What would you do?? What is a normal time of project going over?
Gela Captain
last month
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (29)
Gela Captain
last monthRelated Discussions
If you could start a garden over, what would you do different?
Comments (26)Cactus Joe, I too am interested in your rock/water feature. It's very beautiful! Did all those smaller rocks come from your yard too? Do you get a lot of wildlife visiting this area? I don't know what I would do over. My gardens here at this house (oldest bed is 4 years old) are constantly changing. I think a great deal about the "bones" of my borders, which consist of shrubs and small trees, and a few large grasses and perennials. What to plant, where to put them. I take into consideration sun, soil, moisture, privacy and wind screen, wildlife value, native range, etc. Even so, I've moved and changed the bones! Last year I moved the Miss Kim Lilac over 5 feet. Dug out a forty year old Burning Bush and replaced it with a gorgeous Amelanchier. This year the Viburnum dentatum is being moved - because it's just gotten too big for it's location. The only thing growing in this yard that isn't subject to change are the established trees - kinda hard to move a 50 year old tree (however I've removed some of them, namely scraggly pines and Norway maples). It seems to be the nature of gardening and creativity - continually creating something new! I'm pretty comfortable with that....See MoreWhat would make you go over budget on an addition?
Comments (16)Sorry this post is so long, but... It is my firm belief, and I have experience on both sides of this (I am a homeowner and a general contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area), that the seeds of budget disasters are invariably sown during the sales, quoting, and contract process. You need to be obsessive about the details and about exactly where the money is going. If your budget is super-tight, I'd prefer as a contractor to get everything out in the open at the start of the project. You need to be prepared to add several sheets of specifications to the contract. The good news for you is that when it comes to contractor's services, it's a buyer's market right now. 1) Unknown items - termite damage, dry rot, in-wall damage to electrical system. Rot and termite damage are potential budget-busters, but they can be investigated beforehand, by crawling around under the house, poking holes in your interior walls and maybe in the exterior siding and seeing what's there. This can often be investigated for not much money. You can ask a contractor where the problems are likely to be found, and you or a handyman can poke some holes in the walls and see what's there. Most handymen can do a good job of covering up the holes if you find trouble that will drive you over budget. In many neighborhoods, contractors know what to expect: termites and dry rot are very often endemic to an area. If you find problems, get a clear statement of the extent of the problems into the contract, and a firm statement of the contractor's requirement to fix or work around those problems. You may have to decide not to do your project. 2) Unsurprising surprises: "The city says we need to add a new branch circuit for the new space, and ....". Specify in the contract that you are paying for all necessary work, including rough, and finish work, to deliver each of the items in your contract. For example, you are not paying for the installation of 3 new receptacles. You are paying for all electrical work, rough and finish, including any necessary upgrade of existing electrical systems, that is necessary for the installation of 3 new receptacles. Ditto for roof, HVAC, drainage, plumbing, etc. Even if you don't expect there to be changes in interior plumbing fixtures, make sure that the contract covers any plumbing changes required by structural changes. None of these things are really surprising to the contractor or the subs. 3) Changes in plans: changes in layouts require new plans, new permits, and an opportunity for the contractor to charge you for additional costs. Decide what you want and don't change your mind. 4) Unspecified details: Specify every single item you can imagine, specifying if you can exact brands and models of electrical receptacles, outlet covers, lights, types of switches (old-fashioned toggle or Decora-style sliders), exact flooring brand and quality and finish brand and quality, brand, color, quality and gloss level of paint, and whether it should be sprayed, brushed, or rolled, and on what. Specify window types, drawings or photos of window and door trim, for every window and door, and get exact window and door trim samples, and any base or crown moldings. You should investigate every single detail of every single item you can think of, by visiting stores and looking on-line. You or your potential contractor should buy samples of trim ahead of time. Every single detail should be written down and initialed. 5) Ask for a detailed schedule of values and payment schedule for the project, including labor and materials values, relations between those items and the payment schedule, and including the contractor's planned profit. The contractor should anyway be using the SOV to make his quote, and should be comfortable describing built-in contingency and profit percentages. These things aren't big secrets. 