How it began...
A year ago today, we closed on a little piece of heaven in Rutherford, New Jersey...
...and before I could even take in the full scope of what was to come, my contractor, Jim (J. Severino Construction), arrived to lay down the prep for our major renovation.
He was thorough, that much I was already aware of though I'd known him for less than a month. What I would [luckily] continue to learn is that I made the best choice in hiring him, and after hearing so many horror stories about contractors, I figured why not share how I came across a great one.
So, here are some quick overall tips in how not to create a nightmare for yourself in selecting a contractor:
First and foremost, if you are doing major work that includes multiple areas of construction (i.e. kitchen, bathrooms, framing, insulation) all at once, don't be a hero - hire a general contractor. I toyed with the idea of managing the construction and hiring all subcontractors on my own because I wasn't working full-time and designing the house would be my main focus. Fortunately, I didn't listen to myself, and smart me now says, "Thank God!" It's a LOT to handle, and a good contractor works with good subcontractors, it's worth the $$ to pay him to take that on.
Screen two or more contractors. In my experience, meeting with multiple contractors helped me hone in on my gut instincts. While they all seemed capable, visiting the house with each of them led me to truly trust in just one. For instance, when one guy was more inclined to spend two weeks down the shore than say, send me an estimate, I felt justified in going with the guy who was ready to dedicate his time to me before I even wrote a check. As an added bonus, I also chose the guy who I thought I could get along best with. This is especially important when you plan to be as involved in the process as I was. I got along so well with my contractor, that I now work with him part-time. That's a story for another post.
Don't default to the cheapest estimate. The old motto has never been more true than when applied to home construction: You get what you pay for. I went with the contractor who estimated on the higher end, but I've seen homes where the construction was less expensive, and the quality of work and products were passable at best. However, how long you plan to stay in your home also plays a part in what you spend. If it's a starter home and you might be out in five years (before warranties expire), I'd feel less pressure to get the best of the best of everything. But in our scenario, this was a forever home and I had no intention of paying for my mistakes in a few years.
Aim to do only what you can afford, like really afford, not what you want to pretend you can afford. Another well known fact: construction will always cost more than the estimate. I have yet to meet someone who didn't end up spending more than they thought they would. Why does this happen? There are multiple factors. 1) [And I'm guilty of this] You end up adding things that weren't on the original estimate. Like say, when you suddenly decide you want all new windows throughout your home after sheet rock has gone up. [P.S. You'll start to hate hindsight.] 2) The problems your home inspection doesn't tell you about. [Like how part of your house doesn't have a true foundation, just something passing as one.] These could alter the costs tremendously. 3) The materials you choose versus the construction grade [i.e. basic] ones your contractor thinks you want to use... I'm going to guess there are more factors, but let me not scare you any further and assume you've gotten the point by now.
Try to stick with your original plan. Adding projects along the way will surely extend the time and money spent on your project and likely piss off your contractor if it's done continuously. Like I said in the last bullet, I'm guilty of not following this rule and it's a miracle my contractor still speaks to me.
Pray to whatever God or entity you follow, and hope it all goes smoothly. And do your best to stay sane and keep calm, because like everything else in life, this too shall pass.
I could probably create a list of twenty more bullets, but how boring would that be? Plus, I'm not trying to beat you over the head with "knowledge", I'm just an ordinary girl who decided to try renovating a house, because it would be, you know, fun. However, if you have any questions I didn't touch on above, please feel free to comment or contact me and I'd love to help.
So let's get to the first fun part... Our first before and after.
Since I posted the exterior above, how about I show you how that changed...
Pre-reno:
Old maroon roof and shutters
Old windows
Attic dormer was low and forced you to duck as you entered
Old fashioned door
Overgrown landscaping
Post-reno:
All new gray shingled roof and black shutters.
All new windows that are much larger than the original - Hello natural light!
A raised attic dormer that allows for extra room in the attic and the possibility of making it into a 4th bedroom - one day.
New door - bought and painted by me. (Post to come where I explain how I did this.)
Decorative wood truss conceptualized by me and made by Boards & Beams
DIY home number plaque (numbers blurred)
All new landscaping (that was a mission, and there will be a post about that as well) A bunch of colorful flowers were planted among the shrubs after this post was taken.
An adorable mailbox installed by my [becoming] handy husband.
Painted the foundation in Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray (though I had it mixed with a Benjamin Moore formula)
And so it began with the exterior, but the major changes happened behind that Surfer blue door. More posts to come, until then...
Be colorful,
L
