Which way?

At Levco, we are planners. We hate to jump in without knowing what the heck we are doing for a client. To date, the Design-Build model has worked extremely well for us. However, a recent situation caused me to pause and sort out a sticky situation.

The story went like this: My Opinion of Probable Construction Cost was accepted, and then the Design Development Agreement was signed. Money changed hands, so the normal organized progression was occurring.

There was no confusion in my mind with the process spelled out to a tee. In the back of my mind, I sensed a lingering urgency to get going, despite the fact that we were having difficulty finalizing the last few details of the project. It was stuck in design, materials still needed to be selected.

Naturally, I wanted to do the remodeling project very much. Starting prematurely has potential pitfalls. I needed to decide weather to stick to our proven process or adapt.

My challenge was deciding to starting the project early, while letting go of having all of the details worked out in advance?

We Hit A Proverbial Fork In The Road

This conundrum started a chain reaction that led to a great solution for all parties involved. I did some research and talked to my fellow remodelers around the continent to get some input.

Here is why it worked out.

My thought process:

Let’ see here

• Big confusing problems can usually be broken into smaller, not so confusing problems.
• We had done work for them in the past.
• We both could see a clear distinction between deconstruction and construction.
• They believe that I am close with my design but want to see walls down before final spacial decisions are made (very visual, I get it).

 The little voice in my head says:

• I can do deconstruction and stop at a good place to look things over and make a great plan together.
• I can separate the cost of deconstruction and charge accordingly.
• Any anxiety about just doing deconstruction and not finishing the project is unwarranted
  
• Once the deconstruction is complete, it will be that much easier to charge accurately for the rebuild.

My Resolution & Rationale.

We created and then agreed to enter into a Deconstruction Agreement together in advance of the Remodeling Agreement. I liken it to a “baby step” along the remodeling path. With a known contract amount for deconstruction it actually made it one less thing to consider when determining the complete project investment.

Final thoughts

Not every situation is going to be the same, refusing to be flexible would have been out of character for us. Not everything works out this way, but by creating a deconstruction agreement in this instance, we were able to devise a process that worked. We may use again it is hard to say. My favorite comment came from our client who said “Thank you for adapting to our needs and finding a way to say yes!”

Bonus Round Questions?

1. Tell me a story about you solved this situation?
2. Is there some other related story that this situation brings to mind?

After all, one of my favorite sayings is “We are not remodeling to you… We are remodeling with you and for you”.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, click here to email me directly, or call 208-947-7261

If you or someone you know is considering remodeling or just wants to speak to a trustworthy remodeling contractor please contact me, you’ll be glad you did.

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