The Remodeling Process

The Phone Call

Our process begins with your phone call to us. We can usually address general questions over the phone, such as:

• Price range
• Time frames for various projects
• Our current availability to start
• How we do business

From there you'll probably want to schedule a site visit.

The Site Visit

Our initial on-site consultation of up to two hours is offered at no charge and will provide you with a wealth of information regarding your project. We will come to your home to see first hand what you have in mind, where we can discuss the feasibility of your project in terms of both structural and architectural considerations. We can discuss various ways to control costs, the relative costs of materials, different methods of construction, city ordinances, codes and how these issues might affect your project. During our site visit, we can usually give you answers to all your questions.

Any project which involves changes to your existing home will require some drawings and specifications. If you are considering entering into a Design/Build relationship with us, we will submit a written proposal for design work.

The Written Proposal

We would like to emphasize that this is the critical stage in the process. As your builder we have the unique ability to accurately estimate the cost to construct your project. We can guide you through the design process so as to keep within the budget we establish at this point. Additional site visits may be necessary to assess existing conditions. We do not charge for these additional visits. Based on our discussions with you during the initial site visits and on information gathered during subsequent visits we will submit a written proposal with the following:

• Expected or target cost to construct the project
• Cost for drawings including engineer's fee if necessary
• Design goals

If the proposal is agreeable to you, simply sign it and return it to us with your deposit. Now we are ready to begin the design process.

The Design Process

We start by producing a "measured drawing" - a plan-to-scale of the area to be remodeled. From this starting point we can add or remove walls, sketch in cabinets or plumbing fixtures, and create architectural details until you get what we want on paper. We will add the interior and exterior elevation drawings as necessary to see how it will look from both inside and outside the home.

We will also prepare a list of specifications: plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, tile and countertop selections, flooring, special instructions, doors, windows, etc. Once the design process has been completed to your satisfaction we will submit a Contract for construction. One of the benefits of the Design/Build process is that at this point the project can move seamlessly into the Construction Phase within a short period of time.

The Contract

Our contract is an easy to read document that states the fixed price, the starting and ending dates, and the terms for payment. The Contract clearly lists your obligations as well as ours. Included with the contract is a list of all specifications, including any special verbal agreements we have made.

Once the Contract has been signed and the specified waiting period has passed we can begin the project.

Construction Phase

Making a job run smoothly from start to finish is what a good general contractor does. We understand what each subcontractor needs and our in-house crew makes sure we are ready when they arrive. Materials and equipment are ordered on time. We talk to you regularly to be sure there are no misunderstandings.

If you want to continue living in the house while work is underway, we make every effort to minimize impact on your daily living. We go to great lengths to protect your home from damage both inside and out. If we do scuff up a wall or scratch a floor, we'll fix it. And we stand behind all our work, which is covered during the warrant period.

Warranty Period

In the unlikely event that we have left something undone or that something has not been done properly we very much want to know about it. We will fix anything we have done for no charge for a period of one year.

Some manufacturer's warranties may exceed the one-year period. We will assist you with these warranty claims if you ask us to. We want you to be happy with us and with the work. We will bend over backward to see that you are.

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