Episode 42- Mastering Homebuilding: Expert Advice on Avoiding Pitfalls, Planning for Material Arrival and Problem-Solving in Construction

Ever wondered how to avoid the common pitfalls of homebuilding and remodeling? I'm Chris Kirby, the owner of three construction companies, and I'm here to share my expert insights on how to navigate these complex processes. From the importance of detailed written estimates and setting up effective payment schedules to obtaining necessary permits, I'll guide you through the essential steps for a successful project. Whether you're a DIY enthusiast, homeowner, or contractor, we'll explore the significance of clear communication and the role of trust in building a successful partnership with your contractor.

Mulling over a kitchen remodel? Brace yourself, as we unravel the often overlooked aspects of preparation, such as electrical work and interior design. We'll explore common misconceptions about timelines and the art of planning for the arrival of materials, especially custom cabinetry. We'll also shed light on why inspecting materials on delivery could save you from delays and disappointment. Furthermore, we'll delve into problem-solving in home building, as I reveal how even small issues can escalate, causing frustrations for both builders and clients. So, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on social media to stay updated with more homebuilding and remodeling advice.

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. 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.

Speaker 1: 1:27

Number five can you provide a detailed written estimate. On some of the boards and stuff online, we've been kind of kicking this one around as far as how to not only write the estimates, but how detailed do the estimate act? Does the estimate actually need to be, and do you do a bulk estimate? Do you do an online item? So those I know what we do as a company and I know what results it gives us, so I can't say which way, one or the other. But as far as the detail of the estimate, let me get back to that. As far as the detail of the estimate, that should be there, no matter what. How they do their pricing on the details is where what I'm saying. Some contractors are going to get a $25,000 here's a list of everything being done with a bottom line price. Or you're going to get contractors that give you half the details you need for $25,000, but they may give you a line item breakdown of here's what the $25,000 consists of replace this, replace that, install this, remove that with make or break the actual outcome.

Speaker 1: 2:54

The end result is bathroom remodel, but are you paying for allowances or they paying for stuff? What kind of a material are they using? Where they get the material from? Are you buying the material? Is their stuff going to be missed? That you're expecting to be in a bathroom remodel?

Speaker 1: 3:13

Question five the detailed estimate matters and that's that. Question number six is project timeline. A part of that estimate and conversation moving forward should be how long is the project going to take? And goes back to questions three and four, which is how long have you been in business and have you done similar projects?

Speaker 1: 3:35

If you're dealing with a newer contractor, they may not. They may give that. They should give you an answer. It may understand this is their first time doing a project. They may have some kinks and details to work out. May, again, they can get to the quality outcome. It may take them longer to get there. Their timing may be off, whereas you get a seasoned contractor, their timing may be on point. However, that doesn't mean you're going to get a quality outcome it you just look at the person that you're dealing with, engage that, how they're talking to you, how they're communicating. It's really going to be a personal choice and all of these questions are just guidelines. But just look at now they're interacting with you. Demeanor is important to you, what answers are important to you, and really read that and then ask these questions and you still make a decision based on how you feel about how they spoke to you and how they presented.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Question seven is will you obtain the necessary permits? Great question Some jobs do not need to be permitted. Most jobs do. However, you need to discuss a not just will you obtain the necessary permits, which is what any homeowner should know, right, but the contractor should be educating you on whether or not they need a permit and you should be able to kind of verify or trust them that they will or won't need one. But anyway, when it comes to the details of the permit, right, the homeowner ultimately is responsible for that permit. It's your house and what contractor you hire is hired by you, but it's still your home. The cost of the permit, going through the steps to get a permit, the contractor should be able to help you out with those things and like for us, we pull the permit, we pay for the permit, the client pays us, but we do all of the work to obtain the necessary permit. The permit is posted on site. The client is confident that they're getting the permit. The permitting is going to go as it should go, because we've pulled permits hundreds of times it's not an issue, but it is a detail that you need to work out with the contractor that you're working with.

