tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50243354289718217452024-02-06T21:59:07.408-08:00Tips, Tricks & Traps in Residential Construction | The Bird With The Hammer | <p>A guide for homeowners doing renovations.</p>
Specifically - Hiring Contractors,
How to Save Money and
Disaster Prevention.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-9988998860178871602020-06-12T19:23:00.001-07:002020-06-12T19:23:54.768-07:00CAN'T DECIDE ON YOUR PRIORITIES?Quite often, a hurdle many clients have is recognizing what their real priorities are. Priorities that will lead to not just a completed project but a successful one - in which they are the happiest they can get.
Trying to decide on your priorities takes knowledge and experience input from your contractor. Your contractor should inform you of some simple, obvious priorities but the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-60026974557079926342019-04-02T22:23:00.000-07:002019-04-02T22:23:38.112-07:00CAN I DIY PROJECT MANAGEMENT?Big projects have big risks. Think you can project manage your project by yourself? Think again. While you might think you can take on this task, it's true you can, but just how well do you think you can project manage and do you think you'll actually save money?
The answer is...no. In fact, I'm so sure you will lose money that I'm afraid that we'll both lose money.&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-32684756885116419722019-02-23T21:09:00.002-08:002020-05-19T14:14:00.822-07:00HOW TO COMPARE QUOTES!If you're like every homeowner, you probably think that you need to get 3 quotes and decide from there.
I'm here to tell you that you're going to have a really hard time deciding accurately between all the quotes. They're NEVER apples to apples. In fact, it's more like comparing apples to grapes to watermelons.
Defining some terms
Quotes are NOT Estimates. Know the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-61644542136007436892019-02-17T17:55:00.001-08:002019-02-24T08:21:56.730-08:00HOW MUCH ARE MY STRUCTURAL CHANGES GOING TO COST ME?
You've discovered that wall you want removed is load-bearing. At least we're going to assume that through consulting various sources you think that it is.
There's only one professional that is now allowed(at least in my area) to provide a solution for doing this despite general contractors, some carpenters and some knowledgeable DIYers that can tell if a wall is load-bearing and maybe Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-54339097206277224352019-02-15T15:32:00.001-08:002019-02-24T08:22:32.293-08:00WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET RENO COST INFORMATION?You're about to start your renovation but you have no idea about the cost. So what do most people do? It's the worst way people get reno cost information.
*Hint*: They might google it(and that's not always terrible but inconsistent) but aside from that?
As a contractor, it's probably one of the most frustrating problems in the industry because cost is usually priority #1.
I'm am Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-17212998580909506522019-02-15T14:43:00.004-08:002019-02-24T08:23:05.909-08:00STARTING A RENOVATION - THE FIRST STEPThis is a giant money saver if I ever heard one. So you might have ideas and a budget for your renovation - now what? There's so much bad information out there it's no wonder there's a problem with the industry.
If it's a big job involving lots of trades, then option "A" is by far your best answer.
If it's a deck for example, a designer is your next best option.
Option:"A"
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-265861292047454182019-02-15T12:21:00.002-08:002019-02-24T08:23:36.183-08:00THE BASICS - CRITERIA YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR IN A CONTRACTORLiterally whoever you hire, should have these basic requirements. I mean, it's no wonder sometimes people get burned because this sort of criteria or lack thereof is a flag and, no offense, but if you did your homework, your chances of having a blown up project starts to go down.
"The Basics" Criteria
Insured
Bonded (Only commercial or bigger jobs like general contracting a home)
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-13742524003768644642019-02-15T09:36:00.002-08:002019-02-24T08:24:06.034-08:00SILICONE vs ACRYLIC CAULKINGS
Note there are constantly new caulking products that mix recipes or overlap usages. Their drying times, health hazard/risk, traits and usage significantly change by caulking type.
Silicone, Acrylic, Butyl, Polyurethane & 2-Part Epoxy are all kinds I'm familiar with.
