The Home Building and Remodeling Show

Your Contractor Isn't Lying: Why Renovations Take Longer Than YouTube Shows

• Chris Kerby • Season 2 • Episode 3

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Renovation reality checks take center stage as Chris Kirby and co-host Adam pull back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes of home improvement projects. Ever wonder why your renovation took three times longer than that similar project on HGTV? The answer lies in the dramatic difference between televised renovations and actual construction work.

Drawing from decades of combined experience with their construction companies on the Alabama Gulf Coast, the hosts reveal how an eight-hour workday gets compressed into just 22 minutes of screen time, creating fundamentally distorted expectations. They share stories of homeowners who attempted DIY projects after watching deceptively simple tutorials, only to call professionals weeks later, desperate for rescue from half-completed disasters.

The conversation takes fascinating turns as they discuss the strangest discoveries hidden behind walls during renovations—from antique vanities mysteriously walled up in inaccessible spaces to century-old receipts and the occasional deceased cat. These unexpected findings represent just one category of complications that make accurate timeline estimation so challenging.

Perhaps most valuable is their candid discussion about project timelines and why experienced contractors appear to overestimate project duration. Whether it's material delays, subcontractor scheduling issues, hidden structural problems, or dozens of other variables, the hosts explain why buffer time protects both contractors and clients from disappointment. They even address the surprising phenomenon of homeowners expecting refunds when projects finish early!

Whether you're planning your own renovation, working as a contractor, or simply fascinated by the construction process, this episode offers invaluable perspective on managing expectations, understanding estimates, and approaching renovation with realistic timeframes. Follow along as Chris and Adam share their professional wisdom and amusing anecdotes from years in the business.

Ready to start your renovation journey with clear expectations? Subscribe to our channel, follow us on social media, and visit www.thehomebuildingshow.com for more expert insights on navigating your next home improvement project.

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Speaker 1:

The Home Building and Remodeling Show. Let's go. Welcome everybody to the Home Building 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 home building 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're 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 home building 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 All right.

Speaker 1:

So, on this week's show, we kind of loosened it up a little bit, myself and my co-host, adam. I was able to ask him a series of different questions, and one of the questions was some of the craziest things you had found behind the wall during remodeling. And what I would love to know from you, from the audience, is what are some of the craziest things that you found while doing a remodel or doing a construction project, and have you ever found anything that was super valuable? From what he was saying, they thought they had found something that was super valuable. You'll have to hear about it in the episode, but I look forward to you listening this week. This is our 63rd episode. We are super excited to keep it going.

Speaker 1:

So as we dive into that episode, we also got into the topic of TV versus reality, and there's two sides to that as well, because YouTube is so popular as well. So we have some YouTube warriors, even though this is going to go on YouTube. So it's quite funny for me to talk about that. But you have people who are watching these how to's. They even watch our how to's and you'll hear me talk about it with Adam.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that we we discuss is even our videos. Even what you're watching right now is so edited for production that it's not reality. How long it actually took me to record this video to make it usable for the audience that listens to our show is dramatic in comparison to reality. When we're doing our how-tos it's very dramatic in comparison to reality because we are taking our time and shooting, but there's so many edits and on TV. So where we got this information is.

Speaker 1:

We actually have a friend who is now on HGTV. She's going to have her own show and she was shooting over the winter and kind of just giving us some insight on how this stuff works. She has a long, long journey with TV production and things like that and the bottom line is you're getting an eight hour production day boiled down into a 30 minute episode. You may be getting multiple days on the same project boiled down into a 30 minute episode, actually into a 22 minute episode, and then you add commercials for TV on ours. It's the same concept mindset.

Speaker 1:

So you have to be diligent in who you're watching and who you're paying attention to and just get the video is boiled down to the meat and potatoes of what we're actually talking about and the reason my heart's so heavy on this topic this week and the reason we did a deep dive on the show, me and Adam is because this is distorting reality when it comes to remodeling, home building, timelines, education, what people know versus what they think they know. Right, I ask him what's the one thing that homeowners quite often think they know but they really don't? Timelines was his biggest one. For me, that is huge, because when we do an estimate or when we do a bid, it is just that we are giving you a quote, an estimate, a bid, whatever you want to call it and we're doing the best we can based on previous experience, right? So timelines are a big one. I'd love to hear some of what you have to say as far as what you wish a homeowner actually knew versus what they think they know, because that is a very tough go for us. There are so many bad actors out there contractors getting in trouble between us and a client and you know that we're completely perfect in all of this, because we're not. We just talk about what we do, probably more than most people, and we're not afraid to talk about the hard times we go through, but the reality is that the how to's are just that. It's how to do something, but it takes so much longer and so much more practice by our expert team to actually do the projects. I could take a let's just say we were going to build a table. I could take that entire process and cut it into 30 second shorts and give you a hundred videos, and it actually takes multiple days, multiple weeks sometimes, to do the project. So timelines are a big one, and for the audience that's listening to this, that aren't contractors or aren't remodelers or aren't tradesmen or women, please hear me out when I say, when somebody gives you a timeline, they are doing that based on experience.

