Working with general contractors on home renovation projects
invite response
2022 Aug 7, 6:54am 1,056 views 10 comments
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2
clambo
2022 Aug 7, 7:23am
It sure sounds like a pain in the ass.
New appliances sounds like a $2200 refrigerator was involved.
New appliances sounds like a $2200 refrigerator was involved.
3
NDrLoR
2022 Aug 7, 7:33am
NDrLoR
2022 Aug 7, 7:33am
BayArea says
I think this is called a written contract with every detail clearly spelled out.
- Have a mutually agreed statement of work before the start of any work
4
Hircus
2022 Aug 7, 8:12am
Hircus
2022 Aug 7, 8:12am
Curious what each of those things cost?
A friend of a friend remodeled his bathroom recently, and the price ballooned to "over 100k" and the work was often subpar, and he had to show them which mistakes they made and make them redo it at least a few times for quality issues, and a couple more times for code issues. He eventually felt like the general contractor (reputable company) was hiring unskilled yahoos to do the work.
It took wayyyyyyy longer and wayyyy more money than originally quoted despite zero feature creep and no "unexpected horrors behind the walls" etc... And after the first cases of shoddy work were pointed out to the general contractor (who was supposed to ensure the work was inspected by either him or someone else with an eye for how things should be done), it kept happening. I think even the code inspector rejected once or twice, and made them redo part of it to bring it to code.
I heard he was gonna sue. What a nightmare.
A friend of a friend remodeled his bathroom recently, and the price ballooned to "over 100k" and the work was often subpar, and he had to show them which mistakes they made and make them redo it at least a few times for quality issues, and a couple more times for code issues. He eventually felt like the general contractor (reputable company) was hiring unskilled yahoos to do the work.
It took wayyyyyyy longer and wayyyy more money than originally quoted despite zero feature creep and no "unexpected horrors behind the walls" etc... And after the first cases of shoddy work were pointed out to the general contractor (who was supposed to ensure the work was inspected by either him or someone else with an eye for how things should be done), it kept happening. I think even the code inspector rejected once or twice, and made them redo part of it to bring it to code.
I heard he was gonna sue. What a nightmare.
5
Tenpoundbass
2022 Aug 7, 8:29am
Tenpoundbass
2022 Aug 7, 8:29am
Don't worry I'll complete the job to pass inspection on schedule, if it takes every dollar you've got!
6
Booger
2022 Aug 7, 8:58am
Booger
2022 Aug 7, 8:58am
Hircus says
I would consider this to be typical.
Curious what each of those things cost?
A friend of a friend remodeled his bathroom recently, and the price ballooned to "over 100k" and the work was often subpar, and he had to show them which mistakes they made and make them redo it at least a few times for quality issues, and a couple more times for code issues. He eventually felt like the general contractor (reputable company) was hiring unskilled yahoos to do the work.
It took wayyyyyyy longer and wayyyy more money than originally quoted despite zero feature creep and no "unexpected horrors behind the walls" etc... And after the first cases of shoddy work were pointed out to the general contractor (who was supposed to ensure the work was inspected by either him or someone else with an eye for how things should be done), it kept happening. I think even the code inspector rejected once or twice, and made them redo part of it to bring it to code.
I heard he was gonna sue. What a nightmare.
I would consider this to be typical.
7
HeadSet
2022 Aug 7, 9:52am
HeadSet
2022 Aug 7, 9:52am
Around here, what I have found from hiring out landscaping, concrete work and major framing, is to hire the old black guy with the beat-up truck and worn equipment. Still licensed and insured, though.
