Episode 41 - Creating Your Dream with Confidence: Tackling Home Remodeling, Selecting the Right Contractor, and Kitchen Design Essentials

What if choosing the right contractor for your home remodeling project could save you money, time, and countless headaches? That's exactly what we discuss on this episode of the Homebuilding and Remodeling Show. Chris Kirby, the owner of three highly successful construction companies, lays down a blueprint for the essential questions you should be asking your contractor before embarking on your dream project. We dissect the critical aspects of licensing, insurance, and especially experience - because when it comes to remodeling your home, the proof is in the pudding, or rather, the craftsmanship.

Ever battled with the challenge of balancing the functional and aesthetic aspects of your kitchen during a remodel? We've got you covered. This episode delves into the transformative role an interior designer plays in creating your dream kitchen. It's not just about choosing the right tiles and cabinets, but considering the house's layout, your budget, and the feasibility of certain design choices. Plus, we explore how to brace yourself for those unforeseen site incidences that can pop up in any remodeling project. So, get ready to glean some valuable insights as we navigate the exciting, challenging, and ultimately satisfying world of home remodeling. Remember to follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more homebuilding wisdom!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

The Homebuilding and Remodeling Show. Let's go. Welcome everybody to the Homebuilding and Remodeling Show. My name is Chris Kirby and I'll be your host. I am the owner of three construction companies on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The show is about residential construction. We're going to cover topics of homebuilding and remodeling. Are you thinking of doing a remodel or building a home? Are you a contractor looking to improve your knowledge base or grow your business? Have you ever done a remodel project or built a home? There were so many things you wish you knew or that you could have done differently during the process. Then this show is for you. We break down the process of building and remodeling and how to have the best results during your project. Whether you are a DIYer looking for tips, someone looking to hire a contractor to do a project, or a contractor looking to expand your knowledge base or your business, welcome aboard. Glad to have you. Stay tuned.

Speaker 1: 1:11

We kick off the show with my thoughts on homebuilding and remodeling. I'll share best practices and talk about some of our experiences in business and out in the field. These shared thoughts and lessons learned are meant to help you on your very own journey. Let's go. Today I wanted to just kind of talk about some of the most important questions that you should ask your contractor before starting a project. A lot of people who watch the show are homeowners or clients or DIYers and you may be a DIYer. That gets you actually get stuck on a project and decide to consult or hire a professional, and it is important for you to understand what type of contractor you're hiring, how long they've been in business and stuff. We've compiled a list of 20 questions that you should ask when you are hiring your contractor. Number one is the biggest thing that you need to ask them and this is why it's number one is are they licensed and insured? There's a lot of different licenses that you can get out there, but if they, if they are, there are certain trades that require a state license, so make sure that they have that. Usually you can go online to, for instance, here in Alabama, you have to have a homebuilter's license to build homes. You have to have a homebuilter's or remodler's license to do certain large scope projects and remodels. Make sure that they have that. And then the insurance make sure that they have general liability and that the policy is in fact active, and this is just to help you. Sometimes they may show you some paperwork and just make sure you're actually looking at it and ask for license and insurance and then also for a business license or whatever city, town, municipality they're working in. They should have a business license for the type of work being performed on your project.

Speaker 1: 3:19

Two can you provide references? Even our clients? I have the construction companies that I own and I have had clients call and ask other people that we've done work for how we performed, and they ask some questions that you, as a homeowner or client or if you're interviewing a contractor, you should ask these questions and you should ask the right references are super important. So make sure that you actually follow up and call the references. I know sometimes if you see them be brave enough to actually give you a list of references, you might think, well, most people wouldn't even do that, so I'm not going to call. But the reality is you should call those references and just see what they say and then also make sure it's not their mom and dad or brother or sister or something like that.

Speaker 1: 4:14

Ask the right questions. Number one are you licensed and insured? Number two can you provide references? Number three is how long have you been in business. This one I've battled with putting it on the list, but it is important because experience is going to dictate quality and sometimes that experience also the longevity of being in business means that they've navigated hurdles and that they've been around long enough to work through issues in their business and company. That sometimes new people definitely and I was in this boat, I am speaking from experience that you don't have everything worked out when you're starting a new business or you just went out on your own. That being said, that doesn't speak to the quality of their work. They may have been doing work for another company and finally went out on their own and started their new business.

