Starting a remodeling or home addition project can be intimidating. You are excited about your new space but nervous about all the unknowns. You’ve done your homework and are confident that you’ve chosen the right building partner, but you still feel unsure about what to expect. How will you handle the upheaval you’ll feel in your home? How will your kids and your pets react to having people over all the time? Will the process be fun and exciting or frustrating and challenging?
While we can’t tell you with certainty what you and your loved ones will experience during the process of your remodel or addition, we can give you some pretty accurate predictions. We like to use what we call a Funk Chart to illustrate the potential feelings–both high and low–you can expect to feel during each part of the process. Knowing what to expect will help you enjoy the highs and push through the lows, believing that the end product–a beautiful new space for you and your family to enjoy–will be worth it in the end.
Planning: 3-6 Months
This is the first part of the process, and you’re feeling good. You’ve been dreaming about a new kitchen, a remodeled bathroom, a gorgeous sunroom, or an outside kitchen for months or years, and it’s finally time to get started. You’re thinking about the future and how much you will love your home. You’ve done your homework and chosen a builder and you’re getting the ball rolling. As you consult with your contractor, you begin to make specific decisions, and your abstract ideas become more concrete with plans and designs to back them up. You get to visualize what your home will look like as you see renderings of the new space. You’re full of excitement, anticipation, and happiness–and your architect or designer is too.
During this phase, we’re working to get ready to start construction on your project. We are
- lining up subcontractors
- getting bids
- ordering materials
- setting up the Critical Path Schedule (CPS) that keeps all moving pieces of the project coordinated and on track
- getting the site ready to begin work
You might be feeling impatient and a little frustrated by what seems like delays. In fact, everything is on track and moving along according to plan. A great planning and preconstruction period is important for a successful project, and all the work we are doing now will pay off when construction begins. Hang in there! It can take a while for building supplies to come in and workers to be lined up and coordinated for each stage of the project, but it will be worth it in the end. Knowing the reason for the wait will help your emotions to rise a little bit from impatience to anticipation. You’ll start to see real progress soon.
Your good feelings might take a dip when you get bids and estimates in and the reality of costs lands in your lap. But that low point won’t last long; you know it’ll be worth it. You sign papers and move into the next phase ready to get things going.
Your architect or designer takes a happiness dive here too when they give you prices and get ready for construction to begin. They’re ready to see their work become a reality.
Construction Time: 1-6 Months
Finally, the big day arrives. Workers are at your house and demolition begins. This is one of the most exciting parts of a project because all the things you didn’t love about your house–the old Formica countertops or the outdated carpet–are being torn out and removed. You can start to see what a fresh, new space will look like.
If you have kids, you can bet this will be their favorite part of the process. Tearing out walls? Ripping up flooring? Yes, please! It’s an exciting time for everyone, including your contractor.
Construction progresses and seems to slow down. Your happiness and excitement waver. It’s taking a long time, and you’re not seeing much happening. You know that things are progressing–we’re keeping you updated frequently and we’re answering any questions you have. But it’s not too exciting to see footings go in or electrical wires being installed.
What is exciting is seeing the framing. You can start to envision what the rooms will look like and the space is being transformed. When drywall goes up, so do your emotions. Now it seems like the end is near and you can’t wait!
Unfortunately, there’s still a good bit of work left to do. You’re getting tired of people being in your house, of the noise and disruption. Mid-project weariness has set in. Your kids’ feelings are up and down too, moving between excitement and interest in the goings-on, and impatience to have their house back. Even your contractors begin to dip a little bit into the funk as the work goes on. But it won’t be long now. Once the finishes start going in, everyone can really see how great the project looks, and it’s the boost you all need to get to the end. The paint, flooring, light fixtures, cabinets, and hardware are being installed and you’re seeing your choices, made back in the planning and design phase, coming together into something you really love.
Project Closeout and Post-Construction
And then, just like that, we’re packing up tools, cleaning the job site, and the “project site” is back to being just your home. Only now it’s so much better. You and your family settle in to use the new space. Your architect or designer’s happiness rises as they see their designs completed. And your contractors are thrilled to hand over your home to you–new and improved. We talk you through the warranty period: at BOLT, we offer a one-year warranty on all our installations, as well as the manufacturer’s warranties. We also love supporting our clients by assisting with any issues that may come up later. We’re always here to help. As we close out your project, you can expect to feel relief that it’s over, happiness with the final result, and gratitude that you took the chance and pursued a remodel or addition to your home. It was worth the hassle and worth the highs and lows.
The old adage is true: knowledge is power. Knowing what to expect and how you and your family might feel during each phase of the remodel will make it easier to wade through the lows and enjoy the highs. When you understand why you feel the way you do, and that it’s normal and even expected that you’ll feel that way, the whole process will be easier to handle. We help by keeping your project on track: being clear in our communication, available to answer your questions, and treating you and your home with respect. If you’re ready to get started on a remodel in your DC, Maryland, or Virginia home, contact us today. We’d love to help.