Remodeling Expectations: Six Things to Expect ...That You Might Not Expect

We get it. Home renovations look downright glamorous thanks to HGTV! Dolled-up demolition days. Pre-determined designs. Massive constructions teams. And just a couple of weeks for a quick-flip?! I don't think so... ​ Plus, unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of living elsewhere while their home is being renovated. So, we're here to shed some light on the reality of what you can expect during your home renovation with these remodeling expectations.

1 \ Daily Routines Will Be Disrupted The number one remodeling expectation is if you intend to live in your home during renovations, expect your daily routines to look different for a few months.

• Your space needs to be cleared out prior demolition day.

• You may be without a kitchen / bathroom / bedroom for weeks at a time. This may require you to create makeshift spaces in other areas in your home.

• Without back-up appliances, you could be without appliances to cook or warm any food for extended periods of time.

2 \ People Will Be In Your Home Unannounced You should anticipate that staff & subcontractors will come & go as needed from your home during scheduled hours. We will manage their schedules to ensure they get the job done. All you have to do is relax.

• As part of our contract agreements, we allow our subcontractors and staff access to your home from 7:30am-5:00pm Monday-Friday to complete their work.

• Candance and Design's Project Manager may visit daily to take notes and upload photos for progress reports throughout the project.

• Our schedule lists daily blocks of time for our subcontractors. We do not always know their exact arrival time due to commute times, prior appointments or jobs, etc. As we all do, they experience emergencies that may take them away from your project, as well as unexpected openings in their schedule to work early.

• Please remember that our subcontractors are independent contractors with their own companies that we are coordinating with to complete your job.
  

3 \ Minimal Interaction with Subcontractors Candance and Design enlists the help of trusted subcontractors to work their magic in your space. While you may see the subcontractors (or, subs) in your home day-to-day, you should not expect a lot of interaction from them. Here's why:​

• Subs have detailed plans to your project from Candance and Design, and will not usually engage homeowners directly regarding project details to avoid communications gaps between the client and Candance and Design.

• Our subs check in with us every so often to provide updates, and we will visit to vet their work as well. Our work becomes challenging when homeowners call to voice concern over a detail we are not even aware of yet - usually prior to our subcontractor check-in.

• Changes that are done onsite directly with the client are billable by that sub whether or not they give you a price at that time. Candance and Design needs to facilitate 'Change Order' discussions to determine cost impacts to all parties.
  

4 \ Your Entire House Will Be Dusty While your project may focus on a certain area of your home, construction debris can find its way into other areas of your house. We will do our best to cover and close-off the project area, however, it may not contain all dust.​

• Our team will regularly tidy up the construction space as we move from phase to phase of the project.

• You will likely need to clean your house more often than usual during the renovation period. Ensure that your valuables (knick-knacks, artwork, etc.) and window treatments (drapes, blinds, shades) are removed prior to construction starting. This will save you valuable cleaning time at the end of the project.

• If your home has forced air / heat or central air conditioning running during construction, you will need to maintain the filters and replace regularly during the project.

5 \ Trust the Process We are all human - some things may be missed or done incorrectly. Candance and Design has processes in place to minimize mistakes as best we can. Here's what you should know:

• Our staff will onsite regularly to look at progress and craftsmanship, ensuring that everything is going according to plan. If something looks askew for a day or two, trust the process - we will take care of it without issue or impact to you.

• If you are concerned about something or would like to make a change to your project, we encourage our homeowners to use the Client Portal in Buildertrend to send us a note. This way, our entire team can view it and we can jump on it immediately.
  

6 \ Project Delays Number 6 on the list of remodeling expectations.... Once you sign your contract, Candance and Design will provide you an estimated timeline for your project. While we try to include buffer times within our schedule to anticipate subcontractor lags, unexpected delays are inevitable in every kind of home remodeling project. We always do our best to utilize delays to work ahead in other areas when appropriate. ​​

• Your schedule is a beautiful coordination of many different trades working back-to-back after each other. When delays happen with one subcontractor, it requires careful planning by Candance and Design to readjust with all other subcontractors.

• We know slow progress is difficult, so we appreciate your understanding and grace as we mitigate these changes as best we can.

• There may be days when no subcontractors are onsite - this is normal! If there will be multiple days (3+ days) without anyone on site, we will let you know.

• We have experienced product delays in multiple industries (appliances, tile, millwork, etc.) over the last two years. We are often at the mercy of our suppliers and their production times which can adjust our projected timeline.

Hopefully this information will help you set realistic expectations for your next remodel!