If you've seen a Chicago home remodeling firm's portfolio or are familiar with their work, odds are you'll be satisfied with the results for your own project. However, the remodeling process is intense, especially for those who are renovating their entire home or the kitchen, which can take up to six weeks - a long time to be dealing with chaos in one of the most used rooms in the home.
Choose Your Chicago Home Remodeling Company Carefully
The remodeling process is largely dependent on the company you choose - so choose carefully. You are looking for a design/build team who:
- Is licensed, insured and bonded.
- Has at least a decade of experience.
- Has a portfolio with projects similar to the scope and style of remodel that you're planning.
- Provides a construction timeline, including what will be done, when.
- Has a set protocol for communication and status updates.
- Gets honest and positive feedback from the references you check.
Once you've chosen the right design/build team for the job, there are a handful of things you will want to nail down before the remodeling project begins.
Questions to Ask Before Starting a Major Chicago Remodeling Project
- Can we get an idea of the construction schedule? The more you know about what's happening when, the better you can coordinate your own schedule - potentially even staying with family, friends or a hotel when things are the most intense.
- Who will be here every day, and who locks up the property? In most cases, the company will use a superintendent and/or foreman who will supervise on a daily basis but not always. You should be introduced to key personnel so you know who they are.
- How is the interior home/property protected? Even a small remodeling project creates an unbelievable amount of dust that permeates the household, so you want to make sure there is a protection plan in place so things are protected and kept as clean as possible.
- How will communication take place? Can you be reached after hours? It's best to select a single point of contact (the decision makers) on both sides, with a preferred communication method. If you choose phone, follow up the conversations with email so there is a printed trail.
- Are there aspects of the project that concern you? One of the reasons we advocate including a 10-15% emergency reserve in the budget is because hardly any project ever moves forward exactly as intended. There is always some kind of hang up - often minor, but sometimes major. Knowing what the sticking points might be ahead of time makes it less stressful when they rear their ugly heads.
- Is there a change order process? There should be a written/signed process for handling change orders, and applicable costs, so everyone is on the same page.
- Are there times when I need to be present? Your presence will be requested for opinions, to approve work that has been performed or before certain inspections so you'll want to put those dates/times in your calendar.
Schedule a consultation with Kitchens & Baths Unlimited so we can answer these questions and more, paving the way for a stress-free Chicago home remodeling project.