Speaker 1: 5:12

When, again, it's kind of one of those situations where just because they're new in business doesn't mean that their skills are new to the trade that you're asking them to perform. And that's where you have to do your due diligence and find out what that person who is actually doing the work, what their experience is. I know for me, for instance, I have teams, so we've got teams that go out, crews that go out and do the work. My experience in business versus their experience as tile installers or painters or carpenters is different. It's going to be different every time, depending on what crew goes out to do what type of work for you. You definitely need to know what the experience is, how long they've been in business, but you want to know the experience of the people actually showing up to the job to do the work. That's the most important part.

Speaker 1: 6:07

Number four is have you worked on similar projects before? You are going to have niche contractors? That means that they are very, very good and have picked a certain lane. They tend to stay in that lane, they perform well in that lane and they know how to handle anything that comes up. That means that you just want to make sure that you're hiring somebody that has done that type of work before it's ultimately up to you.

Speaker 1: 6:38

I would say you can't build your first house until you're given the chance to build your first house. You can't do your first bathroom or kitchen or project until you're given the opportunity to do those projects. You're not always going to get a bad product from an experienced business owner. The quality of their work is going to be dictated by how they perform in your house. You need to be mindful of that and make sure that when you're asking these questions, they may not have done a similar project but they may be confident enough and capable to do that project. However, you are going to have established contractors that have been in business and doing those same type projects.

Speaker 1: 7:25

We focus on kitchen and bath. I feel very confident in any kitchen or bath project that we're going to take on, that we can do it. We've got processes, we've got teams that are built for kitchen and bath specifically. However, that doesn't mean the new guy or girl that just started their business or maybe that has not done a kitchen or bath, isn't going to produce a quality outcome. That's for you to decide. It is a relevant question and you should ask it. One, are you licensed and insured? Two, can you provide references? Three, how long have you been in business? Four, have you worked on similar projects?

Speaker 1: 8:02

This is our new contractor shout out segment. We are going to pick 40 contractors a month that tag their business page and our post on the home building and remodeling show Facebook page. This month we have with us American Eagle Home Improvement and Insulation out of Greenville, south Carolina. Wasmhurst Pro Painting out of South Bend, indiana. Mayhem Renovations out of Middleburg, florida. Old Glory Construction Management out of Clear Lake, texas. Mr Mom's Drywall and Paint out of Biloxi, mississippi, and Alpha and Omega Insulation out of Oklahoma. Thank you all for commenting on the monthly post. We will do another post next month. Like, subscribe and share our Facebook page and hopefully you get a shout out next time.

Speaker 1: 8:54

And now we move into shop talk. It's the portion of the show where I bring in a co-host and we cover trending topics in home building and remodeling. If you enjoy, let's go. Okay, welcome back everybody. We have Andy Bangal with us. He owns Bangal Electric. He's one of our partners in our home building and remodeling side and you know we wanted to jump into the topic of not only home building. But specifically we have a lot of people moving to electric hot water heaters and so I know you had a story recently because you're installing a lot of electric hot water heaters, so talk to us about water heaters in general.

Speaker 3: 9:39

Yeah. So a lot of people in the last time, maybe 10 years, have switched over the tankless gas. Yes, water heaters, but now, recently, a lot of people are switching to electric water heaters. But the thing with them is, I mean, they're very efficient, they're very reliable, but people don't realize the amount of power it takes to run these electric water heaters. Gotcha, even just the smaller ones require 240 amp circuit, which is 240 volts per circuit. So basically it takes up four spaces in your electrical panel.

Speaker 1: 10:13

Okay, okay.

Speaker 3: 10:14

So you're talking when this thing starts running. You're looking at close to 80, 70 to 80 amps of power that is required to run these electric water heaters. So some of these panels, your sub panels that are in your home, you know they're rated for maybe only a, or the wire that's installed is only rated for 100 amps.

