Most of what goes wrong on a build was decided — or not decided — before anyone broke ground. Five stages, from the first phone call to the walkthrough a year after we have gone.
We start with about fifteen minutes on the phone.
Tell me what you’re trying to accomplish, what matters most to you, and anything you feel would help us understand your needs. Before we hang up, I’ll give you a realistic starting range for the project.
And if we’re not the right contractor for it, I’ll tell you.
We walk the project together, take measurements and photos, talk through the layout and start working through the decisions that will affect the scope and budget.
Then we do our homework.
Because a detailed estimate isn’t worth much if nobody has clearly defined what the number includes.
I’m not going to email you a PDF with a big number at the bottom and wait to see what you say.
We’ll sit down and go through it. You’ll see what we’re proposing, how the project is built, what’s included, what’s not, and where the money is going. If we’ve developed drawings or layouts, we’ll go through those too.
By the end of that meeting, you should understand what you’re buying — not just what it costs.
We’re not just entering a jobsite. We’re entering your home.
Before work starts, we’ll walk through the logistics together — where we’re coming in, what gets protected, where materials go, when we’ll be there, and anything else that’s going to matter while you’re living around construction.
Once work starts, you’ll get a written update every week and a dedicated project manager for your job.
If something changes the scope or price, we talk about it first. Any change order gets written, priced and approved before that additional work happens.
And before we cover important work with drywall, flooring or finishes, we photograph it.
Near the end of the project, we walk it together. We build the final punch list from what you see, take care of those items, and clear the list before final payment.
Then you receive your warranty in writing. Our workmanship is covered for one year. If something we did fails during that period, we come back and address it.
But I don’t really like the idea of handing you a warranty and disappearing. We check back in. And at six months and again at a year, we come back and walk the project with you.
Because the real test of our work isn’t how it looks the day we finish.
A construction estimate shouldn’t just tell you what the project costs. It should tell you what that number buys.
Before we give you a final price, we work through the project trade by trade — demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, finishes and whatever else your project requires.
Then we sit down and go through it with you. You’ll know what’s included, what’s excluded, where allowances exist, and what assumptions the price is based on.
Because $150,000 doesn’t mean much if you don’t know what’s inside the $150,000.
Can I stay in the house while you work?
Usually, yes — and for a basement, a deck or a single room it is normally the sensible choice. It gets harder once a kitchen or your only bathroom comes out of service. We wrote a whole piece on how to decide.
How will I know what is happening?
A written update every week, and a dedicated project manager for your job. In practice you will hear from us more often than that, because we are on the job.
What happens if you open a wall and find something?
You get a phone call the same day — a call, not a text, and not a line item that turns up later. We photograph it before anything moves, put it in writing with the photographs attached, and give you options where there are options. Nothing goes ahead on that part of the job until you have signed it. It is also why an honest estimate carries a contingency.
Who is actually going to be in my house?
We work exclusively with experienced, trusted and vetted professionals who are experts in their craft. Nobody works on your house without their license, their insurance and a signed agreement on file first.
“Mike layed out the plan and the cost of everything before starting and had a budget for tile and other things so we knew at the end, how much we would be paying for the whole project.”
“His crew put up a plastic barrier to hold down on the dust to the rest of my home when they began demolishing. And a heavy paper was put on my hardwood floors. They were polite, and very clean.”
“Excellent quality of work and communication. Our project was done in a timely manner with minimal interruption to our daily lives.”
Fifteen minutes on the phone. You’ll have a realistic range before we hang up — and if we’re not the right people for it, I’ll tell you.