11 Keys to Remodeling Success!

When done right, a home remodel is nothing less than the realization of your vision. If you’re like many of our clients, your “mind’s eye” sees a classically beautiful, functional home that will deepen your daily enjoyment and special occasions for years to come.

The key to your project’s success is communication throughout the process. The elite remodelers in Dallas each have a time-tested project management system that values keeping you educated and informed throughout the process. But to maximize the project’s success, you’ll also need to know how to stay involved and communicative at each stage:

During the sales & selection process:

1. Try to be flexible in scheduling appointments. It’s a good sign when the contractor doesn’t have the most convenient evening and weekend hours to meet with prospects. When you do make a choice, you’ll be glad to know your contractor spends more time working on building projects than selling prospects. This isn’t a high pressure sales industry. For the elite remodelers, it’s about quality of work and referrals.

2. Be prompt and try to avoid cancellations and postponements. Good contractors always keep their appointments, even though their schedules are booked solid in advance. Estimates should be free, but a loss of time is costly to contractors.

3. Share your “vision” with specific detail. The more you can tell a contractor about what you would like, the better the quality of feedback and the more specific cost estimates you’ll get in return. Your specificity will allow the contractor to educate you on all the decisions you’ll need to make.

4. If a contractor doesn’t win your business, provide constructive feedback with a quick phone call or email. The contractor, the industry, and homeowners like you all benefit as contractors learn what clients need.

During the project:

5. Take careful notes during the “Kick-Off” meeting. Here, the Project Manager reviews the scope of the work, sets scheduling expectations, and gets your project ready for delivery. He discusses your ideas and concerns and thoughtfully answers all of your questions So ask away, because this is the ideal time to do it.

6. Return all calls promptly. Often, your Project Manager is awaiting a decision from you, and work may be delayed until you call back.

7. Don’t be alarmed at the sight of small flaws in the paint or a smudge on the bathtub. Those cosmetic fixes are perfected by the end of the process and before the final walk-through. If you think of cosmetic changes you’d like at this point, feel free to ask how that will affect schedules and costs.

8. Be prepared to make payments in a timely manner. Payment schedules are prepared when the contract is signed, and remodelers adhere to the established milestones to maintain budgets. Be aware that change orders cannot be allowed to delay milestone payments.

At the conclusion:

9. Be thorough in your examination of the finished work during the walk-through with your Project Manager. Your PM will complete all items on the punch list, but this isn’t the time to think of new touches. Think of final touches during the process so that the remodeler can operate within the framework of the established schedule.

10. Be honest when you complete your customer satisfaction survey. Specific constructive criticism will enable contractors to better understand client needs, resulting in a steadily rising level of service in the industry. Of course, builders and their teams of skilled trades love to be recognized for the fine details of their work, as well as their professionalism.

11. Support your contractor’s achievement of your vision with referrals. The best “thank-you” a remodeler can receive is a new customer who was inspired by your project. We are thrilled to say that most of Bella Vista Company’s customers are the friends and family of delighted customers we’ve proudly served. See what they had to say at bellavistacompany.com.

CALL US. WE’RE HERE TO HELP. (214) 823-0033

by: Alan Margulis