6) Commence the whole project, including asking for bids, by letting your candidate contractors know exactly the level of detail and nickel-and-diming that you expect. Contrary to what at least one other poster says, let the contractors know your budget for the project, but giving them the number that is 75% of the budget that you have in mind. Some of them will opt out right away. Do some homework ahead of time, searching for typical remodeling/addition costs in your area. There are books on remodeling costs, that include some total project costs, with adjustments for areas. They're not perfect, but they're a start. If you are firm about budget, and it appears that your project is strongly constrained by budget, most contractors will try to figure out how they can find efficiencies so that they can do your job, and will not be figuring out how to pad the job to spend all your money. 7) Get the documents on-line that most states have for property owners. California has great documents for homeowners, explaining how home improvement contracts must be written, what your rights are, etc. 8) Your contract should state that all changes, including details of the work, effect on payments and schedule, must be signed. California provides a good model. 9) Most contractors will hate all this, and will protest that you are making them feel untrusted, it's unprofessional, it's not how they do business, it's not how anyone has ever done business, how can you be friends, etc. etc. Ignore all that and continue to stick to the details - the contractor really doesn't want to be your friend anyway. Many if not most of the contractors will not be able to provide the quality of quote that you need, but you should be able to get at least one or two good quotes. Those quotes will be for significantly more money than they originally estimated, as there should now be fewer changes later in the project, and more of the risks of the project are now shifted to them. Additionally, under the pressure of providing a firm quote, they should have gotten firm quotes from subcontractors, rather than just making an optimistic guess. Don't ever let a contractor bully you by saying, "Don't you trust me?". The answer is always, "This isn't about trust, because of course I trust you, which is why I am hiring you as my contractor. This question (or item, or spefication) is just the way I do business (and this is a business relationship, isn't it?): by being obsessive about the details. I'm sure you can understand that." Some contractors really like to play games. Be very wary of contractors who throw in freebies - "I like you so much 'll give you a driveway for free." Well, no, it isn't free. It's either irresponsible and careless on the contractor's part, or it's an attempt to distract you from some other item. 10) As you compare quotes, make sure you are comparing apples-to-apples. If items appear in one contract but not the other, ask that they get added into the other. Make your documents part of the contract. Home improvement contracts may have plenty of legalese, but the description of exactly what work will be done and for how much money should be absolutely clear, to professionals and to non-professionals. This isn't to prepare for legal problems; it's to avoid misunderstandings. Be careful about asking a contractor to compete against a specific price from another contractor. If the contractor responds with a lower price, understand that something has changed or been taken out. 11) Go over the contract, and add more details. 11.5) Ask the contractor to specify in the contract, all the items that must be paid directly by you, NOT to the contractor. For example, the law may require that the homeowner pay some special inspection fees relating particularly to safety - for seismic, welding, or other purposes - in order to avoid any conflicts of interest. Those fees may be in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. 11.6) Get information from your city about permit costs, which may be significant. 12) Add 25% to 40% to the number that the contractor gives you, and if you've been obsessive about details, you may be in the ballpark of what the project will cost. There will be some true surprises (the pin-holes in the existing gas plumbing, the rattle-snake nest under the addition, etc.). You will also make some changes in finishes and other choices, either because you really must, or because you can, because you have a cushion. 13) Do some due diligence - reference checking, a little bit of work on the internet - to see if your contractor has the resources to do the job or has visible money or legal problems. Many projects go overbudget when the original contractor fails or disappears, and the project must be finished by someone new, always for more money. Requests for money in advance, including money for materials, are red flags. Contractors should be able to fund their work; in California, except for a small advance, contractors can't bill homeowners until work is done or materials are delivered to the site. Understand that you are taking a very large risk if you hire a contractor who doesn't work entirely legally. If things go bad - for example a worker is injured and the contractor doesn't carry workers compensation insurance - the homeowner will be the one to pay in the in end. Check licenses, insurance, and if you have an older home, EPA lead certification. Licenses and lead certification can be checked on-line. Insurance companies issue notices of coverage every day. Any reticence on the part of a contractor to provide documents should be considered a huge red flag. The risk with lead - apart from the health risk - is that if the contractor doesn't do it right, and a neighbor complains, the costs can escalate into very big numbers, very fast. All these comments about working legally are coming from my perspective, because I work legally. Your contract with someone unlicensed or uninsured may be cheaper at first, but with potentially huge financial penalties if things don't work out. Figure out your personal tolerance for the financial and legal risks. 