Author: Jeff

If you did not ask this question, you might be the only customer on the planet. Even those that don’t ask are thinking it from the day they consider a remodel or are hit by an unfortunate disaster. We understand the driving force behind this question, and ourselves have had disasters in our own homes, and have also planned remodels. The force at work here is the immediateness of the discomfort. Everyday the incomplete work stares us in the face, the waiting for a schedule or an update invades the space in our mind that would rather be thinking of something else… anything else.

The cold-hard fact about a restoration project or remodel in our homes, is that it is like watching water boil. The longer and harder we stare at that pot of water the longer it takes to boil. This isn’t because it really takes longer to boil, rather our perception of time slows dramatically. The mere fact that something isn’t happening yet drives us crazy and it truly feels like it is taking forever. Yet if we walk away for a few minutes and forget about it low and behold when we come back the water at a raging boil.

It would be too simplistic to merely suggest that one walk away from the project and come back shortly after and viola it is done; however, it is not a bad idea to stop focusing on the damage and watching it until complete. Dealing with how long a construction project will take is a process of compartmentalization. We need to do a few key things at the beginning of the process.

• Talk with our contractor and discuss a projected timeline for the project.
• Accept the timeline; not hope it won’t take that long, but truly understand it most likely will and it could take longer.
• Assist the contractor with access (Make it as easy as possible)
• Make selections of materials in a timely manner
• Do your best to not change the project along the way. Adding more work adds more time and cannot be considered part of the original timeline.

Like anything in life, dealing with an active construction project in your home is 90% mental. This is not suggesting that a contractor get a free pass to complete whenever they feel like it. Certainly not that they can communicate when or how often they choose; It is a general guideline to having a good relationship with your contractor, and to understand the less we watch the water the faster it will boil.

On any construction project the quality of work and materials is selected before work begins. If this is not done between you and your contractor, that is a red flag. In the very beginning of the process to start a renovation or remodel, there should be an agreed scope and price. The scope and price will include all materials, installation labor, disposal charges and the profit margin for the construction company.

Once the scope is agreed and a contract is signed; you and the team should work to make selections together so you know you are getting a good quality material that is within the available budget for repairs. In some cases, a homeowner may choose to upgrade beyond what was originally scoped; this allows them to get any material at any cost they may choose.

The quality of work is a different topic all together. This will depend on the contractor and either their in-house teams skill and proficiency, or the sub network that they employ and trust to provide great service to their clients. In both cases you could ask them for before and after’s or testimonials. Even then someone who has provided great work before could have an off day and provide less than their standard to you. This requires communication and a good relationship with your contractor.

If the quality seems less than desirable any contractor worth their salt will remedy this and make sure that the final product is to your complete satisfaction. The theme of this post really is all about clear communication and team work to select the best materials within your budget and for the contractor to utilize the best labor to install for a high quality result.

One of the most frustrating aspects of looking for a contractor online, or trying to get a basic idea of price is the lack of information. The truth is that this is done on purpose. Too many businesses are worried that giving away too much information will cause them to lose customers. It will somehow take away their competitive edge and make the consumer over educated.

We disagree with this philosophy. There are two facts that lead us to a different point of view. You the consumer are going to do the research either way, and why frustrate you to get it; and we do not have a better or worse chance of earning your business because we show price. We actually feel that shedding some light on this confusing process of restoration or remodel will help make decisions easier.

It is too hard to give an exact price because every project will be different, and each customer will have different tastes and wants or desires. In this blog post we want to accomplish two things. 1. Give the consumer some basic idea of price for general restoration or remodel projects. 2. Show our competitors and the public that sharing information willingly and honestly will only help both parties make good decisions.

The best we can do is give general ballparks based on type of restoration or remodel projects. Before we do that let us explain what restoration and remodel mean. A restoration project is repairs to a home or building after some sort of disaster, usually water damage or fire damage. This type of repair project would typically be an insurance related project. A remodel is a planned repair that homeowners or business owners have been planning and saving for to spruce up their home or business.

In this post we are going to focus on home restoration and home remodels, we can touch a bit more on commercial or businesses in follow up articles. Below you will see a very general outline of potential costs. Keep in mind that these will vary again by location, tax jurisdictions and grade of materials or fixtures.

Standard bathroom restoration/remodel: Including simple LVP, new vanity(s), new toilet(s), new fixtures, new base trim and casing, painting and clean up.

Average price: $9,500 – $14,500

Standard kitchen restoration/remodel: Including simple LVP, new countertops (Solid surface) new appliances, new fixtures, new base trim, toe kicks, painting and clean up.

Average price: $20,000 – $30,000

We will continue to add new articles that will help shed light on pricing. We are also available for consultations and questions. We offer free scopes, free estimates and are never afraid to share information that can assist consumers to make good decisions.

Is this a feeling that you or someone you know has experienced? It usually stems from a true story. Someone you know, or someone that someone you know knows was taken for a ride by a general contractor. Yes, we are contractors, and this may seem like a bad topic for us to address, however we are not afraid of this question. It is valid and sadly even with measures taken to avoid it, less than reputable companies still prey on the consumer to this very day.

Here at Drive Construction and Remodeling LLC, we are on a mission to educate and demystify the construction industry. Sharing knowledge and touching on sensitive subjects should not be something that only lives on Reddit. Too many companies for far too long have been unwilling to discuss touchy subjects out of fear that it will turn away customers. We believe that raising our hand and saying yes, we are in a tough industry and there are serious issues to address will bridge trust. In fact, it is really the only way to do so, we could talk about all the same topics as company B, or we can be candid and even vulnerable.

Now to the advice portion of this post. To avoid getting ripped off by a contractor there are a few key things that need to occur.

• Due diligence – This is more than reviews, and quite frankly reviews are not very trustworthy. Google does what it can to make a natural flowing honesty seeking algorithm, but the best they can do is flag posts that seem paid for or shady; hurting your organic relevance. There are many companies that get real quality reviews; however, they are usually offering something in return. Diligence is more about checking on licensing information, how many bond violations or lawsuits does the company have, are there lapses and compliance issues. This will lead you to a real reputation.
• Understand the contract – If you sign the contract make sure you understand what you are signing. There can be clauses in there that give the contractor rights to bill excessively or any number of one-sided paragraphs. These should be red flags that what you see may not be what you get.
• Ask questions and use your instincts – Getting ripped off is usually a function of lack of attention. No diligence in the beginning and a feeling of being stuck by the time one knows something is wrong. If there isn’t a trust between you and your contractor there is already a problem.

We hope that you don’t need to find out any hard lessons on this topic, and should you have direct questions for our team we welcome them. When you want a contractor you can rely on for your home remodeling project, give us a call for a free consultation.