Before you invite competing contractors to your site to make notes on your proposed renovation, please take an executive approach to your project. It is called a "Scope of Work," and it is a key way of controlling cost and evaluating your candidates. With it, you can compare apples to apples when the estimates come in, and throw out the lemons. If you don't take this step, you will get a set of proposals in which some things are included, some forgotten, some added, and some misunderstood. You risk a low-ball bid on the hope of making money on the "extras." Your goal is to avoid the following confrontation-- Contractor:  "That will be extra." You:  "What! I told you I wanted that from the beginning!" Contractor:  "No, you said ______, not ______. And I don't remember anything about  that other thing." You:  "Egad!" STEP 1: Start by walking through your residence with a spouse or friend for backup. Carry your notepad on which you have pre-listed the name of all the rooms involved in the work, and in each room jot down everything you can think of, no matter how small. e.g. hang a new light fixture, change the hinges on the closet doors, replace the baseboard, paint the window sills, add a closet shelf, fix a crack in the wall, etc. STEP 2: Type it up, title the page "Scope of Work," put your name and address and date on the document and print it out. Then revisit each room and review, with your basic list as a template. Add some desirable but not critical items that you were considering and call them "Options." STEP 3: Now that you have your scope of work, here are a few other things to include on it: 1) What you will provide and what you expect the contractor to provide. Generally, you will provide all items requiring decorative decisions, e.g. tile, cabinetry, counters, lighting, mouldings, paint colors, faucets, etc. The contractor should provide only the construction materials necessary to install them or create them. 2)  Your expectations regarding the protection of your belongings from damage and dust. If you expect drop cloths, zippered enclosures, masonite on your floors, say so. If you expect the rooms not included in the scope to be blue-taped around the door seams so that no dust can enter, say so. 3) Disposition of the appliances. Do you want the fridge and microwave to stay on the premises temporarily and the other appliances discarded? Do you want to donate appliances to friends or building staff? Say so. 4) Completion or move-in date. Do you have a reasonable date for completion? Does your building impose penalties beyond a certain date for which you want the contractor to be responsible? Say so. 5) Deliveries and pickups. Some materials, such as tile and woodwork, are curbside delivery, requiring the contractor's staff to bring them in or up to your residence. See that this is part of the included service. If you require a pickup of certain materials that you are providing, specify in advance. STEP 4: Read the proposals with care and take nothing for granted. Payment schedules, failure to do timely work, and other financial and legal elements deserve consideration too.  But with a well-thought-out and documented Scope of Work, you are off to a good start.

Tip: Beware Change Orders

This is a term that you should know. Adding an additional recessed light, another light switch, a trim into the tile, any change, regardless of how small, is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder is the G.C. If these are not priced and accounted for in the contract, the additional cost may be the key to your over-budget miseries.

© Malorie Currier, Page1Design, Inc., 2018

© Malorie Currier, Page1Design, Inc., 2018