“What are the most common things you find yourself explaining to homeowners who are starting the renovation process?”
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We expected a wide range of responses from these experts and found the opposite.
1. Understanding timelines
More than 25% of our experts talked about how hard it is for homeowners to plan for the timeline of the project. Many homeowners make the mistake of thinking solely about the physical labor required, but the majority of projects involve a variety of stages before a hammer touches a single nail. The irony here is that in some cases, physical labor is actually the least time-intensive part of the project.
As you are working with your general contractor and planning your project, be sure to think about the time needed for:
- The design phase
- Department of Building approvals
- Condo and co-op approvals
- Ordering and lead times for materials
- Site staging
- Debris removal
- Adjusting to issues behind walls and under floors that you can’t forecast until the work begins
A classic example: Clinton Hill homeowner Diane spent months getting approvals, ordering materials, and putting up with tiles and a toilet sitting in her dining room while she handled all of the prep work for her bathroom renovation. Once the actual project began, Diane had a brand new bathroom in less than two weeks.
2. Approvals
Forty percent of our Sweeten contractors highlighted how often homeowners underestimate approval steps when planning a renovation. This specific aspect of timing was the single most commonly reported misconception.
Between demanding co-op boards and Department of Buildings requirements, homeowners can spend three to four months navigating paperwork and reviews. Many homeowners are initially most worried about the cost of the project and then find themselves paralyzed and frustrated when they realize that the start of the project is weeks or months away. When one homeowner re-did the floors in their East Village apartment, she mistakenly assumed their building’s management company would process the straightforward approval request in a few days’ time. As new wood planks were being hauled into her living room, she learned that a required insurance certificate had not yet come through. As a result, the crew had to turn around until the paperwork was in place a few days later. The actual work was done in three days flat. The approvals? Probably three weeks of calls and emails and considerable follow-up before a final thumbs up.
