TV shows featuring renovations-gone-wild have inspired a needed awareness amongst consumers. People are starting to ask the right questions and making sure they are getting to know more about their contractor before pulling the trigger. The internet is a great resource, too. You can search for reviews and see what companies present themselves in a way that you can relate to. Clients are spending more time getting to know their contractors. This is a good thing.

So, now you’ve gotten to know your contractor a little and you like the cut of their jib. They’re paying attention and offering some good ideas. They have a good track record and recommendations. You have some drawings (or at least a floorplan), you’ve agreed on a budget, you have the funds lined up, the in-laws basement decked out for a 3 month ‘visit’, and your cheque book out. As Han Solo would say… “Punch it Chewie”. You are ready to roll.

Hold it, Chewie – actually, you’re not. You feel like you are, but you are really not. You don’t have a true plan. You might have a schedule and you might have a good budget, but you probably don’t have a fully baked game plan for your project.

The situation we do not want to find our clients in is this… Construction starts. There are hundreds of decisions to be made. Flooring types, colours, finishes, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, lighting, countertops… Well, many of these decisions are dependent upon each other. A delay in cabinetry can mess up a bunch of downstream activities. Trades need to be coordinated. The plumber can’t come back for another three weeks. On top of this, you are having a hard time picking what you want. Some of the things cost more than anybody thought. You are starting to feel that it’s unraveling and that you are over a barrel. You need to make choices fast to keep on track and it’s creating stress. Now you don’t even like the stuff you picked and you are losing confidence fast. You don’t feel like you are getting what you want. There is still planning going on, and that’s part of the problem. You are spending more time and money on project management hours trying to reel everything in. You start to wish all this stuff was decided already.

A-ha!

At this point, I’d like to clarify something. Every construction job (especially renovations) will be subject to at least some chaos, even with the best plan. The secret is to minimize the mayhem while in a mindset capable of making good, rational decisions. This means before your house is torn apart, you are doing dishes in a bar sink for two months longer that your originally scheduled ‘visit’, and you are two Visa limits past your line of credit.

Design and Estimation is Your True Plan

It’s a system we use to make sure that you are prepared for construction before you enter construction. Here’s what it should include (at a very basic level):

1. Permit ready drawings – your technical plans, elevations, surveys, and engineering reports.

2. Interior design plans – we often recommend using a designer (this is a whole blog unto itself). Space planning is key. Include lighting, HVAC, plumbing locations, electrical drawings and outlet locates…

3. Selection specs – here’s your big list of decisions. This is your hardwood flooring, bathtubs, faucets, light fixtures, tiles, glass, backsplash… all done for each room. This part is fun for lots of people and since construction hasn’t started yet, you don’t feel tons of pressure.

4. Scopes of work – your project manager will build scopes of work for each discipline related to your project. There’s a scope for plumbing, framing, electrical, HVAC, foundation, roofing, finishing trim, etc… (some of these scopes will include the selection specs you picked).

5. Real Quotes – next, your project manager will take these scopes and selections and tender them to approved sub-trades or suppliers.

6. Refining the Budget – now you’ve got real quotes for your selections. Your project manager will collaborate with you to determine which supplier or trade partner you should select. This will be your decision based on price, confidence, and timeline/availability. We will also estimate the number of project management hours that you are likely to use on your project. There are a lot of moving parts here. You have the freedom to shuffle them around to help them fit your budget.

7. STOP – you can call the whole thing off if you want. This is huge. If you are way over budget and not getting what you want you don’t have to proceed further. You have options. Options that you do not have when halfway through a disastrous build. You can scale back. You can defer. You can start over. You can stop. Ideally, though, you are happy with your plan and excited to keep rolling.

8. Scheduling – having spoken to the trades, suppliers, and building professionals who will be working on your job, your Project Manager can map out a reasonable schedule. Be mindful that this schedule is still subject to change but it will be much more accurate that one that was created without the above steps being executed.

9. Confirmation of Funds – We will need to see that you have the financial capability of completing what you are planning. If you are financing your project, your lender will appreciate the level of detail that is in place. It also makes it easier for an appraiser, who may have a say in how much funding you will have access to. Here again, if for some reason you cannot raise the capital you need, you have the option to stop, scale back, or defer.

10. Compatibility Check – During this whole process we are learning a lot about how we work together. Are we solving problems together or are we constantly butting heads? If it’s the latter, it may be better to part ways (a good thing to determine before you write the big cheque).

Take a deep breath. Now you are ready to sign that construction agreement. At this stage you should have confidence. Confidence in us, confidence in your decisions, confidence in your budget, and a belief in your plan.

FAQ’s

Is there a cost for the Design and Estimation Phase?

Yes. Your cost will be based on the number of project management hours you use, the cost of the professional services, and the business markup on the procurement of all those inputs.

How do I know how much my D&E will cost?

Before we enter a D&E we do a full consultation with you to make sure that we understand your needs and have a general picture of your overall scope and level of finishing. Using our market experience, we collaborate with you to build your construction budget. This is what you use to help determine if you want to move to the next stage – D&E. We also build a budget for the D&E itself.

What if I want to stop? Have I completely wasted my money?

You can stop, and your money has absolutely not been wasted. There are many scenarios where stopping or recalibrating saves you from being in a horrible predicament. With the exception of select professional copyrights (some architectural drawings, for example), you own the entire D&E package and we will not withhold what you have paid for. You have obtained professional services on terms that you agreed to.

Why do I have to pay for a quote?

We get this question early on, before people understand the depth and rationale of a proper D&E and how much more it is than a quote. People are accustomed to the traditional method of obtaining a price and starting their project. It’s not until the process is fully explained that clients realize the value of paying a little bit for the planning up front. In the traditional model the cost of planning is still incurred, you just don’t get to see it separated out front, nor do you get all the benefits of the D&E.