Frequently Asked Questions

It does not cost you for us to come out and look at your needs and to get an initial quote. However, if a complete breakdown and design work is need before accepting a quote there may be some charges based on what is needed. I always tell customers to narrow down their prospects and choose your contractor before expecting them to spend time to help design and do break downs.

Absolutely, we often work closely with customers with their ideas and designs. We often have customers do parts of the project to help save on cost.

This will always depend on the scope of the project, material availability, any inspections if needed, and project breakdowns, such as a subcontractor if needed. On average a bath compete redo takes about 2 weeks, a kitchen 3-4 weeks a room addition a month to 2 months. These are good things to discuss with the contractor based on the scope of work and something to hold a contractor to within reason.

This is a question we have been asked many times. First of all, we are not real-estate people and appraisers. However, due to the 40+ years of experience, we have helped people with this process. The question I ask is, how long are you planning on living here? If you are planning on living in the home for a long time and the neighborhood is good then most likely it doesn’t matter in most cases cause all real-estate goes up over enough time in good neighborhoods. If you are upgrading to sell then I suggest you get a realtor involved or get an appraisal.

Communication is very important in this. Get project goals and timelines. Make sure your contractor communicates with you a daily schedule. You will get discouraged quickly if your contractor does not show up in a timely manner or is gone for days at a time.

A whole host of things can cause delays, from special orders being delayed to inspections delayed. For example, a solid surface countertop needs to be installed to finish a backsplash, hook up sinks, but all counter to companies will not measure until all base cabinets are in and then they will do a template. From that point on average it takes 10 days to 2 weeks to get the top installed, and rare but it has happened, the color is wrong and another piece has to be ordered so there is another 10 days waiting.

A small bath complete remodel about 2 weeks, with no major plumbing relocations. A large bath with major plumping relocations, about a month.

There are a lot of variables to kitchens. Just updating cabinets and such could be a couple of weeks but remember it takes up to 2 weeks to get a top installed. A major remodel such as changing the footprint to taking out walls could last a month possibly 2.

Once again this depends on the scope of the project. Is there going to be any bathrooms? Do we need to cut through concrete for openings? A single simple room a week give or take a day or two. A major finish with a bathroom and such could take up to 2 months.

If it is a solid hardwood, how many times has it been refinished already? If it is any other surface and is worn, cracked, or damaged most likely it will need to be replaced.

In most cases yes. Once again it depends on the size and scope of the remodel. In many cases, we have done projects in phases so customers can stay in their homes. If there are large portions of lead in an old home or we discover asbestoses, then leaving may need to be considered, but each case is different.

For a major portion of basic inside and outside repairs, a permit is not needed. For major changes, you will need to talk to your contractor as well as your local zoning and planning district and find out what they require. A reputable contractor should be able to help with this.

When it is right for you. Many times during normal years you can find a contractor that will give a discount to keep their crews busy during the winter holidays. This is not always the case. Over the last several years we have not had any winter down days. For outside projects spring to fall is always good as most contractors in heavy winter areas try not to schedule outside work. I do recommend that you try to plan at least 6 months to a year ahead for any major project so you can have time to get quotes from at least 3 contractors. This will give you more time to design, and plan your life around the disruption of your home.