Remodel Contracting Podcast

The Hidden Costs of "Surprise" Renovations: Expert Tips to Keep Your Project on Track

• Jeff Bass • Episode 8

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How Do I Avoid Surprises During A Construction Project?

What lies behind your walls could make or break your renovation budget. General contractor Jeff Bass sheds light on renovation reality, explaining why proper planning isn't just paperwork—it's peace of mind.

The renovation journey begins long before the first hammer swing. Bass shares why setting realistic expectations through clear communication between contractors and homeowners prevents the most common remodeling pitfalls. "The client is responsible for proper communication as well with the contractor, so that we can all know what to expect," he explains. Those flickering lights might not be fixed with new fixtures—they could signal serious electrical problems requiring panel replacement.

Every homeowner should budget 10-15% beyond their estimate for contingencies. Those "surprise" discoveries after opening walls—mold, faulty wiring, or structural damage—can quickly derail budgets and timelines. Bass recommends homeowners prepare by gathering records of previous work, disclosing known issues, and considering pre-renovation inspections for foundation, electrical, and plumbing systems. One client's simple request to replace light fixtures revealed an entire electrical system needing updates—knowledge that prevented mid-project panic.

Think skipping permits saves money? Think again. Bass shares how one neighbor's complaint about an unpermitted garage conversion could force homeowners to reverse thousands in renovations. While permits may delay projects, they protect everyone by ensuring work meets current codes and prevents costly mistakes. Ready to renovate without the roadblocks? The path to success starts with proper planning, honest communication, and realistic expectations. Your dream space awaits—just be prepared for what might be hiding behind those walls.

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Remodel Contracting
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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Remodel Contracting Podcast, where outdated spaces meet their modern makeover destiny. Hosted by Jeff Bass, general contractor, home renovation expert and guy who firmly believes your avocado green bathroom has gotta go. Based in the DFW Metro, remodel Contracting is here to help you level up your living space Because, hey, you updated your wardrobe, now it's time to update your home. Expect more, live better. Let's remodel.

Speaker 2:

Jeff breaks down why planning isn't just paperwork it's peace of mind. Jeff breaks down why planning isn't just paperwork, it's peace of mind. From permits to plumbing problems, here's how to keep your remodel on track and under control. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio today with general contractor and home renovation expert, jeff Bass. Jeff, how's it going today?

Speaker 3:

Doing wonderful, Sofia Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's great to have you back on today Now, because no one wants to hear uh-oh mid-remodel, and today we're talking about how to dodge those curveballs. Let's get into it. So, jeff, how do I avoid surprises during a construction project?

Speaker 3:

So this is a great thing. This is a case of where you don't want to put the cart before the horse. Everybody has their vision of the remodel project, whether it be kitchen, bath or whatever, and in their mind they have the goalpost. But in order to get to the goalpost we've got to first get down the field. So we've got to start at the beginning. That's the most important part, and that starts with expectations. Okay, when I go and meet with somebody, I don't want them to have unrealistic expectations, and it's easy for a contractor to get into that emotional trap of wanting to please the client and kind of skimming over things just to get to the end. But you've got to set expectations up front. And those expectations, the unrealistic expectations, come from a few things. They come from poor communication, they come from an incomplete scope or set of plans and they come from homeowners not being prepared for what they should expect, and I can get into each of those in a little more detail in just a minute here.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 3:

So starting off is, the most important tool and I think we've talked about this before is communication. What kind of communication is taking place between the client and the contractor? And that right under that falls into having a proper scope or set of plans. Now, whether it's a job that needs to be permitted or no matter how many trades are involved, everyone needs to be on the same page. And we've all played the game telephone or some people call it great vine where you say something, then the next person, the next person, the next person and two or three people later it's completely changed. And it's no different with a home renovation project. The scope or the plans need to be set up front, and even if you plan all of that properly once we get into a project, there are other things that can or may come up that we won't know until we get into the project.

Speaker 3:

I tell clients that once I take out a piece of sheetrock, I can see what it looks behind there. There could be mold, there could be poor wiring, there could be a lot of. It happens in DIY projects or just people who in the past, who worked on the house, who weren't competent. It could be foundation damage, could be structural damage. We don't know what's in a piece of drywall until we open it up. So the client needs to be prepared for that as well. Quite often somebody wants to remove a wall. Well, I'll tell you, great, we can open that wall up and see what's in it. But we're not going to know what it's going to take to move that wall until we get in there. You set the expectations up front for the client and it helps out a lot better down the road.

Speaker 3:

And then are there problems that the house has. Has the client told you hey, I've got problems with my electrical system. My lights flicker. Hey, I've got problems with this drain. It doesn't drain very well, I've got a leak here. I've got this problem there. The client is responsible for that communication as well. Because they live in the house, they know what's wrong with it, so they can give that information to the contractor and the contractor can better build the project around those other concerns that may need to be addressed. For example, I've got a house right now where the client initially they said oh, I want you to replace all of the old lights in my house with LED can lights 46 of them. And my first question is why would you like to do that? Are you just wanting to update the look? And they said, no, my lights flicker. Well, the client is assuming that replacing an incandescent bulb with an LED bulb is going to solve that problem. When it's not so, we have our electrician come out and look and we're going to wind up replacing the panel and some wiring. So the client's responsible for proper communication as well with the contractor, so that we can all know what to expect.