Speaker 1:

However, each build, each remodel, comes with its own set of differences. Every build is different, every remodel is different. None of them are exactly the same. What we've learned to do is we've learned to navigate these problems over time. So it may be that when we first started doing this, our timeline may have been two weeks, but then we hit a material delay. We had COVID, we had a sub blow us off. Okay, let's move it to three weeks. Okay, three weeks is doable. And then again, during that three-week time period on your project, the homeowner had something go on and we had two days of delay because they were sick or they were out of town. We couldn't get a key while they were on vacation.

Speaker 1:

There are so many different aspects to a project that the smart contractor, the smart remodeler, the smart tradesman is going to overestimate. Right, they should. They shouldn't tell you two days and finish in 10. They should be telling you 10 days and finishing in two. And you know, we've also had problems where people feel like they're getting ripped off. I don't understand this. So contractor bids 10 days, you finish the job in two days. You would think the homeowner would be happy. Well, some homeowners in fact feel like they should get money back. Well, the project only took two. You charged me for 10 days, or you gave me a timeline of 10 days. Do I get a discount? Do I get a rebate? Do I get some money back? No, you should be happy that the project finished early.

Speaker 1:

And the reason we gave you a 10-day timeline is because there are so many variables in a remodel that we can never just give you an exact date to finish a project, because we ourselves could be hindered in some way for that project. We could get knee-deep into this thing we could get injured on the job. So we have to take into account as many variables as possible when given an estimate and we gotta make sure that we cover ourselves to not let you down. So when a contractor gives you a two-week timeline, a three-week timeline, a four-week timeline and they finish a week ahead, don't hard time them because they finished a week ahead, because it easily could have been a four-week, five-week, six-week project because of different variances, different variables and delays in the project. So as we're talking about it through the show, through this episode, you'll hear me and Adam just kind of go through a series of events and why we estimate and why we budget the way we do. But don't let TV boil it down so much that it seems so easy that you think you can do it right. It can become a DIY project. Listen that right.

Speaker 1:

There is another factor that we've had to navigate right. We get homeowners call us and they say you know what? I was watching a show, or I was watching YouTube or a video wherever Instagram it could be, any of those platforms these days and they call us and say it's a lot harder than what I thought. I've been working on my shower for two weeks and I have no clue. Could you come bail me out? You know we do have those calls that happen because again, we are boiling down the process to 30 seconds short for attention, okay, and the longer videos. So our long form videos are on YouTube and those videos tend to be 30, 30 minutes and up, 20, 30 minutes and up, and those are where we want you to go and watch the full blown version of what we're doing on the project. And again, 30 minutes is boiled down from days and weeks of training sometimes.

Speaker 1:

So I just wanted to put that out there. It's been on my heart. I want to help these contractors out. I want to help the homeowners who are trying to get these projects done. I want you to understand that nothing is as it seems in a remodel and it's not very easy to do a remodel. It's not easy to do the work we do and I want to make sure that you show some grace and give some leniency to your remodeler or your contractor, understand they're just trying to do the best that they can. And, like I said, and I'll repeat this, so I'm blue in the face.

Speaker 1:

An estimate is exactly what it says it is. It's estimated. It is not a guarantee. It's very hard to look we get it right. We get it right a lot when we say we're going to be there for two weeks. We can usually make that happen. But we set that expectation and we've practiced this and we've done this project repeatedly over time. So again, just show them some leniency, show them some grace when they're there to do your project. 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 All right, welcome back. It's Chris and co-host Adam, and we're going to kind of liven it up a little bit, let you get to know us a little bit more, and we're going to share some more stories and different stuff.

Speaker 2:

We're going to start with what's the weirdest thing you've ever found behind the wall so one time I was doing a kitchen remodel and we didn't I didn't realize, because I hadn't been in another portion of the house at the time that the wall we were taking out to get a little bit room, um, we cut into the wall and there was like three sets of cavities in there and one of them had an antique looking like makeup vanity, automatically like in a cubby or it was a separate room or no, it was in. There was another wall about three foot and it was just Open space in between and it covered in. Wow, there was no access to it.

