Are you a do-it-yourselfer?

I was talking to my two teenage sons a few weeks ago trying to motivate and inspire them to be more self sufficient.  I tried to describe to them how much money I’d saved over the years by being handy enough to repair things myself rather than always having to hire someone.   I told them about the yards I put in, the basements I finished even the first house I built myself, all with very little professional help.  Their eyes began to glaze over and I decided it was time to let it go.  It caused me to ask myself why I don’t do as much of that “do-it-yourselfer work” as I used to and I came to several conclusions.

Time – I just don’t have as much time as before.  With a large family to take care of and a business to run I just find it hard to make time for major projects requiring planning and lots of uninterrupted time.  I have higher priorities now than reading “house wiring made easy” books.

Quality – I have to admit I was better at some repair and construction tasks than others.  Some projects turned out beautifully but you could tell others were completed by someone who still needed some practice.

Mistakes – I remember a concrete floor I poured once without enough help.  The concrete set up before we could finish it properly and I ended up having to pour a cap on it later.  Total cost – much more than if I had hired a professional do it.

There can be substantial savings in “do-it-yourself” remodeling but it takes a special kind of person to do it.  It requires a huge commitment in time and energy to learn how to do it and then to actually do it.  It also requires you to be satisfied when something doesn’t turn out just like you expected.  The best professional contractors have learned their craft through years of experience.  As a do-it-yourselfer you are going to make a few mistakes and you either have to just live with them or hire someone to fix them.  Kitchen remodels are even tougher than most types of remodeling projects because of their complexity.  Some trades are more labor intensive than others such as the demolition, painting and tile work.  You will see more savings in those types of projects.  In other trades such as cabinetry and countertops the cost is more in the product and the savings are not as significant.

Another positive note on doing it yourself is the amount of information available.  The internet, YouTube and cable TV, have made a huge amount of information available.  If you have the time and patience, and are handy with tools, it’s a great way to remodel.

Are you confident enough to hire your own sub-contractors and suppliers?

In the last post I reviewed the option of hiring a floor to ceiling remodeling contractor to handle your kitchen project from start to finish but what if you want to save some money and manage the job yourself?  The savings generated with this option is the amount of the profit you would typically pay the contractor to do it.  That can be a savings of 10-30%.  Keep in mind the more complicated the remodel the more you need a contractor.  You should never risk the safety of your home and family to save a few dollars.  Whenever you are making major changes such as room additions or moving walls you should seek the expertise of a good contractor.  Contractors know the building codes, permit processes and they use competent sub-contractors that are essential in a successful and safe remodeling project.

One option to consider for more complicated projects may be to hire a contractor to bring the project to the finished sheetrock stage at which point you take over and hire sub-contractors to provide the finishes which include finish carpentry, paint, cabinets, countertops, finish plumbing, appliances, flooring, tile, finish electrical and lighting.  If you are willing to put the time into finding reputable competent suppliers and sub-contractors in each of those trades and making sure there is plenty of communication with them you should be able to get what you expect in your finished project.

Suppliers for cabinetry, countertops, and flooring will generally provide professionals to install the products they are supplying.  Other suppliers may require you to find sub-contractors to provide the labor.  When dealing with sub-contractors keep in mind the lowest price isn’t always the best price.  You need to find people who know their trade and have substantial experience in what they do.  Make sure they are licensed, insured and ask for references.  Check them out thoroughly.

It is customary for a sub-contractor, who provides materials, to ask for a deposit payment before they begin work.  They may also require progress payments but you should always save a final payment until after the subs portion of the work is complete.  Inspect the work before final payment and make sure it is what you expected.  Make sure your suppliers and sub-contractors have some kind of written contracts or sales orders detailing what is expected in labor, materials and price.

Communicate with your subs in advance.  They are business people and your job is not the only one they are working on.  Good and frequent communication and respect is essential in getting them to your jobsite when you need them.

If you want to save the money for the services and materials you would normally pay to a contractor be prepared to learn about each of the trades you need to hire.  Good sources of information are family, friends and neighbors who have done it before, product suppliers, cable TV and the internet.

Check out our next post when we ask the question “are you a do-it-yourselfer?”

One of the first questions you need to ask yourself when planning a kitchen remodel is who do I hire?

1-    Do I hire a contractor to do everything, start to finish, floor to ceiling?

2-    Am I confident enough to hire my own sub-contractors and suppliers?

3-    Am I a do-it-yourselfer?

Over the next three posts we will look at each of these options and see what might best fit your needs.

Hiring a floor to ceiling remodeling Contractor.

One of the things to consider when making this determination is your budget and how much your time is worth.  Hiring a floor to ceiling remodeling contractor is the option that will require the least amount of time on your part but will probably cost you the most.  You will still be required to spend the time to make product selections and design decisions which can be somewhat time consuming but you won’t spend as much time managing all of the suppliers and sub-contractors or performing the labor yourself.

The contractor will be charging you to do this either on a cost plus or a flat price contract.  The contractors bid will most likely be higher with a fixed cost estimate than a cost plus estimate because the contractor wants some protection from the potential problems that invariably crop up during construction.  The primary advantage to a fixed cost contract is a guaranteed price.  With a fixed price surprises are up to the contractor to deal with.  The material specifications, quality and services supplied must be very detailed because if a contractor bids too low there is a temptation to cut corners as the job progresses in order to save the profit on the job.  Changes can become a real problem unless provisions in the contract are made to cover them.

With a cost plus estimate the contractor can bid lower and charge the customer for any unforeseen problems or changes as they occur.  The primary advantage to a cost plus contract is the potential for a lower price if unexpected problems are kept to a minimum.  It also allows the customer to make changes as the work progresses.  The downside to cost plus is it will most likely end up costing more than the initial estimate.

If you choose to hire a contractor to do your complete remodel the most important thing to do is hire a good one but that is a topic for another day.  Just make sure you check them out.  Are they are reputable, licensed, insured?  Ask them for references.

Check back with us in our next post when we will address the question “Are you confident enough to be your own contractor and hire your own sub-contractors and suppliers?”