Why do delays occur and what can you do to avoid them?
We’ve all experienced frustration or know someone who’s been frustrated with delays during a home remodeling project. Some homeowners have some real horror stories to share about their experience, this may be leaving you hesitant in even pulling the trigger on your home project needs.
Still, you find yourself scrolling the internet with questions. Maybe your mom’s getting her bathroom remodeled before the holidays, or you’re trying to have a deck built before hosting an important celebration. No matter the reason, you’re here to try to understand what you can do to avoid delays in your home project.
The truth is we can’t fully avoid delays. Like any situation in life, growth comes with growing pains. New beginnings, changes or completely starting from scratch, regardless of what or where you’re starting, you are sure to experience discomfort and growing pains. This is true for home projects as well. Whether you’re remodeling your bathroom, making minor changes to an existing room, or simply starting from the ground up, you are sure to run into hiccups along the way.
This can be frustrating for many homeowners but it’s simply the truth. There is far too much out of our control and far too little say we have in these things. For example, we can’t control material delays, try as we may, being frustrated with a supplier doesn’t really get us anywhere, they too are waiting for your materials.
And weather Delays, we have no say in the weather and how It can affect our projects schedule. So, what can we do? Is there even a way for us, the homeowner, to help keep our home projects running smoothly? The answer is Yes! I’ve listed 5 tips on how you as a homeowner can play a key role in helping your home project run smoothly.
Choose the Right Contractor
I can’t stress this one enough. Choosing the right contractor is the foundation for every home remodeling question out there. The right contractor should be properly licensed and insured, know all your Counties permit and inspection requirements, be well organized, and have great communication skills. A company that meets all these requirements will know when to pull permits, schedule inspections, and order materials in the correct time frame to avoid any delays.
Communication
Communication is essential in every part of life, home projects is no exception. Your contractor should get a well-detailed idea of your budget and what you’re hoping to get done, get together a contract with allowances and a scope of work, and give you an idea of what the project will look like start to finish. Communicating any known issues so they can be factored into the estimate is also very important.
This will help avoid change orders (not only can they become costly, they can also extend the projects projected end date). This will also allow you to view you allowances and pick materials within your projects budget. How does choosing materials play a factor here? That brings me to tip #3
Long lead times and Decision Making
Shopping for custom cabinets, doors, or countertops isn’t as simple as a next day order on Amazon. Lead times for Materials are often unpredictable, picking your samples, paint colors, and materials all before the projects start date is a great way to avoid project delays. You don’t want to wait until the day before fixtures are being installed to decide what you’d like.
Making your design decisions before the start date alongside an organized contractor will allow for a smoothly running timeline. If you find yourself to be more indecisive about design options an interior designer could be a great choice for you. Ask your contractor, it’s likely they can get you in touch with someone trusted.
Getting the right contractor, at the right time
Waiting to get a contractor involved until after you’ve reached out to an architect and had drawings made etc.… can be a costly mistake. It’s not uncommon for architects to be off on material and labor cost. So, you’ve paid for plan, and you hand them over to your chosen contractor only to find out its 40% more than what you were expecting. The project train starts rolling just to come to a quick halt. Choosing the right contractor early can save you from having to have plans drawn multiple times, in turn saving you from paying for plans twice.
Timing
It’s important to consider time as a projects factor. If you’re wanting a bathroom remodeled before Christmas, waiting until November to call a contractor probably isn’t the best idea. Or waiting until summer to get the ball rolling for an outdoor project for that matter. Plus, a good contractor probably has a really backed up schedule, it’s not uncommon for them to have months long waiting list. Its good practice to be in touch with a contractor roughly 3 months before you’re hoping to have a project started.
We hope these 5 tips can help you effectively avoid any delays in your upcoming project. keep an eye on our blog for other helpful tips and fun facts about the contracting world. Thanks for reading and as always, have a happy remodeling journey.
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What Our Clients Say
Viking Brothers exceeded our expectations in every way. Dave is great with communicating and the timeline was spot on. Every person who worked in my house was friendly and willing to take time to explain things to me/answer my questions. We are enjoying our beautiful updated basement and plan to hire them for future projects.