Speaker 1:

Ain't that that's kind of weird.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I thought there was money in it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Because it was an antique house. I was like, man, there's something got to be in there, yeah, and there was nothing.

Speaker 1:

Nothing and there's something got to be in there, yeah, and there was nothing. Nothing, it was empty. Yeah, we and we've seen some stuff, but the lady was happy she got the.

Speaker 2:

It's like she was. She started cleaning that thing up like the next couple days and was going to refinish it and everything.

Speaker 1:

It's pretty cool in some of the older buildings we've done like that first building we did over there, we found some old newspapers and stuff and and then when we did our building we just moved out of, we actually donated a bunch of stuff to the Loxley Museum. There was some old all the way back to the 1920s. There was some old receipts from Gulf Hardware, which is pretty cool to see. You know 100-year-old receipts from different things back in the past and how they used to write invoices. We've also seen plenty of stories like the dead animals, and I remember last year we were working at Mr Hines I think it was Mr Hines' house, Wasn't there? Like a dead cat or something? No, no, no, that was the guy right down the road and what was that?

Speaker 2:

Okay. So the man's soffit had rotted out, yeah, and when I got there he had put it up like some chicken screen up there and he was like, well, I'm trying to keep. He's like I got some cats that keep trying to get up in there, yeah. So I put the screen up and he was like could y'all fix it? So we went out, replaced that portion of the soffit, painted it, got done with the project and about six months later he called and said hey, I got another spot that's starting to rot out.

Speaker 1:

Let's go ahead and fix it, do it as well, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so they go to pull that old soffit and a cat.

Speaker 1:

It was a dead cat. Yeah, sorry, but there was a dead cat, I remember.

Speaker 2:

It had been up there for a good minute.

Speaker 1:

So it was like stinking rot.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we may have covered it up in there.

Speaker 1:

Oh goodness, all right. So and they were refusing to touch it.

Speaker 1:

So, just so everybody knows, right before we move into the next question, I'm a big Saints fan, pelicans fan. I grew up here on the Alabama Gulf Coast and so Saints Pelicans weren't around back then. So I was actually a Lakers fan, shaq fan back in the day too, kobe fan. But Adam and I don't know you know we're both Alabama fans, crimson Tide fans, roll Tide. But there's one big thing that we differ in, and that's what NFL teams we support, and you are a what?

Speaker 1:

Cowboys fan oh my gosh A Cowboys fan, let's go Get out of here with that. Yeah, so Probably win the super bowl this year. Yeah, every year I mean we have this running thing he's he's in here talking about we're gonna win the super bowl and we the boys and all that, and then, good, we win one playoff game up yet and then they can't even get to the playoffs.

Speaker 1:

Man, or they're knocked out first round, or they're butt fumbling or something's going on, somebody's getting getting hurt, and there's always a reason for the Cowboys, so I'm hoping he doesn't pick one of them as who it is for this next question. But my next question for you is if you could remodel any celebrity's house, who would it be?

Speaker 2:

It would be either John Bale, dave Spools, that's the front man for Widespread Panic on the Basis. Who would it be? It would be either John Bale, dave Schools. Who is that's the front man for Widespread Panic on a basis? Probably be either Billy Strings.

Speaker 1:

Billy, okay. Or Bobby Weir, bobby Weir, okay, that's pretty cool, and for me I would say, just being a traditionalist and people may not think of him as a celebrity, but I sure do it would probably be Saban man. Could you imagine First? Could you imagine? Well, maybe I need to take that back, because the standard probably applies to all aspects. No, doubt. Could you imagine having Nick Saban watching you when you're trying to remodel the house and telling you?

Speaker 1:

It would be Miss Saban. She's the big boss, that's right. She might be a little bit nicer when it comes to the standard. But no, for me it would probably be Nick Saban. If I had anybody else to choose, it would probably be Shaq. I was a big Shaq fan growing up. Still am a big Shaq fan growing up. Still am a big Shaq fan. He's done a. He's done a lot of stuff, so I think that would be pretty cool. Maybe I need to rethink the saving thing, because that might be a little bit tough on me. One tool what is your go-to? So what? What is the majority of the work that you've done like? If you had to call yourself a tradesman, what trade or craft would you say? You spent most of your time doing Cabinets, trim, so like trim carpentry, finished carpenter would be okay. So if you had one tool that you had, or one that you wish you had, that would save you time, money or help you out, or just your go to, what would it be?