Speaker 1: 10:31

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 10:32

So if you have a dryer on there and then you have your electric water heater and both of those things are running, you can be maxed out and tripping your breakers or overloading the circuit, which can cause, you know, your wires to burn up. Actually, because you're overloading that circuit, I mean those circuit breakers should trip, but if it doesn't, you're creating a lot of heat on these wires, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 10:53

So you're saying, if your, you know your wires are going to burn up, but also you're going to be tripping breakers all the time, right? And so where we see some issues is it you just don't know. Some people don't understand that it could be coming from the hot water heater and they're plugging in stuff and it's tripping the breaker and they're getting frustrated, right, which generates a service call, and then you have to go out and troubleshoot. But it the basis of the problem are these newer electric hot water heaters. So do you recommend upgrading the panel or what are you? What do you do in that case?

Speaker 3: 11:30

Yeah, so I mean a lot of times you're removing the original tank, full-size tank water here, which usually is on a 30 amp breaker, so you're gaining that spot. But yeah, the main thing is is looking at what is feeding that sub-panel. If it's only rated for, like recently, there's a project run right now it only has 60 amps to it. So now we got to run a whole new circuit, maybe 150 amps to the sub-panel to handle this new load. So I mean there is quite a bit of expense there.

Speaker 1: 12:00

But the efficiency of this new water here you know, over time is so sometimes it's not just as simple as converting, you know, to an electric water heater. The price isn't just. Well, let me shop for an electric hot water heater, I'll call an electrician to install it. But what you know, for any consumer that's watching this, or even contractors, some of the best practices we're talking about is, you know, communication and information. So it's not.

Speaker 1: 12:29

Hey, Andy, let me jump on the phone. I just bought an electric hot water heater. Can you quote me to install it? Well, sure, but when you show up and you realize, hey, the panel isn't large enough to handle this, the cost and time and everything, the scope of work changes, right, Okay, so talk about that. So do you actually have a list of this, cost, this, or how do you do that? So when they get frustrated when they call you and I never quote over the phone, we've made that a point to not quote. Well, I've got my square footage, you know, for us it's kitchen and bath, or even a house. What's your price per square foot? There are so many factors that play into that and you know it's not as simple as calling and saying well, how much is it to install electric hot water heater? Right?

Speaker 3: 13:26

Right, and that's the thing homeowners don't probably understand, and it's not their fault, they're just not educated in it. And that happens where they're asking well, what's it cost for the electric water heater to install it, and I the same thing. I don't give a price. I always tell them I'll come out free estimate.

Speaker 1: 13:42

I'd rather come out there.

Speaker 3: 13:43

You have to see it, because you don't even know what is in their home. You don't know what the attic situation is, because you're gonna have to run new wire for this new water heater. So I mean there's a lot of things you have to look at before you can just give a price because you could say $400, but honestly it could maybe double in price just for material because the distance you're traveling maybe you do have to upgrade the wires, the panel. So there's a lot of kind of factors you have to look into.

Speaker 1: 14:11

So a lot of who watch our show are people who are learning their DIYers or beginning or learning their contracting business. So when you say something like distance right Now so let's put it in layman's term for somebody who doesn't really understand what you're saying Are you saying the distance from the panel to the unit? How much wire that's going to take? Are you talking? What kind of distance are you talking there when you're, when you're looking at pricing an electrical project and not just an electric hot water heater? But you know the roof, can you mentioned roof conditions or attic conditions where we're doing a house right now that basically it's a smaller home but the whole thing is vaulted. So does that present problems when it comes to electrical and even the HFAC side? I know the HFAC contractor has to think differently to get the ducting and stuff. When you have just a vault Right, there's no true access. So how does that work? When somebody wants to change, even, you know, lighting, any electrical that has to do with a vaulted ceiling where there's no access, can it be done? And you know how do you determine how to? You know how to do that. I mean that now we're going to move into the portion of the show where we talk interior design. We're going to bring in an interior designer and we're going to talk trending design and products. I hope you enjoy let's go.

