Remodel Survival Skills: Communication, Flexibility, Patience, and Perspective

Many clients seeking to do a remodel to their home or commercial property seldom realize everything that’s involved in the construction process, especially with respect to the unique challenges associated with continuing to remain on the premises during the remodel.

A recent client admitted that all the advance discussions and early preparations proved life-savers for her as she navigated her whole house remodel. Ed worked with her to develop a list of pre-arranged accommodations to ensure that she would be made comfortable and experience minimal disturbance given she would be remaining in her home during the construction. Without such an advance plan and special accommodations, the demolition noise and common construction disruptions to her normally quiet lifestyle would have proved untenable. 

“This was a first for me, given I’d never been through a whole house remodel,” she admitted. “Although Ed and his team were extremely accommodating and clear about what was to come, I never could have imagined how much it would affect me. Having construction people in my home Monday through Friday – people who were complete strangers to me prior to the remodel – could have been extremely upsetting. Fortunately, I was kept fully informed –  told who to expect and at what time. It wouldn’t have been practical for me to leave my only home, but without Ed’s support, I could never have anticipated the noise or understood the construction process.”

She went on to say, “Ed’s team cordoned off the various areas of my home and always cleaned up after themselves each day, minimizing the dust and noise. Happily, despite our requested add-ons to the remodel, along with the unforeseen water damage and other necessary repairs that were revealed, the project was brought in within the adjusted schedule and approved budget. It would have been so stressful living onsite during the construction work without Ed’s advance planning and special accommodations. Thankfully, it proved well worth it given how pleased we are with the beautiful results!”

Communication is Key to Remodeling Success

For our on and offsite clients, we prepare regular reports, providing photos of what is discovered during demolition. Until a wall is opened, we can’t know what may be found. It’s not unusual that we find mold, a rat’s nest, or other infestation in need of special treatment, removal, repair, or functional upgrading to current building codes prior to moving from any phase of the project onto the next. 

Such discoveries need to be properly assessed and are separate from the scope of work in the original contract. These do result in a change order and additional costs, as well as additional time, to the overall project. Every new discovery is an item that must be addressed and remedied or corrected in order to pass any upcoming building inspection. If not, then the project can be halted and not allowed to proceed further unless it is first addressed and fully remedied. This is why we advise that our clients add a 15% contingency to their overall project budget to allow for the unknown, unforeseen, and unpredictable. 

Practicing Flexibility and Patience Reduce Stress and Ease the Process

We do our best to advise our clients on what to expect and the contingencies to plan for, but we don’t have a crystal ball. We can make educated guesses, based on our depth of varied experiences. By example, in certain older homes, or with a particular type of home built in certain areas, things like termites, mold, or water damage are more likely to pose a problem. Survival of a remodel does necessitate a need for greater flexibility and patience on your part given that any “unknown” can pose problems if you fail to plan, or budget, for such inevitability upfront.

Ed Neir Construction is dedicated to maintaining the highest integrity and construction industry standards, delivering to your vision within your budget and timeline. We know that any remodel, no matter how large or small, is vitally important to you, and that you deserve to be treated with the utmost respect for your time, your property investment, and your allotted budget. We ask that you extend your flexibility and patience to us to allow for the unforeseeable in any remodeling project. In return, we promise to do our utmost to provide complete and appropriate solutions, presenting them to you in a timely manner with the available options that make the most sense in light of each unique situation, and in the context of the overall project. It’s up to you how you may decide to proceed once you know your choices and the various options that can be available to you. 

At Ed Neir Construction, we don’t work merely to win your business. We strive to make you a life-long client and referral customer. We look forward to having you call us back for your future projects, and we are delighted when you refer us to your family, friends, and business associates. We’ve consistently worked hard and practiced integrity to earn our high ranking reviews, overwhelmingly positive customer testimonials, and our Better Business Bureau (BBB) A+ rating.

Perspective is Everything

The phrase, “Perspective is everything” could not be more true than when applied to a remodel project. How you view any situation – particularly a remodel – can have a significant and dramatic impact on your understanding and appreciation of that situation. If you can remember why you decided to embark upon a remodel – to enhance the beauty and value of your home, to increase your comfort or convenience, to expand your living space so you can more readily entertain and have guests – whatever the reasons, it’s extremely helpful to keep those thoughts at the forefront during your remodel. 

Just as with anything, there WILL be hiccups and setbacks. Perhaps your custom ordered bathtub is taking longer than anticipated to deliver because there has been a shipping strike. Maybe your gourmet kitchen will take a bit longer, because it was discovered that you have dry rot behind your sink. It could be any number of unforeseen things that could delay or create a problem before your remodel can proceed. It’s important to stop, breathe, and have faith and trust that your general contractor will know what to do to deal with the problem so you know what can be done to remedy it. 

Keeping things in proper perspective, knowing that some things are going to come up along the way, and having faith and trust in your contractor’s capabilities to address and overcome any obstacles, will help ensure your survival and drive your level of satisfaction at the end of the job. 

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right! If you are ready to begin to fulfill your dream of a remodel, then call Ed Neir Construction at (707) 999-5878, or text (408) 368-7162 for a free consultation.

Ed Neir, General Contractor
License #: 928715