We had a kitchen back splash installed and it looks beautiful!! Viking Brothers were honest, punctual on a daily basis and completed the job within the projected time. I recommend this company!
Viking Brothers staff completed 3 tile projects for us and a bathroom remodel (tile and plumbing reconfiguration). Each project is gorgeous (even though different staff did the tile work for the three projects). Consistent quality and attention to detail. Highly recommend!
Dave has been doing work for us for over 10 years. He is reliable, good at communicating, honest, and does great work at an even better price! He’s done everything from handyman type work, to refinishing our basement, adding cabinets to our kitchen, installing a built in office desks and cabinets, tile work, etc. We recommend him to all of our family and friends and everyone looking for someone to help with their projects!
We highly recommend Viking Brothers Contracting to all our family and friends. David and China are a pleasure to work with. We will certainly call on them when we want any other work done here.
The work by Viking Brothers exceeded our hopes. Our front porch supports and railings needed replaced. We contacted David and his team and from the first meeting until the work was completed, were completely amazed by his knowledge and patience.
We felt like we had a dedicated team taking care of us every step of the way. The work was done professionally and the craftsmen were top quality. Our project was rather small, but never the less, the dedication they showed to getting the job done to our specifications indicates a very high level of professionalism throughout their company. They made us very happy.
I would highly recommend Viking Brothers to anyone needing a contractor, they truly know what they’re doing!
Viking Brothers just renovated my sad, cracked 1952 bathroom, and now it is so gorgeous, I can’t believe it’s actually mine. They are responsive, prompt, courteous, and cleaned up beautifully.
They are very knowledgeable and helpful, whether or not you know what you want. This was the first time I’d done a substantial renovation, and they were able to relieve a lot of my anxiety.
David and his crew at Viking Bros Contracting did an amazing job on my bathroom renovation! Their level of professionalism and knowledge is second to none. They were also very willing to work with me to make my vision come true, even when it made the project take more time.I’ve hated my bathroom for years, and now I love the space. It is not only aesthetically pleasing, but very functional and comfortable, whereas my old bathroom was outdated, small, and didn’t fit my needs. I had two bathrooms which I wanted converted into one large bathroom. Also, the entire crew was so friendly and easy to work with. I highly recommend them for all your renovation needs!
Viking Brothers replaced the deck on the front of our house. Dave was very responsive and has excellent communication with the customer during the entire process. The workmanship is outstanding and the crew is very professional.
Although I have never used Viking Brothers, I worked with the owner (David) for an extent of time. The amount of knowledge and thoroughness that David had/has far exceeded that of anyone we worked with, not to mention he taught me most things I know today.
So glad he has started his own company and is where he should be. In a world where most contractors focus on making money, forfeiting quality, it’s hard to come across people like David that have both in mind. I would recommend him any day.
I was very impressed by the quality of work Viking Brothers performed in such a short notice. We needed our kitchen floor installed before my daughter’s wedding (I had 2 weeks to get it done). David came in gave me an estimate and was able to start the next day.
Despite being a job that needed to be expedited the workmanship was not compromised at all. I would recommend Viking Brothers to anyone needing a licensed contractor.
Viking gutted an existing bedroom in our 100-year old house back to the studs and floor joists. They installed sleepers on the floor joists before covering with new plywood. The walls and ceiling were covered in drywall and primed.The floor boards were re-used to the trim the windows, doors, and closets. New closets were installed and old kitchen cabinets were inside the closet for new storage. Viking’s work is excellent and we received a good value for the spend. We will hire them again for our next project.
I contracted with Viking Brothers to pull down a chimney and patch the roof where the chimney protruded. They arrived promptly and worked diligently through the day.They were professional and friendly. Everything was completed as contracted. I looked at the roof after and if I didn’t know the chimney was there beforehand, I would have guessed it never had one. I could not tell between the original roof and the patch, they did a great job. I will contact them again for future renovations.
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