Renovation timelines . . .
The last couple of years have been full of new experiences. From buying our first home to tackling design decisions and working with different trades, we’ve learned a lot through the process of renovation. Our project, like many others, has had its fair share of setbacks–I hear that’s the norm when it comes to construction. We’ve had to adjust our expectations and face some hard realities. Here’s exactly what we’ve learned about the three C’s that delay renovation timelines.
Custom Projects
C is for CUSTOM. Our home is filled with design elements that aren’t standard building practices: reclaimed + bleached hardwood flooring, a tongue and groove ceiling, board form concrete window wells, a waterfall wood wall and custom hardwood doors. These features make our home unique, but they come with open-ended completion dates. Also, it ALWAYS takes longer and is more complicated to retrofit an existing home (especially if it’s an older home). Walls aren’t straight, floors aren’t level and surprises lurk around every corner. Unless you’re hiring niche experts, most trades and subs can’t give solid turnaround times because they just don’t do this every day.
Unexpected Changes
C is for CHANGES. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but changes definitely delay timelines. Why? Schedules have to be adjusted, new products or materials need to be ordered and different trades/subcontractors have to get hired. Hello, domino effect. One small change adds days, weeks or months to your timeline. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Hits to the Contingency Plan
C is for CONTINGENCY. Generally, hits to the contingency plan come as a surprise. We’ve all seen those dramatic phone calls in the HGTV episodes–think about when they discover bad electrical work, decide to redo ALL the plumbing or have to exterminate a terrible infestation of home-eating termites. These big hits aren’t planned into the original project timeline, and depending on the severity, they add a lot of unexpected work to the punch list.
Have you ever tackled a home renovation? How do you handle delays?
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