Speaker 1: 6:04

Number eight is what is your payment schedule? This is another one that I can just we probably just go on and on and on about figuring out the payment schedule for a project is really going to be based on your confidence in that contractor, because we do a draw skit system, because we have a payroll in our employees or W2. Some people want to do half-half, some people want to do 40, 40, 20 and 40 percent. 40 percent and 20 percent or half-half would be 50 percent, 50 percent Again, most of the time, if they're asking for a deposit, it should be for materials to cover the job and a little bit, potentially, of the labor, but it shouldn't be much more than that. You really, when you're asking them what their payment schedule is, they should base their payment schedule on their needs and then your confidence and the ability for them to do the project. It can be it's a two-week project and you want to give them 50-50, that's fine. If it's a eight-week project or a large scope remodel, that's really where this payment plan or payment schedule comes into play. You should ask them do you have employees, do you have subs? Because a lot of times that really is going to dictate how much money they need.

Speaker 1: 7:28

This is our new contractor shout-out segment. We are going to pick 40 contractors a month that tag their business page in our post on the home building and remodeling show Facebook page. And this month we have with us exotic peas painting out of Titusville, florida. Handyman Dan and Kathleen Georgia, ac Exterior Solutions in Fort Wayne, indiana. R&r Home Innovations out of the Chicago, illinois area and Hall's Pro Services of Virginia out of the Lynchburg, virginia area. 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. 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. Hope you enjoy. Let's go.

Speaker 3: 8:28

And that's the thing. So I've been doing this for 27 years. I'm a certified master electrician for the state of Alabama and, honestly, if you're Not going into the attic and not looking at everything that is required to do the job, you're really doing a disservice to the homeowner. Because sure, you could be telling them you can do it, yeah, over the phone, sure, and you get there and it's like it's impossible to do it now, like a vaulted ceiling, yeah, I mean that's it's gonna probably require like ceiling removal or something, because you there's have access, right?

Speaker 1: 8:57

So if you have a true vaulted ceiling and let's just say you're in a situation where it's tongue and groove or something, you literally have lapped tongue and groove, that is, that's nailed straight to your rafters, right, yeah, you might, you've got insulation in between, but there's no access so to do the initial wiring, you've probably bored or done something through studs and stuff, right? So you're talking as an expense just to move lights around, you've got to pull that stuff down for sure, right? Yeah, that's. Is that the only that's really kind of the only way to access it sometimes?

Speaker 3: 9:37

Yeah, I mean Honestly. Yeah, I mean, if there's really no other way, I mean we can try and go from maybe the soffits or from the side and then fish wires up the ceiling. Yeah, then you're talking, you have to kind of loop it from one thing to the other and and yeah, and really a lot of our jobs we do, like these add-ons comes down to, can we do it?

Speaker 1: 9:56

because sometimes you just can't unless we're doing a full and it's sometimes it's just not feasible to to move a single light. That's gonna take you all day and you're pulling down a ceiling and you're so, and you know, being realistic with the client. You know, and sometimes they don't understand these costs. And again going back to where we started with the electric Hot water heater you know it is trending, it is efficient and if you can get one, I recommend it. However, you need to know the full scope of work and all the details that it takes to go into just installing one. Yep right so it's.

Speaker 1: 10:32

It's not a phone call quote, because you know. So don't get frustrated with the contractor that won't give you pricing over the phone. And yes, you can go to the big box stores and go online and price the unit and say, okay, it's X, and so let's see what the contractor comes up with. Oh, it's gonna take a couple hours. So from a consumer perspective, we run into that where they've done a research. So they're like, okay, now let me call, I know what the unit cost and then they call you right.

Speaker 1: 11:03

But also sometimes you know, as somebody with experience, it's you know product and you know what performs well. And if they not saying that, you know the big boxes don't carry good product, right. However, you may have a better suggestion and based that you know that suggestions based on how you've seen these units perform, sometimes right. So do you consult In your pricing to right. So you're not just gonna say, oh, you've got the unit, it's the cheapest unit, let me install you, you're gonna talk to him about that right For sure, I think the communication is the biggest thing you need to do is tell him exactly here's what it's gonna involve.

Speaker 3: 11:47

Right here's the the amount of the price is gonna be for the material, because really that's a get. We're talking about the distance, I mean. You're talking maybe three dollars a foot per Fort for the wire, you know, and that can be a hate, be a major Cost just for wire, yeah.

