to be true. And, if a good contractor tells them they can't have it they choose to not believe it. Instead, they decide to look for another guy who has a cheaper price. They've now decided the first guy was overpriced, or was trying to cheat them. So they run right into the arms of the contractor who's underbid the job because he doesn't know enough -- or who may really be a crook.
And, more often than not, the story has an unhappy ending. They choose the wrong contractor, the guy with the lower price who tells them they can have what they want. They run out of money before the job is finished, which they'd been warned about, but didn't want to hear. They either fire the contractor, or he walks off the job.
When it comes to a renovation, not every job is straightforward. Even small projects may reveal surprises that demand changes to your plans. But for some people, changing their mind is the harder choice.
You need to define your expectations, set goals and be clear about your budget realities. It's about communication. The budget speaks more clearly than your words and the pictures you cut out of magazines. Make sure your contractor knows what you can afford and what your goal is.
-- Postmedia News
Catch Mike in his new series, Holmes Inspection, airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. For more information, visit www.hgtv.ca.For more information on home renovations, visitmakeitright.ca.
