YOUR REMODELING BLUE PRINT. A personal guide by RG Construction Services, LLC

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Kristina Spencer
5 years ago
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1 YOUR REMODELING BLUE PRINT A personal guide by RG Construction Services, LLC

Not knowing all the facts can be costly! Avoid remodeling complications 3 important steps that you don t want to overlook... #1 Don t let your contractor talk you into NOT getting permits.

2 Not knowing all the facts can be costly! Avoid remodeling complications 3 important steps that you don t want to overlook... #1 Don t let your contractor talk you into NOT getting permits... Not only does it leave you on the hook without inspections., how will you know if the work is being done to code? What happens when you go to sell your home and there were no inspections?... If you re caught without a permit during resale, you may face big consequences. You may have to pay fines (possibly up to quadruple the original permit cost) or may have to tear the project down and redo it.

3 Watch out for changes in building codes. Every municipality can have a different set of codes. In fact, they even change over time. For example if you get a permit in May, and the codes changed in July, then you may have to adjust your project to accommodate the new rules. Contractors must be licensed in order to take out a permit and work on your house. So, if a contractor asks you to get the permit, this should raise a red flag with you. This could mean the contractor is not licensed, or that the contractor is not allowed by building officials to work in that locality. The main reason a contractor won t want to file for a permit is that they don t want to meet code or can t meet the code. And this contractor may not be licensed to do the work you are asking him to do. Is the price too good to be true? An unlicensed contractor has a financial advantage without the overhead costs of licensing and bonding. Both the prejob and post job billing was handled with excellent communication and accuracy as were the inspections throughout the job. I would not hesitate to use RG Construction again for my own projects and recommend them to others for theirs. ~ Stephen Hawke, Homeowner

#2 Make sure you understand the agreement you are signing, because it could be costing you more... Too keep their bids attractive, many contractors put in unrealistically low allowances.

4 #2 Make sure you understand the agreement you are signing, because it could be costing you more... Too keep their bids attractive, many contractors put in unrealistically low allowances. Let s say your contract contains a $5,000 allowance for kitchen cabinets, but you end up choosing cabinets that cost $8,000. You now owe $3,000 extra, plus taxes and even more if the contractor charges markup on the allowance upcharges. He may even charge extra to install the more expensive cabinets. Unclear plans and specifications This is a very common problem on small jobs where people don t want to take the time to specify every detail. However, it can be a much more expensive problem on large jobs where there are more dollars at stake. Some examples: A contract with the vague specification to Replace one window with comparable and patch to match existing could lead to disputes about what type of window and how closely the contractor is to match the existing trim and finishes. The difference in cost between the contractor s and owner s interpretation of the contract might be a few hundred dollars. On a home with 25 windows, an unclear window specification could lead to a disagreement over thousands of dollars for example, when the contractor was thinking solid vinyl windows and the owner was thinking vinyl-clad wood windows. ~ Building Advisors LLC Is everything clear? Before you sign an agreement, make sure it accurately reflects your understanding of what you agreed upon. Richard did not consider the work done until I did and made sure the final finishing paint was done right to my very exacting standards and stayed within budget throughout. ~ Tom, Homeowner

5 #3 Up to 40% or more in cost overruns from inadequate allowances, set by unrealistic contractors... When choosing between competing bids from contractors or craftsmen, conventional wisdom is to accept the price in the middle. But sometimes it s a lot smarter to pay more to get better results, especially when precision really counts. ~ Consumer Reports Proper planning will prevent many problems that can haunt a project all the way to completion. This is a very common problem on small jobs where people don t want to take the time to specify every detail. However, it can be a much more expensive problem on large jobs where there are more dollars at stake. Of course, we try to have a good plan for all projects, but circumstances occur that cause some projects to go astray which make cost overruns inevitable. By staying on top of a project and confronting problems at discovery and being attentive to avoid the problem from worsening is of the utmost importance.

Delay and cost overrun in the project due to scope change. Scope is the term that defines the entire deliverables that is expected at the end of a project.

Thus, any change in the project scope during execution will mean that the entire initial project plan will have to be reviewed such that a reviewed budget, schedule and quality will have to be

6 Delay and cost overrun in the project due to scope change. Scope is the term that defines the entire deliverables that is expected at the end of a project. Therefore, logically, it can be said that all project plans, estimation, schedule, quality and base lines are usually designed based in the initial project scope. Thus, any change in the project scope during execution will mean that the entire initial project plan will have to be reviewed such that a reviewed budget, schedule and quality will have to be developed. This means more time and resources will be needed as against the initial baseline. With each scope change, precious project resources are diverted to activities that were not identified in the original project scope, leading to pressure on the project schedule and budget. Watch out for unrealistic allowances. Clever builders can insert low allowances to make their overall bid number low. Once you sign the contract and start construction, this flaw becomes painfully apparent. I bid the home to four companies and three of them came back only fixing the symptom of the problem; only RG addressed the cause and found serious hidden damage and risk. ~ Tom, Homeowner

Start here to get your guaranteed solution! Your Answers are right around the corner!

What you get: Guaranteed solutions with all your options.

No high pressure sales gimmicks just upfront solutions!

Backed by RG 100% workmanship guarantee! Time slots are limited to Tuesday and Thursday appointments only.

7 Start here to get your guaranteed solution! Your Answers are right around the corner!! Schedule your complementary no obligation evaluation and find your real solutions! What you get: Guaranteed solutions with all your options. Hassle free 30 to 90 minute evaluation (if you don t see value ask us to leave). No high pressure sales gimmicks just upfront solutions! Same day quote on most repairs (sometimes we have to reschedule quote custom projects). Backed by RG 100% workmanship guarantee! Time slots are limited to Tuesday and Thursday appointments only. Schedule with Richard Today! Call: (360) (best option) Text: (360) info@rgprobuilders.com Construction Services, LLC I can t say enough good things about Richard and Beth. I know that when I call I will get a response right away. They always get bids to us quickly and the work is done when promised. ~ Laurie Johansen, Dunning & Associates

Comparing Building and IT Projects

The PROJECT PERFECT White Paper Collection Comparing Building and IT Projects Neville Turbit Overview It is often hard to understand why IT projects can be so difficult. People in the Engineering/Construction