Speaker 3: 12:03

And you know you have to think about those things and communicate Everything to me, everything. Just be a hundred percent honest on what it's gonna take to do this project. And then you also have to figure in the plumber, like he's gonna have to redo some of his plumbing maybe and I think it's again just communication with the homeowners so that they know exactly what they're getting into before they get frustrated that we're not doing it. Or maybe give better suggestions like here's what it's gonna cost to do this. Yeah, maybe it's more efficient just to stick with the old water tank.

Speaker 1: 12:32

Yeah, absolutely so, and sometimes and people are like you know, as a contractor, you should never talk yourself out of work. Well, to be honest, that's not true, because, honestly, the transaction and the relationship are two separate things and you should care about the Especially being local right, because people are diligent, they're gonna do their research and ask questions and you're going to have you know most people are now hearing get three bids. So they may have already talked to somebody and the first person may have said you know they could do it and they're gonna probably get that job. But at least you're being honest and consistent when you talk to them, you're letting them know you really there's not a way to do it, or you shouldn't, it's not needed, you know so and I would rather be that contractor right, and that's kind of what we talk about because they're your neighbors, they're your community.

Speaker 1: 13:26

So you know, as a contractor, as a best practice, sometimes you will talk yourself out of jobs by being honest and letting them know you really don't need need to do that, right, you know.

Speaker 3: 13:37

For sure. I think you know, and sometimes they, you look at the money part, well, hey, well, we'll be making this money for this job, but honestly, it's not gonna benefit them. Yeah, you know, and it's really gonna be harder for you to even do it and commit to a job that you probably can't even do Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 13:53

So I mean to me I'd rather say which is hard to say no we can't do this job because it's really not Feasible and there's an art to saying no, and but also it's not just no for no's sake, right? You're not saying it because you're too busy. You're saying that the need maybe isn't there or that the amount of effort and money it would cost to do this just Isn't realistic, and because sometimes they do have a budget and you've got to look out for that. Yeah, okay, well, cool, I'm glad that you came and talked to us today, first time of many. He's gonna be back over and over. Look forward to those, and if you have questions or comments, please send them our way, especially electrical comments, so we can kind of, you know, have more topics for the show and then Andy, with his experience, is gonna be able to deep dive on any Questions or comments that you have as far as electrical, and not just residential but commercial. Have you done any industrial?

Speaker 1: 14:51

I used to do a lot of industrial work, Okay so so pretty much anything that you've got electrical wise, please send it our way and we will get that stuff answered for you and over to Andy, all right. Well, thanks for having me. Thanks, all right. Now we're gonna move into the portion of the show where we talk interior design. We're gonna bring in an interior designer and we're gonna talk trending design and products. Hope you enjoy. Let's go.

Speaker 2: 15:20

I. But yeah, preparing for it is something that people really need to do.

Speaker 1: 15:27

If you were going to lay out getting prepared for a kitchen remodel. Do you have any tips or best practices?

Speaker 3: 15:34

Yes.

Speaker 1: 15:35

As far as just thinking along the lines of they wash their dishes in there, they gather in there, they eat in there, they cook. How many people use?

Speaker 2: 15:42

the home. Do you have small children? It really depends on the client. By that time, when you really start to get into the process, we've developed a relationship with the client. We know who uses the home, how they utilize it. That's where our vision comes from. Really, the main thing is come up with a plan for your family. How are you going to prepare your meals? Yes, your microwave does need to be moved to another space. A lot of clients like to put them in their laundry room. It's out of the way. It's not in your everyday space. But, yes, where are you going to do your dishes? As odd as it sounds, I have a lot of clients who use their bathtubs. Wow, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, it's a big space.

Speaker 1: 16:21

Yeah, you got to make accommodations.

Speaker 2: 16:23

Exactly.

Speaker 1: 16:24

Then. So that's a part of the pre-planning and discussions that we have. Let's move forward a little bit and we're starting the job. Let's talk about the misconception that you go out and you look at a job and the construction crew comes and we send an estimate. After let's just say it takes us a few days to plan and prepare the estimate. We send the estimate. The client's like okay, this is within my budget. Let me ask a few questions. The one thing we always get when can you get started? Yes, okay. A lot of times we run into situations where people's expectations and reality of what it takes on the material side and in the kitchen planning to get everything really together to do an efficient remodel Talk to me about that. From Timelines, yes, so, and making sure that the material is actually some people don't realize cabinets, especially custom-.