Speaker 1: 15:50

Welcome back everybody Today's interior design segment. We have Courtney with us. Thank you for being here. We're gonna talk about kitchen planning and this is her field of expertise Interior design in general. But kitchen and bathroom planning takes a lot of talent and it takes a lot of patience. So we'll jump right in and when somebody calls us Kirby interior design or any interior design studio, they're reaching out, usually because they are getting a remodel done and for us specifically, we focus on kitchen and bath. So when we get that phone call and we let them know we have interior design services, we usually schedule an appointment and then from there you take over. Yes, you'll go to the appointment. So just kind of talk to us about you know what that looks like and what are some of the benefits of having that interior design presence while doing a remodel.

Speaker 2: 16:54

Of course. So the kitchen I mean. Since day one it's always been considered kind of the heart of the home and it really is. Whether you're a cook or not, it is kind of where you begin your day and usually end your day, whether you are utilizing the space for actually cooking or not. So when clients call us for kitchen remodel, it really varies based on the client's needs and the scope of the work.

Speaker 1: 17:16

Yeah, and some of what we were kind of pre-segment talking about was you have a variety of households and so you've got people who love to cook and their needs are going to be different than a family who uses the kitchen as a social gathering area and needs more work spaces and different things. So do you start with that line of questioning?

Speaker 2: 17:42

Yes, it really does start with the client. That is why you hire a designer. Basically, what we need to do is find out your needs.

Speaker 1: 17:50

Sure.

Speaker 2: 17:50

So for every client it's going to be a little different. Are you a baker or, like you said, or is this a social gathering place? Do you host wine night?

Speaker 1: 17:58

Sure.

Speaker 2: 17:59

What does that space need to be able to do for you moving forward in the future to really be more functional?

Speaker 1: 18:07

Yeah, and what we usually see is there's a lot of people who use things like house and Pinterest and stuff, so they have these ideas of aesthetic, but they're not necessarily thinking about form and function, and so you really have to help them rethink about their kitchen and its use and sometimes I think that line of questioning catches them off guard because they just think it's outdated and they just want it to look good again. And in some spaces like ours, ours is small and we want to open it up and stuff, but form and function isn't something that's on my brain when I'm just thinking I need to remodel and open up my kitchen.

Speaker 2: 18:49

Correct. Usually, the first thing that comes to your mind is aesthetics, and, of course, the studies play a major role. I mean as a designer. Yes, I want everything to be beautiful, sure absolutely but like you said, it needs to have a function, and especially a kitchen. That is where form follows function in 100% of the way. Yeah, if your space isn't usable but it's pretty, you're still gonna be unhappy with it.

Speaker 1: 19:13

Absolutely yeah.

Speaker 2: 19:14

So I love, I love house, I love Pinterest, I love that we have platforms now that people can pull from and see things aesthetically. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it works for the house or for the client.

Speaker 1: 19:26

Okay, and what do you mean by that? So you know if they send pictures? And going back to what you're talking about form, function and even layout of the house.

Speaker 2: 19:35

That's exactly what I was gonna touch on.

Speaker 1: 19:37

Okay. So how does layout play a role in your kitchen planning?

Speaker 2: 19:41

So if I was gonna go to somebody's home and let's say they're on a slab and they really want to redo the layout, while on a slab trenching out your plumbing, Sure. That is going to be something that maybe you didn't even think about, and now that budget that you were trying to play with them has gone out the window because of that, whereas if I went to a home that was up on stilts, much easier to move plumbing much easier to the accessibility of all of that?

Speaker 1: 20:09

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 20:10

In hood vents. I mean, of course, they've always had popularity, but it's just rising and rising and rising. That a static feature, yeah. But what a lot of clients also don't realize is what a hood vent entails. Is that going to ventilate outside? Is it going to be recirculating? Again, these are things that you can see it in a photo and go gosh. I really like it yes, yes. But does it work in your space?

Speaker 1: 20:33

Well, and then the other side to that. So you know you've let us down the path of talking about the contracting part, yes, in which we work well together as far as that goes. But you know, they may have an established budget, like they may have discussed it as a family and said I can put X dollars into a remodel. Some people don't realize how much of those dollars are spent on the mechanicals, so not even the beautification of the space, right and so the again back to what you're saying, the budget that they thought. Well, you know, I have a hundred grand, I can get whatever, but it really does depend on how the house is laid out. So when you're doing something like that as an interior designer, you're looking at the layout and then in your mind you know some of these things, but do you bring in a contractor or how does that work in the planning portion?

