Table of Contents
Copyright 2017 by Monica Higgins
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Schiffer, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., and the Design of pen and inkwell are registered trademarks of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road
Atglen, PA 19310
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ISBN 978-1-5073-0043-5 (EPUB)
TO MY MOTHER,
Mayme McIntosh Higgins, whose remodeling experience inspired me to write this book.
CONTENTS
Discover the best way to conceptualize your vision to create a remodel you absolutely love.
Learn the top five reasons why you must inspect your home before starting your remodel.
Discover how permits, covenants, and zoning affect what youre allowed to do with your home.
Learn about the types of pros youll need on your team and how to screen them.
Discover the best way to work with a design professional to match your ideas to reality.
Discover painless ways to shave your budget.
Learn about your finance and incentive options and how to strengthen your loan application.
Learn how construction documents capture your vision.
Discover the most effective way to speed date a contractor.
Learn the best way to get an accurate bid.
Discover how to compare bids and make an informed decision.
Learn the best way to get all the money you need.
Learn the elements of a solid contract.
Learn five strategies that will save you loads of heartache in the future.
Learn how to avoid the number one error people make when paying for work.
Learn how to avoid expensive glitches.
Learn how to stay on budget and on schedule when your plan requires adjustments.
Learn the five crucial steps to take when your contractor isnt listening to you.
Learn the four best practices for closing out your project.
Learn how to make the most of your successful remodel.
PREFACE
Remodeling is not suited for flying by the seat of your pants. It takes planning. Older homes may suffer from deferred maintenance, as well as hidden structural, safety, or code issues that can increase the complexity of a remodel. Many spec homes and older houses were not optimized for energy and water efficiency. Few homes use green building techniques such as passive solar for reduced heating and lighting costs, or sustainable/renewable/reclaimed materials.
If youre buying a home, resale value should also be on your mind, whether youre planning to live in the house as a primary residence or use it as an investment. In todays mobile society, few people live out their entire lives in the same house, making it important to weigh the cost of remodeling choices against their impact on resale pricing and appeal.
Maybe you fear the remodeling process and want a better outcome and fewer surprises in your next project. Those outcomes can be anything from staying on budget, to hiring a reliable contractor, to avoiding problems with permits and inspections, to selecting healthy and energy-efficient products and systems. Armed with solid information on the key remodeling success factors in this book, youll gain the confidence to take control of your remodeling destiny.
Homeowner changes contribute to up to 30% of construction delays. Those changes can increase costs up to 50% or more. Industry experts estimate that 80% of these expensive homeowner changes are the result of poor initial planning, poor contractor selection, and ineffective communication. Once you understand how the remodeling process works from the contractors perspective, youll be in a much better position to plan your projects appropriately, select the right contractors, anticipate roadblocks, avoid costly changes, and incorporate cost-saving green elements.
Creating your dream home is possible, even if you know little or nothing about remodeling or have had a bad experience in the past. Remodel Success will give you a new level of understanding and confidence that will transform your relationship with contractors and suppliers, and put you back in control of your renovation project.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my clients for entrusting me with the remodeling of their homes. I would also like to thank those who provided support as I completed this book:
Gail Martin of DreamSpinner Communications and Randy Peyser of Author One Stop for knowing this book would evolve at the right time with the right publisher and for helping me take a somewhat complex topic and make it simple, engaging, inspiring, and empowering.
Dylan Stewart of Dylan Stewart Design for translating the books concept into a one-sheet that spoke volumes, and to Kathy Norris for your ongoing encouragement.
Cheryl Weber and Pete Schiffer of Schiffer Publishing for sharing my vision of helping homeowners who hire pros to achieve remodeling success.
Lily Alan and Grace Palmer for their assistance behind the scenes so I could keep the writing momentum going.
Emily Willoughby, Julia Teen, and Reva Kussmaul for reading every page of the manuscript with scrutiny and offering valuable constructive feedback.
Marcus Walker for your unconditional love.
INTRODUCTION
YOUR HOME, YOUR WAY
Youve decided to remodel your home, but youre not sure where to start. The best place to begin is with a plan. Planning is to remodeling what location is to real estatethe essential component for success. Skipping the planning process is like building a structure without a foundation. Resist this temptation. Projects without conscientious pre-construction planning cost significantly more than projects with a well-thought-out plan. Construction experts know that homeowners are the biggest cause of cost overruns. In fact, more than 80% of expensive change requests come from homeowners who are not detailed enough in their remodel plan up front. As a result, homeowners cause up to 30% of construction delays and increase the cost of their own projects up to 50% or more.
When people hear location, location, location, they think of real estate. When you think of remodeling, think planning, planning, planning.
WORKING WITH THE REMODEL SUCCESS SYSTEM
This book is designed to share my system of thinking through a remodel plan. Ill share the same process I use with clients one-on-one. Its a proven system that I have refined through projects both large and small. I estimate that, on average, my clients save a minimum of 35% on their remodeling projects, compared to approaching their project without a solid plan. For example, if you do not sanity-check your $100,000 budget against the scope of work, you could end up spending $135,000.
On the other hand, if youve taken the time to carefully think through every aspect of your project, you would have spent no more than $115,000, with the $15,000 overrun resulting from fixing unforeseen conditions such as an undetected water leak causing mold or termite damage requiring reframing and other corrective work. Your pre-construction budget would have already accounted for this $15,000 because you would have made allowances for contingencies outside your control.