Speaker 2: 17:30

Sometimes take 20 weeks.

Speaker 1: 17:32

Yes, and they're ready, so they're excited. You send an estimate and they're like I can afford it, let's go.

Speaker 2: 17:38

So that is where the designer comes in, though, because the client really gets excited when they see the vision.

Speaker 1: 17:44

Sure, especially if they have the drawings.

Speaker 2: 17:46

Yes, so another benefit to having a designer is you do get drawings, you get elevations, you get mood boards.

Speaker 2: 17:53

Yes, you can actually put product in your hands, so that you can have that tactile experience of going oh, this is going to be my back splash, this is going to be my hardware. You're not just looking at photos, you're actually touching product. So having that excitement is great, and I usually give my clients a folder that has all that in there. So, yeah, during that wait time they can go back and flip through and still be happy about it?

Speaker 2: 18:15

Sure, but cabinetry flooring a lot of those do have extended lead times. There is no reason, if cabinetry is going to take 20 weeks, that you would ever want to start demo before they arrive.

Speaker 1: 18:26

And that's kind of where we've run into problems is we try to plan the best. So if the cabinets are, let's just say, 10 weeks out, we're going to want to start close to when the cabinets are getting here, preferably when they're here, because even then you're like 10 weeks out. Let's start a week before with the demo, and then they don't show up exactly or there's damage sure or there's something missing.

Speaker 1: 18:54

So are you? So are you saying a best practice and this is for the client and the contractor? You want to get them in-house and actually check them? Yes, so you.

Speaker 2: 19:04

I want materials that are going to be installed already Delivered either to the client's home or to our warehouse where we're housing them for them. That way I can account for as well. What if we ordered a whole whole floor of tile, yep, and it's on a pallet. Well, the pallet sat there for four weeks and no one inspected it. Well, that's what. 16 of those boxes are broken and that tile is now discontinued.

Speaker 1: 19:29

Inspector material as soon as it gets to the area that it's landing. Yes, okay, good, good tip, you're right, because you know what I think. Even here we get into the hat and we've got a supply coordinator, so she's really blessing. But you know we will unload, sit it and forget it, and you know, when you finally do get to open it because you're like, okay, it's here, keep moving with the renovation, then you finally open it, voila, what you're talking about occurs and Heartbreaking for a client, and I'm speaking from actual practice.

Speaker 2: 20:04

I didn't come out of my head. I've had this happen to me before, so I'm speaking on it from experience, it was a whole home of tile. Oh and it was beautiful Carrera marble. I mean about it was probably six pallets. Wow and Three. Within three of those pallets, multiples were broken.

Speaker 1: 20:22

Yes.

Speaker 2: 20:23

Well, marble is a natural material. It varies in color. This client was in love with it, guess what? No longer able to source.

Speaker 1: 20:29

You know what? Keep that in mind, because I definitely want to get back to the natural stone because it it plays a huge role in a lot of designs. Yes, okay, so, and you know what, speaking of experience, we literally just had this happen on the whole home remodel we're doing for the gambles. We got two Vanities in and both vanities, the tops were busted. We're broken. Yep, offloaded them sitting in the warehouse. We go to open them up and you know we're moving the project along. Everything's pretty much done. We're, we've got flooring going in, the cabinets are going in, and so we're just excited because we're tracking and We've ordered the vanities on time and they're due to come in. So we're moving right along. And then you open the box and the top is busted. And there are ways to navigate these problems and delays temporary, you know.

Speaker 2: 21:25

Timber rarely in your plumbing, I mean absolutely.

Speaker 1: 21:28

It kind of is a trickle effect when you know certain items come in. Yeah, it's just what you're talking about. We can't connect the sinks, and then you're, you're wanting to be done, they're ready to be in the home and smallest thing hindering.

Speaker 2: 21:43

You know, the finishing of any project is kind of where you're at the end of it and it's the finish line and the client's excited. But there's this one thing.

Speaker 1: 21:52

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.