This article is about Silicone & Acrylic caulking (see below).
To decide which you need to use, there is one Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-13730561592739111932019-02-13T12:49:00.000-08:002019-02-24T08:24:46.699-08:00KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUOTES vs ESTIMATES?
QUOTES ARE NOT ESTIMATES! YOU LOSE MONEY ON ESTIMATES!
It really drives me crazy sometimes when I hear "professionals" treat quotes like estimates or vice-versa; so much so, I decided to write about it.
What is a QUOTE?
A quote is a "fixed" price contract. This essentially means, you can write me a check for the amount of my quote before I start the job. Once the job is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-75532798765551988882019-02-13T01:10:00.002-08:002019-02-24T08:25:21.698-08:007 TIPS ON HOW TO GET THE BEST PRICE ON ANY RENOVATION!
TRY USING THESE TIPS ON YOUR NEXT RENOVATION TO GET A BETTER PRICE FROM YOUR CONTRACTOR!
These are all very important, and whether you like it or not, you're paying for these things in some way.
TIP #7 - Give your contractor ample notice and freedom of schedule.
You catch more bees with honey so they say...
"Be Nice".
The more available the project is as filler, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-15724464204227844462019-02-13T00:15:00.001-08:002019-02-24T08:25:44.089-08:00TIP - TROUBLESHOOTING CONDENSATION ON WINDOWS!
OK. This is important. So the moisture is the problem but what's causing the moisture?
***Flowchart - Coming Soon***
Before I really get into the troubleshooting, you're going to need to know a few things.
We are trying to find a dew point. It's the point at which the hot air meets the cold air with the humidity typically higher for some reason. (ie: bathroom showers, kettleUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-39395701817218260292019-02-08T17:53:00.002-08:002019-02-24T08:26:26.106-08:00SO HOW MUCH ARE DRAWINGS FOR AN AVG 1000 SQ. FT. RENOVATION GOING TO COST ME?The Cost of Drawings Will Be...
Well It Depends of course! (But I can still give you an idea)
One question that always comes up is how much are drawings going to cost? And it doesn't end there! Let me explain why such questions are hard to answer.
It will depend on a number of factors, and they are all huge.
Are the renovations an addition or adding a story or simply moving Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-55914449197350135692019-02-06T16:35:00.000-08:002019-02-24T08:27:51.393-08:00ABOUT TO START A BATHROOM, KITCHEN, OR LARGE RENO? YOU NEED TO READ THIS.
It's not enough that you can trust them(ie: your contractor) which is why I think this article will save you thousands of dollars. It's applicable to all combinations of renovations involving bathrooms, kitchens or multiple trades. Any time you're selecting from materials or look to make changes "on the fly".
Let's start with a given project...say a bathroom renovation - Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-43972219632297754792019-02-05T10:27:00.000-08:002019-02-24T08:26:55.431-08:00THE "SMART QUOTE" TRAP
I've coined it the "Smart Quote".
In its simplest terms: "a quote that is designed to fool you".
I've learned that some people call it "bid low, invoice high" which in their mind, they are "out-smarting" their competition at the cost of deceiving their customers intentionally or not.
Here's how it works and how you can tell if you might be getting smart quoted.
Let's say you are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-14734942856397201762019-02-04T14:10:00.001-08:002019-02-24T08:27:12.598-08:00FINDING A CONTRACTOR YOU CAN TRUST
It's a huge industry. No wonder these problems exist!
Renovations & new construction is a huge part of everyone's lives. I feel like 1 person out of every 5 people I know is doing some sort of work on their home while a staggering 9 out of 10 people is either doing something OR knows someone who is at this point in time.
It's not surprising that with such demand in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kamloops, BC, Canada50.674522 -120.327267550.352976000000005 -120.97271450000001 50.996068 -119.6818205tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5024335428971821745.post-90554739897246239532019-02-01T17:56:00.000-08:002019-02-20T11:26:45.751-08:00Please leave your questions & comments here
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