We all love watching Chip & Joanna Gaines miraculously turn a decrepit old home into a farmhouse-chic dream in a half-hour segment. However, the time-warp effect needed to make it all fit into the programming time slot is grossly misleading. When diving into a remodel project, you might wonder what you can expect and how long your project will realistically take from start to completion.. Let’s review the two most common misconceptions about project timing and what you can expect when you remodel your home.
First Misconception: You Can Remodel Your Home in Half an Hour
Of course, you realize a remodeling metamorphosis of your home project in half an hour is impossible. Chip and Joanna are entertaining to watch on TV, and shows like theirs are a fantastic source of inspiration and ideas, but they do not give an accurate reference for understanding the process and timing that a remodeling project needs to be done correctly. You can certainly enjoy watching these shows, and maybe pick up some great design ideas that you love, just remember the real world unfortunately doesn’t get a time-warp to remodel with a built-in commercial break.
Second Misconception: Construction Can Start Without Completing a Design
This would be catastrophic to your project. We get it – you want to jump right in and start removing all those old cabinets and outdated flooring. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll have your dream home, right? Unfortunately, this false belief will certainly both complicate and lengthen the construction phase and probably guarantee NOT finishing on time. The design phase of a remodeling project – when every detail gets hammered out (pun intended) is crucial to the overall success of your project. Without a clear straightforward design, time schedules run over, and you can experience the headache of a more expensive, seemingly never-ending project. Trying to skip or or rush through the design process is a sure way to find yourself standing in your gutted kitchen with no clear picture of your final finish-design goal.
So how do you avoid these common mistakes and end with the perfect project completed on time and within your budget?
The Design-Build Process
Take your time with planning. During the design phase, you might get impatient, but skipping or rushing this crucial step can create a myriad of problems down the road. Defining clear outlines concerning the intent of your project goals and selecting all the parts and pieces involved is critical to its success. The construction team will then have a clear direction and working game plan to create your project within your designated time frame and budget. Need help trusting contractors? Read our post about how you can ensure a solid relationship with your contractor.
What Impacts Timing?
Until your contractor and their design team have a clearly defined design and plans, it is impossible to tell you exactly how long your project will take to finish. When talking with your contractor about project timing, there are some important things to keep in mind.
Your Availability
When creating that in-depth design, you’ll meet with a designer regularly to pick out selections for your home. Your availability to meet with that designer could potentially affect your project’s completion date. Remember, we don’t want to pick up a hammer before that design is complete!
Unclear Expectations
Most frustration comes from unmet expectations. To keep your expectations fulfilled, get a written and clear project schedule at the beginning of the project. Also, be sure you understand how the project agenda will be tracked and communicated during construction. Minor adjustments to timing as the work unfolds are inevitable, but they don’t have to be an unpleasant surprise. Instead, ask about a systematic scheduling update and review that will keep everyone on the same page.
Lack of Communication
When talking with remodelers you are considering working with, it is important to look for one with a transparent process for handling your project from start to finish. If you ask about their process and do not get the answers you want, you may want to move on.
Ultimately, your project and its timing will be most affected by how well the design process is completed before any actual construction begins. Again, we cannot emphasize strongly enough how important the initial design process, communication, and your understanding of expectations are to the success of your remodeling project. Your satisfaction is our ultimate goal.