Speaker 2:

I'm not sure I know a multi-tools got me out of a multi-tool. Yeah, yeah they are very handy to have on you as you under. They never had them, you know. I mean, though, was the brand? Rockwell was probably the first brand to come out with them. Nobody ever had them, really, and they were all corded yeah, everything's corded multi -tool.

Speaker 1:

So I mean there's a lot of different areas that I mean where you're having to cut trim shims. You know what I mean. Trim off a little bit so I could see how that would be for a trim carpenter.

Speaker 2:

But you got, I mean just a good table saw and miter saw really.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, miters, yeah, true, compound miter saw, yeah, digging a little bit more into what you do for us. Now Adam does the estimating for both Kirby Homes and for Kirby Custom Renovations. You've seen your share of houses, you've seen your share of remodels. Now new construction Been all over the place doing estimates small, very small estimates to huge estimates. What would you say is the weirdest or sketchiest estimate that you had to go to?

Speaker 2:

Probably the weirdest one is that I went to a house in Mobile. It was about a year or so ago. It was a newlywed couple, they were probably 21, 22 years old. They didn't have a clue what they were doing and she had inherited this house from her dad that had moved away or whatnot, and I mean the roof was caved in Like caved in. Yeah, it hasn't been lived in probably for years.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And they were wanting to remodel it to live in it. And I was trying to tell them I was like it's going to be cheaper for you to build.

Speaker 1:

Like do a new construction, do a new construction?

Speaker 2:

And we've run into that kind of, and she's like there's no way it's got good bones and I was like your whole roof system is caved in. They don't have that great of bones.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the bones aren't good with the roof, it's caved in. But we've run into that multiple times actually. And now we get to the point so we've done super in-depth, extensive remodels, uh, on houses and we're talking from floors all the way up, just to kind of keep the house intact. We've, we've went in and and gutted, basically gutted that thing down to the bones, pulled up floors, installed new joists. I mean we've, we've done that in the past and it is expensive and some people just have such an attachment to the house that they want to keep, you know, keep the home no matter what at all costs. Yeah. And then there's a lot of times where we're like it's just not even worth it for us to mess with, like it is actually cheaper to do a new construction. And people don't they're usually attached, but that leans me back to. So you said the client was like, well, it's got good bones.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but I could tell somebody had told her that.

Speaker 1:

That it had good bones. Yeah, because she didn't know what she was looking at but that also runs into and we see this too where she was probably already given a bid or told by somebody else yeah, we can, we can do that work right. You know what I mean when, in fact, and and what we do is is we try to be real with our, with our clients. It's not all about winning the bid, you know. It's about about being good neighbors and making sure that we let them know.

Speaker 2:

That house was at the point where an engineer was going to have to go out and redo the structural integrity of this home. Yeah, they wasn't scabbing on the stuff, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And we just did this over in Fairhope with a guy that you know he's on the chamber with me and he wanted to use this because we're on the board together. You went over there and kind of checked that out and what did that house have going on it? Was in rough shape too. We should have a whole podcast like the weirdest stories. In Vermont there was folks living in it.

Speaker 2:

So there were. So it was in rough, but there were, it was rough.

Speaker 1:

But it was kind of like an encampment or something going on too right.

Speaker 2:

So the guy lived in there and he had like one of his grown-up kids in a camper over here, one in the camper over there.

Speaker 1:

So there was a couple of campers on the property.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and then a random in the back there was like a hut made out of tarp and somebody was living back in this tarp hut. So the guy who called us I was trying to leave and apparently he told what's his name that it was up to them to figure out where they were going, like his kids, I guess he's telling them Because he was the only one working there and stuff.

Speaker 1:

So we were called. The guy that called us was going to use it as an investment, or he may have moved into it, but he wanted to invest. He wanted to kind of get this thing redone, and the person that currently owned it and was living there was just tired of being there and tired of people living off of them. We went over there and you looked at it and they had a $130,000 budget, but they had an addition that wasn't permitted to be on there, so that would have had to come off, which is what would you say was about half the house. That would have had to been tore down and rebuilt and then get everything back up to code.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Nothing was in code there.

Speaker 1:

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 wwwthehomebuildingshowcom. Wwwthehomebuildingshowcom. And, as always, remember who we are the Home Building and Remodeling Show.

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Chris Kerby

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