Speaker 3:

Another thing related to that is the budget. If the client says, hey, it's a $20,000 project, I've got $20,000. Exactly that doesn't allow for any contingency. You should have a 10, 15% contingency in there to take care of those unexpected things. Maybe you pick out a more expensive tile than the contractor had on the estimate. Maybe we get into a wall and there's mold damage and we need to remediate that. You don't know until you're into the project. So you should have a contingency budget of at least 10 to 15%. So before the project even gets started, all of those things are there to consider.

Speaker 2:

Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much for filling us in on that. Now can homeowners do anything early to uncover potential structural or system problems before you get there?

Speaker 3:

Well, the best thing they can do would be to have the records of work that they have had done in the past ready for the contractor to review.

Speaker 3:

And you know, that kind of goes back to what I said before. Right, the client needs to have conversations and communication with the contractor because they live in the house, they know the condition of it and it may be the case before we even start work we have some inspections done, whether it be a foundation inspection, whether it be a plumbing inspection, electrical inspection, you know, to get those utility things out of the way before we begin the project. Quite often I'll go into a house and I'll notice there's foundation problems and ask the people when was the foundation fixed? It could have been fixed 10 years ago and they just never fixed the cracks. It could have been fixed three months ago and then we're going to need to wait at least six to 12 months for the foundation to finish settling before I'm comfortable going in there and doing any more repairs. Yeah, the communication for the history of the house really is necessary for the client to have with their contractor.

Speaker 2:

And in what cases would it be most important to go in and have those things checked, or maybe some signals that they need to be checked before the contractor gets there?

Speaker 3:

Any underlying issues they're aware of Previous water damage, recent water damage, previous or recent foundation repairs, hail damage. We'll go into a project went to a project recently. The guy wanted to have some siding replaced. We are the experts, so when we go in there and we look at the siding, the siding has hail damage on it. We look at the screens, they have hail damage. The gutter has hail damage. I send somebody on the roof. The roof has hail damage. That's a different project. Now we're not just replacing siding, it's an entire roof claim, an insurance claim, and that benefits the client too, right? Because now all they're doing is paying a deductible and getting the entire project taken care of by the insurance company, which is rightfully so. That's why we have insurance. We pay for insurance for that protection. But yeah, just the client's knowledge of the history of the house is going to really help any project they're getting into. Knowledge of the history of the house is going to really help any project they're getting into.

Speaker 2:

One final question for you today, Jeff. What do you say to clients who want to skip permits to save time or money?

Speaker 3:

You know that's an interesting question. So you know, ultimately the decisions the client makes are on the client and for me that falls into every category. Okay, having a permit may cause delays, but it protects everyone involved. The client can have and again it depends on the project but the client, if we go through the permit process, whether it delays it by a week, three weeks, four weeks, it's going to ensure that everyone involved in the project is protected. It also it gives the client the assurance that the work that we are doing is satisfactory in that it meets current codes.

Speaker 3:

Whether for a commercial job that's going to include ADA I do a lot in ADA compliance on a residential job, it's going to be meeting whatever the city codes are. You know. You know sometimes, for example, we have, I've had clients approach me and want to convert a garage into living space. Well, a lot of cities don't allow that and so when we go to start that permitting process, we make that inquiry and we're told they're not allowed to do it. We let the client know that's going to keep the client out of getting in trouble, right? So let's say a client spends whatever 40, $50,000, they convert the garage into living space and then one of their neighbors calls the city and says, hey, these people illegally converted their garage into living space. Well, guess what? The city is going to come back and make you reverse all of that work.

Speaker 3:

It's a good protection tool having a permit. It is, and it gives some good peace of mind to everyone involved, even though there's a little bit of cost involved and there's a lot of time delay involved and uh, you know. But I mean, it's just, and some cities are easier and quicker than others, the some cities are. City of Dallas itself is a big city, so it takes a little longer. Put me in the suburbs. I go up to the counter, I know the girls behind the counter and it just goes really fast, so it just yeah. But permits are. I recommend permits, but ultimately I do what the client wants me to do, but I do recommend permits.

Speaker 2:

Wow. Well, thanks, jeff, for giving us the inside scoop on staying ahead of the chaos, always necessary. Until next time. This has been Remodel Contracting Podcast, where remodels get real. Thank you, sophia.

Speaker 3:

where remodels get real.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, sophia. That's a wrap for this episode of Remodel Contracting Podcast. Ready to kick that 90s kitchen to the curb? For a free in-home consultation, call 469-831-5620 or visit remodelcontractingnet. Expect more, because your home deserves better and, honestly, so do you.