Speaker 2: 21:29

And that's a benefit to clients as well. Having designer is we do get to work with your contractor. So I've had many occasions, you know, with the Kirby renovation side you know you all. Being the contractor, the lines of communication remain more open as well, so that the client can understand from the designer. We speak a little bit more in a client friendly layman's terms.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Yes, we're kind of like the advocate.

Speaker 2: 21:52

Yes between the renovation labor, yes, and the job being accomplished, absolutely. So when somebody has their own contractor, that's great as well. I mean, we play well with everybody and I think, as a designer, that is something that we should do, but we can break it down for the contractor as well in a way that they understand.

Speaker 1: 22:12

Yeah, and so you know and the way I've always spun it is you know you guys come up with the vision and really for your mission with the client is to keep that vision intact. Once you establish it, you try to do everything you can as contractors. Sometimes we can't keep the vision intact because it may be structural, it may be a plumbing move that actually costs more than what we thought. So budgeting and all that have to play well, but there are adjustments to the vision piece. If there's something that the contractor you know, a gas line it can't be moved.

Speaker 1: 22:49

You know stuff like that. So part of I noticed what you all do is you're a mediator sometimes, because it sometimes can be you're without your kitchen right For months?

Speaker 1: 23:02

Yes, absolutely, and if a plan goes well, then the job is done efficiently. But inevitably, in construction and remodeling especially, there are going to be delays, and you know, and sometimes those conditions, especially for the ones who enjoy the kitchen and that is their family space. So how do you handle that type of situation? So you've met the client, you've talked about what they want as far as their needs, but when you're in the planning portion for a kitchen, do you discuss those obstacles and 100% percent.

Speaker 1: 23:38

Yeah, so you're trying to help them prepare for being without right.

Speaker 2: 23:42

You need to navigate the way that they're going to feel throughout the process. Absolutely, you know so for one of my last clients, one of the major parts of their project was taking down walls, taking up tile. There is an exorbitant amount of dust.

Speaker 1: 23:58

Sure Sure.

Speaker 2: 23:59

That's involved with that, and some people are always just a little bit of dust. It's your house, it's where you are every single day. So, whether you think it's a little bit of dust or not, I always try to prepare clients, for this is the process, this is how it's going to lay out, but these might be you know unforeseeable site incidences.

Speaker 1: 24:17

Absolutely yeah.

Speaker 2: 24:18

That will inconvenience you, but you do have to trust the process and, as you said, sometimes being the mediator, preparing clients. For sure, renovations are lengthy and they do take time and you're going to be left without a kitchen, without a working sink.

Speaker 1: 24:32

Yeah, and we can only prepare, from the design side and from the construction side, for what we see. Yeah, and there's always that unknown, when you go in and do demo day is the telltale of how efficient the project is going to go. Because, again, we can only prepare for what we see, what's visual. As we start to do the demo and get behind the walls, I mean you could uncover your, you know, termites, water damage Right.

Speaker 1: 25:00

I mean, yeah, so there's so many unforeseen conditions and we do discuss that with the client that you just don't know until you open it up. But also it's as simple as what about like cooking. I mean, you know how do you prepare them for less eight weeks of eating out, or you know move the microwave to a different.

Speaker 2: 25:22

I like to give my clients a list of local restaurants.

Speaker 1: 25:24

No, yeah, no, and it really does.

Speaker 2: 25:26

Really good local restaurants. These are. You should go eat.

Speaker 1: 25:29

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 25:29

But no, yeah, preparing clients for unforeseen site incidences. And you know it's not to say, like you know, remodels are awful or anything, because no, by the time that we're done in the client sees the vision it's. Believe me, most people have forgotten about the dust, or they've forgotten about what they found behind the walls, and now it's just that exuberance of being able to use the beautiful and functional space.

Speaker 1: 25:50

Yeah, Thanks for joining us today. As always, we are grateful for our listeners and your continued support. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on social media via Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Get more info at our website, wwwthethombuildingshowcom. And, as always, remember who we are the home building and remodeling show.