14) If the contract amount works for you, sign the contract. During the execution of the project, continue to be involved and obsessive in all details, including adherence to payment schedules, including not paying a contractor ahead of work done, for materials not yet delivered, or ahead of the payment schedule in the contract. 15) Be fair: if you find a contractor who can work with you this carefully on costs, pay promptly and without complaint, and when the occasional surprise happens (the rattlesnake nest under the addition), accept the additional cost. Speaking as someone with experiences on both sides of this, I don't know why any homeowner would be any less than obsessive about costs and details, for a project of any size. Even if you're not strictly limited by money, I believe that being obsessive about costs and details at the beginning of the project helps elimination misunderstandings and helps set expectations. If your contractor is willing and able to be thorough and careful about the details in the sales phase, he or she will likely be the same during the execution of the work, and you have started the project correctly. Sorry for lecturing. I've seen too many projects that were started on the wrong path at the moment the contract was signed....See MoreWhat time do you wake up & what time do you to sleep/
Comments (29)Most of the time I wake up before my 5:30 AM alarm goes off. Up, turn on the TV, and the computer, get dressed, read email and the paper online while eating breakfast. Then, peek in here at the KT, and on facebook, and get ready to go to work. If I ride my bike I leave the house 15 minutes earlier than if I drive. I work till 1:30 PM officially, but most times don't get out till after 2:00 I return to my bed after the 10:00 PM news and start the whole fun scenario again. :) Moni...See MoreHow much time do you spend researching your projects? - X- Post
Comments (29)My DH says I take WAY too much time making the decisions I have to make with our house projects. I'm the sole researcher, designer, planner and a co-hands-on executor (with DH) of our DIY building projects. It took us 5 years to do this last house. Plan, design, and contract the build. I designed and had a draftsman draw prints. I was the chick with the clipboard until the rockers left. From drywall on it has primarily been just the two of us. He has a full time job that is not building. We have made a good team, in that he has the expertise- I have the vision. We have put in countless hours making the decisions that go into these projects. Thankfully I found GW early on with researching windows. Google has led me to GW on numerous topics, which answered most of the trying technical issues. I usually only post when I get really stuck and need outside input and opinions. Mostly on decorating questions...;) IDK -- is 5 years too long to come up with a house from scratch? DIY? I have no idea; I do know my DH thought I belabored the process. As in it was a huge issue- how long I would take. But it was lots of design as you go stuff. However he is happy with the result....See MoreMissy Bee
last monthGela Captain
last monthGela Captain
last monthpalimpsest
last monthAngela Hook
last monthKendrah
last monthlast modified: last monthAngela Hook
last monthJAN MOYER
last monthlast modified: last monthDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
last monthlast modified: last monthAngela Hook
last monthGela Captain
last monthJennifer Hogan
last monthlast modified: last monthAngela Hook
last monthJennifer Hogan
last monthAngela Hook
last monthmillworkman
last month
Related Stories
BUDGETING YOUR PROJECTWhy Remodels Go Over Budget, and How to Keep Yours in Line
Find out how homeowner remodeling budgets fared in 2019, according to the 2020 Houzz & Home survey
Full StoryDIY PROJECTS10 Home Projects to Work On Over Your Holiday Weekend
Make the most of your time windfall by accomplishing one of your back-burner tasks
Full StoryHOUSEKEEPING12 Cleaning Projects That Go a Little Deeper — Naturally
Eucalyptus oil for germy door handles. Baking soda for oven grime. Here are nontoxic solutions for often-overlooked cleaning jobs
Full StoryWORKING WITH PROS8 Ways to Keep Your Home Project Going While Helping Local Pros
Helping design and building businesses during this crisis offers advantages for homeowners
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESFrom the Pros: 8 Reasons Kitchen Renovations Go Over Budget
We asked kitchen designers to tell us the most common budget-busters they see
Full StoryINDUSTRY RESEARCHData Watch: As Labor Shortages Grow, So Do Project Wait Times
Houzz research finds average project wait times ranging from 3.5 weeks in St. Louis to 13.2 weeks in Boston
Full StoryWORKING WITH PROSRemodeling Activity Booms and Project Wait Times Grow
The latest Houzz Renovation Barometer suggests you should reach out soon to design and remodeling pros to schedule work
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESThe Faces Have It: Large Portraits Go Over Big
Oversize visages of celebrities and mere mortals make for double-take drama in interiors
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDES15 Bite-Size Home Projects You Can Tackle in No Time
See how getting little decorating, cleaning and organizing tasks done can add up to a big sense of accomplishment
Full StoryDESIGNING A BUSINESSHow to Make Sure Your Project Installations Go Smoothly
Interior design coach Beth Whitlinger breaks down the do’s and don’ts of a successful installation process
Full Story
cat_ky