Taking the Project to the End

We have reviewed the following steps:

Generate a written document that captures the "meeting of the minds" of the stake-holders in the project and get agreement on it with them and with the general contractor.
Get detailed architectural plans drawn
Investigate costs and availability of fixtures, materials, parts, and accessories. Chose paint quality and colors.
Hire your general contractor after a serious review of references and past projects.
Determine a communication plan that includes who will communicate what and when.

Now we will discuss taking it to the end.

Define the start date and the end date. Identify milestones at which time the entire project will be reviewed. This gives you and the contractor time to assess progress toward your meeting of the minds. You do not want the project to drag on. Negotiate a penalty clause for delays. For example, divide the total estimated cost of the project by the total number of estimated workdays to finish the project. For every day of delay double the per diem cost as a penalty. When it is your nickel and there are no consequences for delays, delays happen.

Tour your house with the key players and go over exactly what needs to be done. "What needs to be done" includes the meeting of the minds. The exact "feel" you want to achieve needs to be conveyed. Take notes and send follow-up memos to cover changes from the plans. Set the ground rules for your project between you, the contractor, and the job-site supervisor.

Write a detailed communications plan:

Decide who your primary contact person is (usually the job-site supervisor)
Place a contact notebook in a prominent location; review it each day for comments from the crew, and include your comments and questions as well.
Set up a weekly contact schedule between you, the contractor, and the job-site supervisor. Insist that this meeting takes place.

Meet with you attorney with your architectural plans and your written meeting of the minds and get a contract written. He will understand the component parts necessary.

As the project progresses tour the remodeled space with your contractor, itemizing any details that need to be finished and any mistakes that need to be corrected; keep a detailed list. Take along a digital camera and record the items to be finished and note the dates and the promised action. Complete a final inspection with the contractor, checking off the items from your preliminary walk-through.

Let the new space settle in for a few months. Make sure all systems work properly, and watch for drywall cracks or nail pops. If you have done anything with the foundation or support for the upper floors in the basement (new basement concrete, support pillars, floor joists, etc.), plan for some settling and look for it. Discuss it with your GC in his subsequent tours of the home. Call back the contractor for any follow-up repairs; good contractors will check back periodically to make sure everything is right. Be firm, persistent, but not confrontational.

In projects that take longer than 90 days, expect "contractor fatigue." Most will become tired of homeowner feedback. However, this cannot impede you from communicating to the GC exactly what you expect and observe. Remember, it is your money, your home, your time. You have an obligation to manage it all just as the GC does.

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