8
NDrLoR
2022 Aug 7, 3:01pm
NDrLoR
2022 Aug 7, 3:01pm
Hircus says
Back in the mid-60's, my friend's physician father and his wife did a major renovation on their built in 1925 brick home, beautiful condition, paid for, but his wife had wanted to sell it and build a new home on property out in the country. The doctor was already in his 60's and didn't want to make a big change and go into debt. To prove she always got her way one way or another, she decided to expand the existing house with an attached two story addition with four-car garages below in addition to the pole barn already on the property. The upstairs had a bathroom and central bedroom and two hobby rooms for young men who were already in their 20's and one would marry and move out. It cost something like $40K, the price of a nice home then. The exterior was done by contract and it went off without a hitch. For some reason, the interior was done cost plus and that's where the nightmare came in. They could never get through, it was always something else and every time we'd go to Dallas, the station wagon was loaded with return items because they didn't meet his mother's expectations. Finally after two years, they just told them not to come back and lived with what they had, which was a mess. Light switches behind doors when you entered a room, a guest bathroom with big mirror over the sinks but no electrical outlet, and on and on. I think it contributed to the doctor's early death in 1968 at only 66. What was he supposed to do? Work into his 90's to pay for it? He died without mortgage life insurance and there she was saddled with that huge debt that would plague her for the remaining 15 years of her life.
and the price ballooned to "over 100k"
9
Ceffer
2022 Aug 7, 6:00pm
Ceffer
2022 Aug 7, 6:00pm
NDrLoR says
This is why God invented double indemnity life insurance...for that lovable spendthrift black widow in your life
I think it contributed to the doctor's early death in 1968 at only 66.
This is why God invented double indemnity life insurance...for that lovable spendthrift black widow in your life
10
BayArea
2022 Aug 7, 8:03pm
BayArea
2022 Aug 7, 8:03pm
Sounds like some renovation pessimists here 😁
I should mention the following. Buying a total fixer upper was my only way into the neighborhood my wife and I wanted to live in.
It was a worst house in the best neighborhood situation. I don’t know what happens tomorrow but as of today, it’s the best financial decision I ever made.
I should mention the following. Buying a total fixer upper was my only way into the neighborhood my wife and I wanted to live in.
It was a worst house in the best neighborhood situation. I don’t know what happens tomorrow but as of today, it’s the best financial decision I ever made.
It’s been stressful, expensive, and rewarding. I’ve had to do much more project management and hand holding than I ever imagined I would.
Although I’ve worked with general contractors and handymen in the past, it was never quite on this scale.
To give some idea of what I’ve done
- total interior renovation (drywall, texturing, painting)
- rebuilt the kitchen and added new cabinets/appliances
- rebuilt all bathrooms with new vanities/shower/tubs/toilets
- new AC/Furnace/ducts + abatement
- built out backyard with pavers, sod, flower beds, sprinkler system, lighting system
Some education I picked up:
I work a white collar job in tech. Unless you are going with some of the larger, more established, more expensive companies out there, this is not that lol. I would be fired if I acted in a way and conducted business in a way that many of these contractors do.
- Have a mutually agreed statement of work before the start of any work. Often the work will take longer (much longer) than originally quoted and memory of details fades.
- Money motivates, put off as much of the payment to the end as possible. With one of the jobs, the GC and I agreed on three installments for their work. Upon paying the second installment once 2/3 of the work finished, the pace of the work dropped off by 80%.
- Many contractors will take on new jobs as they work on your job to keep their job funnel full. Stress the timing of the work. On a recent job, I was quoted 3-4wks up front and the work took 4mo leading to a lot of frustration.
- If the contractor doesn’t capture the details, you’ll have to. Don’t allow the work to begin until there’s agreement on paper.
- it pays to shop around. I have a general rule of thumb that I obtain 7-10 quotes before starting any major job. The distribution in prices for the same work is astounding.
It’s amazing how the infamous three brothers - memory loss, selective thinking, and misunderstanding - can creep in once heavy labor starts and money is being spent…
It’s been a great experience and the results have been incredible, but I’m not sure I would take on a fixer upper again in the future… at least not while I’m working as long of hours as I’m working currently with my day job.
Also, I’m starting to see a shift in the attitude of GCs since their funnels are drying up as we are seeing an increase in rates. I’m starting to get calls about new work where over the last two years I was doing all the calling.