apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Educate yourself about the project, and stay involved while it's going on. Pretend like you're going to do it yourself, read up on materials & techniques -- that way, when you're talking to the carpenter and you're saying 5/8 hardibacker for the shower, he's not tempted to cut corners because you're ignorant.

Insist on a written proposal, specifying materials, costs & completion schedule -- if a contractor doesn't give you one quickly that looks professional, then that's a red flag. Ask for references of completed jobs in the area and call them. With finish work, ask to see photos of some jobs -- most craftspeople that are proud of their work have photos to show you.

Even if you have someone you want to hire, still get a couple other guys to come in and look over your job & give you a bid -- talking to them can give you ideas how you could do things differently. Ask them how you can do the job more cheaply, and see what they have to say. The way they respond will tell you a lot about their attitude; you want to hire someone you feel comfortable with, and trust.

NEVER NEVER NEVER give a contractor a bunch of money up front, and tell them you won't -- be stingy, make them come to you weekly, and go over the materials they're ordering and where they're getting them; if they want everything up front, don't hire them. My wife & I always pick out & order our own fixtures, countertops, windows, etc. -- that way, we know what a reasonable price is and what we're getting.

Check in with them at the beginning and end of each day, ask how it's going, if there are any problems (we live in an old house, so you never know what you're going to find when you open up a wall). Don't plan a complex job for when you're really busy and can be around to keep an eye on things.

While discussing our rehab projects my friend told me about her handy (and totally joking) project calculator:

Take the unit you expect (days, months, etc) and move it to the next one up (Days to months, months to years) and then multiply the number by two.

Ex: You think you can finish that bathroom project over a 3 day weekend? Try 6 months.

Sadly, it often does seem to work this way. Haha.

hire an architect. seriously. we come in all shapes and sizes and can fit in any budget.

1. Angie's List, Angie's List, Angie's List
2. I always get three estimates.
3. I talk to the contractor as he (it's almost always a he) does the estimate.
4. I check the thoroughness of the estimate. (Are the types of materials listed, are tasks broken down, is the presentation clear and easy to follow?)
5. I ask for details to be added to an estimate if needed.
6. I don't schedule work immediately after an estimate; I call back after weighing the options and following up.

After all this, we have a pretty good sense for a contractor's knowledge as well as how quickly the office responds and how easy the office is to work with.

We go into the project with an idea of what we want as well as at least three questions. (My standard ones include, how often do you work on old houses? What's involved in doing this work, and will it be messy? How do you communicate with homeowners during a project?) We don't necessarily have a final plan when talking to contractors; the good ones have ideas to suggest based on their experience and I appreciate hearing those before finalizing the plan. I do make sure the final plan is outlined in the final estimate. In my opinion, the good contractors will do this because it's the best thing for both parties.

All this up-front work is a huge pain, but we've learned the hard way that it's worthwhile once the work is underway.

10 months? I know someone who has been "renovating" a bathroom for 10 years! That could be theirs in the photo. FOR TEN YEARS. Needless to say, that project is not about contractors not living up to expectations.

With that, my best advice is:
1. Don't start a project without thinking through and planning the steps you'll need to take to get it finished.
1a. be real! If you're the kind of person who habitually leaves projects unfinished, don't...say...gut your bathroom on a whim. The magic project fairies are not going to show up and finish it for you. And the money to pay someone to do it for you isn't going to show up by magic either.
2. Set a timeline yourself, even down to the "I'm going to call and interview 3 contractors by x date" if you need to. You'd be amazed (or maybe you know) the things that can be procrastinated. Force yourself to do the not fun things before the fun things that you really want to do. It's NOT just about shopping for finishes and fixtures here, friends, and if you're a habitual procrastinator, this can be a good motivator.

3. Learn everything you can about the nuts and bolts of the actual work to be done. The more YOU know, the better your project will turn out. And heck, once you're smartenend up about the whole deal, you may even want to tackle part or all of it yourself.

4. Keep your eye on the ball. Keep that vision in your head of the finished project, and constantly re-evaluate the status. If there are hangups and delays, ask yourself what you can do RIGHT NOW, to move things along. Sometimes that means sweeping up, sometimes that means firing a contractor and hiring someone else.

5. Don't tolerate flaky contractors and don't let contractors manipulate you. Sadly, what most contractors are best at is making excuses. Make sure the pace of the work is clearly outlined and agreed upon in advance, and hold them (and yourself, if you're responsible for tasks) to it. Trust your gut, and don't ever be afraid to fire someone if their work doesnt' jive with the agree upon terms.

Take your advice from Mike Holmes of Holmes on Homes. He sees the crap other contractors leave behind and he fixes it on his TV show. He even built one of houses in New Orleans for Brad Pitt's make it right foundation.

He has a book with all the advice you need. http://www.amazon.com/Make-Right-Inside-Renovation-Paperback/dp/B001616R04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242061272&sr=8-1

Or you can visit his website http://www.makeitright.ca/

This is just awful, I feel so sorry for you. You really must babysit these folks, you have to be your own project manager. It is just despicable how rotten, lazy contractors give the fantastic ones such a bad name.

If this couple didn't know that the wrong wallboard was used until the bill came - they clearly had no business supervising this job themselves (It should have been apparent once the wallboard went up if not when the the materials were being hauled into the house...)

The biggest lesson should be to know your limitations - If you don't have the experience, knowledge, time or desire to plan, understand and supervise a project beyond choosing the pretty stuff and writing the checks - it's best to hire an architect, interior designer, general contractor or project manager to handle these things for you.

And after you decide on a contractor, communicate with him (as beckestra said, it's almost always a 'him').

By that, I mean communicate consistently and exclusively with him -- there are too many horror stories featuring huge budget overruns and massive delays because the homeowner tried to give direction to the subcontractors, plumbers, electricians, etc. instead of talking with the contractor. If you hired him, let him do his job.

The posts about research, having a plan with a budget and timeline, and sticking to the plan are so appropriate. Items that might be almost 'free' at the beginning of a project can cost lots of time and money if added in the middle of a project.

(No, I'm not a contractor, and there aren't any in the family.)

Oh the memories. That was our bathroom. We ripped it out before we moved in, and it ended up taking amout 5 months before we could move in...and a year before it had a door...and it still doesn't have a toilet paper holder.

Advice:
You have to be there while they are doing work. If you can't be there you need to be there when they start and finish each day, and pop in once in a while to keep them guessing. Our guys would say they were there all day, but if I popped in they were doing jack - taking long lunches, leaving early, littering in my front yard.

Don't pay up front. Never pay for more than what has already been done. If they say they're half way, don't pay half until you inspect it yourself and determine if it's really half. No matter how nice the guy is he's GOING to see how far he can get with you.

Great tips on project managing - thanks!