The idea of writing this blog is to help homeowners get the right information. As a general contractor I constantly hear stories of renovation disasters and I thought I'd do my part to make things better.
Most people I talk to, who are preparing to renovate, are avid watchers of TV reno programs and take the advice presented as gospel. This is not necessarily a great idea. Yes, all those programs do offer valuable advice but, as with all media, the primary reason for their existence is to sell a product. If you know this going in then you can make accurate value judgements but, before you can judge, you need to be informed.
Another source of reno information for homeowners is the contractors they hire. Time and again I'll encounter a project gone wrong and the homeowner will relate a tale of woe which usually starts with, "The contractor I hired told me...". Contractors are like all other business people. Some you can trust and some you cannot. Some are good salespeople and some are not. Problems occur when homeowners hire good salespeople who cannot be trusted!
The best advice I can offer a homeowner preparing for a renovation is to do your homework. Don't expect the contractor to "lead" you through a project or you'll end up with a result you didn't expect, likely for a lot more money than you expected. Make sure you clearly understand what you want but, more importantly, make sure the contractor is clear on it too. One of the biggest factors inhibiting project sucess is differing expectations.
In short, a successful project depends on you and your contractor being "on the same page".
Mike.
http://www.m2renterprises.ca/
Most people I talk to, who are preparing to renovate, are avid watchers of TV reno programs and take the advice presented as gospel. This is not necessarily a great idea. Yes, all those programs do offer valuable advice but, as with all media, the primary reason for their existence is to sell a product. If you know this going in then you can make accurate value judgements but, before you can judge, you need to be informed.
Another source of reno information for homeowners is the contractors they hire. Time and again I'll encounter a project gone wrong and the homeowner will relate a tale of woe which usually starts with, "The contractor I hired told me...". Contractors are like all other business people. Some you can trust and some you cannot. Some are good salespeople and some are not. Problems occur when homeowners hire good salespeople who cannot be trusted!
The best advice I can offer a homeowner preparing for a renovation is to do your homework. Don't expect the contractor to "lead" you through a project or you'll end up with a result you didn't expect, likely for a lot more money than you expected. Make sure you clearly understand what you want but, more importantly, make sure the contractor is clear on it too. One of the biggest factors inhibiting project sucess is differing expectations.
In short, a successful project depends on you and your contractor being "on the same page".
Mike.
http://www.m2renterprises.ca/
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