Renovation Talk
Advice You Want to Hear
Contributed by Bonnie Moore Patefacio Design Inc.
As a self-taught kitchen designer/design manager for a large builder, I must say that I am in a small
category of people that can visualize and conceptualize from a floor plan or blueprint. Most people need to see it. When beginning any project, whether it be swapping a faucet, a weekend project or a full kitchen renovation, it begins with the concept of your idea, your dream and your vision. A designer helps guide your vision into reality. Sometimes the reality is different from the expectation. Inevitably, issues will arise. This is how avoid those pitfalls. Plan, plan, and then plan again. The more prepared you are for a renovation or change, the more smoothly the project will move ahead. Start with the simple things to execute. Keep detailed notes. Meetings, phone calls, receipts and selections. Your headaches will be eased if you keep track. If your General Contractor doesn’t keep the area tidy, hire a cleaning lady. It’s important to keep it clean of debris, not only for your safety, but to actually see the progress moving ahead. Your time is valuable, hire someone to assist and ease the agony of staying on top of it all. Keep in mind that trades are required to wear their safety boots in your home. It is imperative to set and stay on (or close to) your budget. Many clients say they are not sure of the budget, which is a sure fire way to go over. Work with your designer to determine a close estimate. You may believe that $10,000 is a reasonable amount when in reality you have envisioned $230,000 worth of work.
Additionally, factor in a 5% contingency for overlooked costs. I hear horror stories of people get into a renovation and half way through the project they realize that they cannot afford to finish it as they envisioned, which are heartbreaking! Here are some steps to help bring the financial anxiety of renovating to a minimum. Change Orders. It is going to happen where there will be a change of plan, design or product. Original quotes are created from your plan. Your trade’s people will adjust this for any changes. So when something changes, the client should expect a change order fee to be attached to the final invoice. Order Extra. Particularly when it comes to a special order item. It is my recommendation that you always order 10% extra more tiles. If you need to move a wall or change the layout you will have enough to cover it. If you need to order more later, you run the risk of it being out of stock, being more costly, having a long shipping time, or an even larger problem of possibly no colour match! I also recommend that you keep a few extra tiles to replace a broken tile later on.
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