Often, the only concerns homeowners bring to the table prior to hiring a remodeling contractor are the final quality and cost. However, that’s overlooking a few key areas to which we recommend homeowners pay mind. Welcome to the potentially ugly world of dust, equipment, and strangers.
Dust:
Dust and cleanup should be addressed with your contractor before the start of your project. This is especially true for large-scale remodels that may involve ripping down walls, removing flooring, ceilings, and other major demolition. It’s important to be able to contain the mess so havoc doesn’t spread across the entire home. Your contractor should install dust barriers, possibly have an air purifier on site, and take other precautions to mitigate the accumulation and spreading of debris in your home.
Similarly, it’s important for your contractor to properly clean your space during and upon completion of your project. Your remodeling contractor should have a plan in place for cleanup each day to minimize the impact on your home during the project. As well as an end-of-project cleanup plan, whether they do it themselves, or bring in a cleaning crew.
Equipment:
Power tools, paint cans, lumber, appliances, ladders — there’s a lot of equipment involved in a remodel. Again, your remodeling contractor should have a daily, weekly, and end-of-project plan for maintaining organization of the equipment on site.
Be sure to understand where all of the equipment goes, and whether it’s intended to stay at the home for the duration of the project. Further, if there are expensive materials or equipment left on site, who’s responsible for it? Be sure to have all the expectations properly set before the project begins.
Strangers:
Who are these people walking in and out of the house all day long? It’s likely that homeowners met the owner of a company or one of its salespeople, but now there’s a whole crew on site.
Communicate with your contractor regarding who will be in your home. How many people will be in the home, and who are they? Are they full-time employees, are they subcontractors, are they guys off the street that nobody knows anything about?
Along with this, another concern to keep in mind will be the schedule. This includes the final date of completion, but also the daily schedule. What hours of the day will workers be around? Put a framework in place for start and end times so that the home can be as “normal” as possible as the kids get ready for school in the morning, or before dinner is served at night.
For short projects, it may make sense to plan a short trip or stay with relatives during the remodel. This frees homeowners of the headaches. It also potentially enables the contractor to get things done quicker as they’re able to work without distractions or restrictions and potentially put in longer hours each day.
Sometimes, there are hassles that just can’t be avoided. That said, a reputable remodeling contractor in Wichita should work to minimize them, and to provide a smooth experience. Look for referrals from friends or neighbors, or local contractors with strong ratings and reviews, and be sure to speak with them about expectations and potential solutions before agreeing to a new project.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in January, 2017 and was updated in January, 2022 for accuracy.