Charlie Nail

Home Remodel Plans are nothing more than a sequential list of steps to take, advises Charlie Nail, home remodeling guru. If you have been following our lead, you have put quite a bit of effort into these home remodeling plans so far! Congratulations! That last session was tough, wasn’t it? Be prepared, it’s about to get more difficult!

When we first meet with our homeowners they ask the same 2 questions.

The first question is how much, which you can now do on your own!

The second question is how long. So let’s figure this one out, because, after all, timing is everything.

When we get into the actual building instructions we will plan, calculate costs and figure the timing of individual tasks. If this is what you need right now, jump over to the How to Remodel Workshop. If you are planning a project(group of tasks), then you are already in the right place.

Step 1 - How Long Will it Take?

There are 4 things to consider when you are thinking about the timing of your home remodeling plans. The first is how long will this project take? I guarantee you that it will take longer than the 7 days required by the Extreme Home Makeover Team. Seriously, I can answer this question very quickly from the perspective of a full service remodeling company. Read about us to review the many types of projects we have successfully completed.

Our schedules were built by evaluating job cost reports that included employee timesheets and subcontracts. This will be the first place I would start when quoting you time frames. You will find a chart listing projects and their respective time frames in the Home Remodeling Plan Workbook. That’s great for my scheduling purposes, but, how is it going to help you? It is a starting point.

Analyze the Numbers from a Timing Perspective

Let’s go back to the home remodeling costs planning session. After your review of the cost vs value report, if you didn’t write these project costs numbers down, do so now in the sheets provided by the workbook. These project costs include 3 major and 1 minor components. These are materials, subcontract and direct labor costs as well as support services which could include engineering, architects, permits and regulatory fees, dumpsters, portable toilet rentals and cleaning service fees. There will be an overhead and profit number included, because, remember these numbers are what it would take for a full service company to do the work.

If you knew that each component represented an average percent of total cost, you can calculate the direct labor costs. If you know the average labor rate then you can turn that number into hours that were spent on this project at that rate. Now convert the raw hours into an 8 hour day. This is how long it would take a skilled tradesman to do this project.

Please go back to the workbook to follow the step by step instructions for doing these calculations. Whew! Good job, this is getting complicated! Just think about how great your home remodeling plans are - and you have done the work yourself! Leave this information for now, as you think about the second thing you must now consider.

Step 2 - When will You be Doing This Project?

And that would be, how do you intend to do this project? Are you going to be a valiant weekend warrior? Will you work your fulltime job Monday through Friday, just to get up Saturday and Sunday and work this project? Are you going to work on the project after work? Brave, hardy soul. In the place provided by the workbook, write down the hours that you will commit, if doing it this way.

Are you taking a series of 4 day weekends? How about doing this project on a long holiday week, spring break, take the summer off, or combine all of your vacation days? Calculate your available time in the same way as you did above. Please write these things down in the space provided in the workbook. You do not want to repeat this number crunching. You also need to remind yourself of how you came up with your schedule later when it is time to actually do the work!

Now triple the time calculation. This will be a closer representation of how long it will take for you to do the same direct labor.

No, I am not trying to insult! Consider this, you are not going to put in 8 hours consecutively. So, your set up/clean up time will double.

You will have to spend time practicing techniques before you can use them, this will take time.

Carpenters have a saying, “Measure twice, cut once.” This will take time. After you make that cut, you will realize that you forgot to account for something else, and now you will have to go get more materials and do the calculating, measuring and cutting again. Tripling the time needed by a qualified tradesman might even be conservative, but, let’s start there.

Ok, breathe. Remember, I told you that when developing home remodeling plans you take a series of sequential, orderly steps. These are just the next set of steps.

Soon, you will get a break from all this number crunching. Compare the total time required with the time you can give to this project and that will be the start of your preliminary schedule.

Remember those 3 other components to this job. The subcontractors you hire will have a schedule that must be overlaid on top of yours. When getting quotes from them, also ask them for the amount of time it will take to complete their steps. Make sure to find out how much advance notice they will require to schedule your project. The sequence of their work is tightly governed by building departments. This sequence is also affected by the work you do to prepare for them and their part in your project. Some of this is covered in the workbook, some is covered in the building section - don’t worry, it is all covered at the appropriate time. Many materials are considered special order. As you develop your home remodeling plans, you need to ask each vendor whether that item is in stock or will require special ordering time. Get the names, phone numbers of who you talked to and ask for physical stock checks on products you intend to pick up immediately. Do not just take a casual look see appoach to this or you will regret it. This special order time must be added into the schedule. Please don’t schedule a sub to install a product that has not arrived. You will pay extra for this wasted time and rightfully so. The workbook has a schedule form just for this situation, so when it is time, please use it. Each support service will have advance notice lead times as well as completion timeframes. All of these things must be added to your schedule. And if this is a permit job, required inspections will add time. More on this later.

Don’t worry, that handy workbook will guide you through this maze. It is there, use it.

Ok, done or done in? Your home remodeling plans now include a schedule. You are awesome! Congratulations!

Step 3 - Acts of God

That brings me to the third thing we must consider: contingencies, also known as acts of God or plan b’s. If your first do it yourself project is exterior you need to include into your home remodeling plans what time of year you will start - and more importantly - end this project.

If your home remodeling plans are for an indoor project, you need to think about upcoming important family events and holiday planning. Starting that bathroom remodel right after Christmas makes sense, but only if it can be finished before the early May high school graduation of your first born. Relatives don’t have a sense of humor about these things! It is never a good idea to start a kitchen remodel 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, even for the pros.

Brainstorm with the family and let the decisions of this session be your guide in determining when to actually start. Yes, there is a place in the Home Remodeling Plan Workbook to keep track of this particular session.

Step 4 - Remodeling Psychographics

When you are brainstorming these do it yourself remodeling projects with the family, throw this 4th and final consideration into the discussion. What will you and your family be willing to tolerate? The psychographics of home improvement remodeling are as important as the nails, drywall and paint.

You must include the disruptions to your daily life in these home remodeling plans. When it involves the only bathroom, it is much more than an annoyance. When you have no kitchen you will be eating out. Doing an addition will expose your weakest link.

Drywall dust will turn the neat freak into a basket case. If you are sensitive to smells, don’t stain or varnish your wood trim. And when your project is complete, you will be able to audition as a stand up comic. A sense of humor will be the magic pill for all do it yourself remodeling illness.

Great job. If we haven’t lost you, let’s move on to the final step, do it yourself remodeling - are your plans legal? If we lost you, I know a great remodeling company you can hire to do your project. Just kidding. Think about this: at the end, you will have an awesome change to your home. The great home remodeling plans that you created helped you make these changes! When times get tough, visualize your dream home improvement remodeling project and that will help you continue on.