Lessons I learned from our renovation
Make a budget first and foremost, include a contingency fund in case you run into something unexpected.
Make a list of must haves and would likes. List them in order of importance. Get the quote for each line item so you can weigh if the cost is worth it.
When you make a contract with a contractor make sure you line item all the details. If you expect something, have it clearly written in your contract so that there can be no mistake as to what is included in the price you agree on. If items get added, make sure you add them in to your contract. We found we agreed on prices, made the contract, both parties signed, and then later he would try to up the price. He tended to try to do this to me, and I would say no but he would push for increasing cost but would drop it immediately when he spoke with my husband. I was given the feeling that construction was a man’s world, where they thought I was just a woman whom they could try to push around. Over the course of the project, I feel like he learned I was sticking firm and a stickler for our agreement so he stopped trying to talk around me.
Don’t be afraid to show up on site to check on the workers. If you see something that is wrong make sure you speak up right away and be firm about getting it corrected. An example, I showed up in the afternoon after the electrician had punched the holes for the pendant lights over our peninsula. I noticed the hole for the left pendant was awfully close to the cabinet. So close, in fact, that you wouldn’t be able to open the cabinet door without it hitting the pendant. I called our contractor who tried to insist that electrical was now finished and that was that. I corrected him that we need to have functional cabinets and the light being misplaced would not allow the cabinet door to open all the way. He begrudgingly agreed (as he would have the cost of fixing this not us) and had the electrician come out the next day to meet with me. He measured again and saw his error and corrected it.
Make sure your contractor is licensed. Yes, that is an obvious thing to check but make sure you do. A few that we interviewed had let their licenses slip. Or they had claims against them. Make sure they have workers compensation etc.
Don’t pay your final check until your punch list is complete. Pay in full after the work is completed - you may need to pay up front for some material cost but never pay everything until they have done the job, and to your satisfaction. That is your leverage for them to complete the job and not just walk away. This saved us when we installed our hardwood flooring downstairs with new baseboards and initially they tried to just install and not paint or seal the baseboards.
Here are a few photos of the renovation care and quality finishes I insisted on:
