The Process
Pre-Planning:
There are a lot of questions to answer in this phase. What are your goals? What is your budget? Will the municipality allow you to do what you want? Will you need to hire a surveyor to create a site plan? What is your timeline? If the project will make the kitchen and/or bathrooms unusable during construction, will the budget allow for temporary housing or are you willing to “camp” in your home during construction? Often this pre-planning phase can involve meeting with a trusted real estate agent to see what your existing home is worth and if it would make sense to invest in a remodel if resale is a consideration.
Design Phase:
If the information gathered in pre-planning makes the project tenable, we can move to the fun design phase. Concept drawings will be created for your approval, then depending on the level of complication, we can finish the design or we can find another design professional to help create your dream plan. It is important during the design phase to keep both budget and goals in mind. Often people are willing to expand their budget when they start to see the possibilities of how their home could function better or what views could be captured- this is where the initial ballpark budget can increase. To some, the cost is worth it and to others, it is not realistic. There is nothing more disappointing than creating a plan you can’t afford to build. This is why I like to be involved in design so I can keep an eye on the budget. More accurate numbers will be attained during the next phase, Engineering (if there will be any structural changes).
The design phase will cost approximately 7-10% of the total budget for the project, depending on the complexity.
Engineering:
After you have the plan just as you want, you can move to engineering. If you are opening up one wall or adding a window, engineering fees can start at $3000 and go all the way up to $30,000 and more to engineer a new home. Sometimes an engineer can offer options for cost savings measures that could affect elements of the design. You can then decide if having something as originally designed is worth the higher price tag or if a plan modification and cost savings is preferable.
Bidding Phase:
After we receive the engineering, we can meet with all our subs on site to look at the existing conditions. Each home is unique and subcontractors will see possible challenges that might affect their scope of work. Will the new plumbing have enough slope to the existing drain lines? Will the new space create the need for an upsized furnace or an additional water heater?
Choosing the plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures and surfaces can happen in the design phase or we can put in budget allowances for finish materials. The bid will be more accurate if all these finishes are specified because labor costs will change depending on the complexity of the surface chosen. If you’ve selected a simple subway tile instead of a complicated mosaic, the cost will be less.
We generally add a 10% contingency cushion to all our bids. We do our best to determine what issues could come up during construction, but often during the demolition phase surprises can be discovered. This contingency fund allows us to make the necessary corrections. The older the home, the more potential for unexpected costs.
We build our bids in Excel and each line item will have a cost and explanation. Our commission is listed at the bottom of the bid as a percentage (see current pricing structure below) so you can see where your money is going. We try to be as transparent as possible with our costs. You can use our bids as a tool to decide what costs are fixed and where you can achieve savings, if that is the goal. I can remember building my own house back in 2012 and seeing the 24k bid for foam insulation. At the time, that was an easy pass in favor of 5k pink insulation. During the estimate gathering phase some customers decide to add the fireplace they have always wanted or decide that they will trade the high end appliances for hardwoods.
Final Design and Construction Drawings:
Once we have the design hashed out and gotten feedback from all the subs, we can make any necessary changes to the drawings. The specific plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, paint and surface selections have been selected and the bid can be updated to reflect these changes. The engineering and design plans can now be combined (and anything else requested by your specific municipality) After your review and approval the building plans can be submitted to your city or county (if plan submittal is required for your type of project). If only trade permits are required, we can jump straight to scheduling and contract signing.
Plan Submission and Approval:
Depending on the complexity of the project, this process can move relatively quickly or can become a long drawn out process of jumping through various hoops required by different local government agencies. We try to plan for everything, but sometimes there are hang-ups during the plan review process. If the plan submission looks like it will be lengthy, but everything will go through as planned, scheduling and contract signing can happen concurrently to keep the project moving forward. Sometimes structural components, windows, doors, tile, plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures or special order selections can take months to arrive, so getting everything ordered ahead of time can keep the project on track.
Scheduling and Contract Signing:
Once plans are approved, permits are in hand, contracts are signed, deposits are made and scheduling has been finalized, construction can begin!