Choosing the right contractor for your remodeling project turns out to be a much bigger challenge than choosing a contractor for your new home and here's why:

• Renovation Requires Flexibility - Every new home follows a fairly standard construction schedule. Each renovation has a unique schedule and the contractor has to be quick to spot problems and adjust schedules as problems arise.
• Renovation Requires More Supervision - Contractors are not on a job site at all times. When a house schedule is following a standard plan, supervision can become routine. During remodeling, time is usually much more compressed and scheduling between tradesman is much tighter and more subject to problems. A remodeling job requires a contractor to be on the job site much more than a typical new home.

Some things you should ask a contractor before you give them your remodeling assignment are:

1. What percentage of your work is new versus remodeling? - If they do little remodeling work, then they will struggle with the transition at your expense.
2. How much time do you spend on the job site? - The more time on the site, the more a contractor will minimize your costs and time.
3. How do you handle unknown problems? - The correct answer is to stop, get everyone together and regroup. If a contractor guesses wrong and proceeds, it can be very costly to undo this mistake later.

Renovation is a contracting speciality and just because a contractor has successfully built new houses is no guarantee or remodeling results.

William S. Briggs

William S. Briggs, Architect, pllc
william@williamsbriggs.com
214.696.1988