Deciding Next Steps on your Home Project

Inclign’s services include assistance with these decisions.

To keep your home project from becoming a frustrating mess, plan to invest in the Pre-Construction phase of your project.

$ – note:  This could mean anywhere from 10% to 25% of your overall budget!

Team – Decide who will help. If you don’t know who to start with, start with either one of the first 4 in this list;

• Construction manager
• General contractor
• Civil engineer
• Architect
• • • Structural engineer
    • Ecologist
    • Surveyor
    • Geo-tech
    • Interior designer
    • Vendors

Costs – Decide how much you’re able to spend? Look ahead before you start…

• • Pre-Construction – As many decisions as possible, made early on, help the construction phase run much smoother.

• • Construction –
    • Enlist the services of a Construction Manager or General Contractor early in the Pre-Construction phase. Why? To cut down on the iterations of budget sculpting. To avoid paying for design services that will cost too much to build. Have your Manger or Contractor confirm the design is still within your budget at various stages of the design process.
    • Consult with your team about any possible contingencies that might add unexpected costs once construction starts.

• • Maintenance – How much do you want to spend on upkeep after construction? Certain products or designs require more maintenance than others. If you can manage it, create a forecast of your maintenance budget prior to construction and adjust the design if needed.

Plan – Decide on a strategy for success…

• • The Design – How will the design come together?
    • What are the design constraints?
      • Code
      • Housing Association
  • The Team – Who will be on your team? Who are the decision makers?
  • Time – What are your time constraints? Confirm your team can meet it. Remember permitting is often out of anyone’s control
  • Logistics – Discuss all potential difficulties of construction
    • Space
    • Utilities
    • Property characteristics
    • Shipping lead times
    • Product availability
    • Dealing with neighbors
    • Existing structures

Design – Decide on key features of your remodel home…

Prioritize what design features are important for you

Refer to your Vision: on a scale of 1-10 how high do each of these design categories rank?

• • Style
  • Comfort
  • Safety
  • Practical Use or Easy Maintenance
  • Needs met

All of these are important, but this ranking will help your design team know where to focus.

Product Selection – Decide which products are important to you…

The interest in products varies dramatically from person to person. You may be the type who must have; the best, the most exotic, or conversely, the most practical, the least expensive, etc. You may have very specific products you want. You may have no interest and just want someone else to decide. In any case, communicate your preferences early on, to your team.

PERSONAL OBSERVATION: Women tend to be more interested in the finishes than the structural or mechanical components of their custom home and men the other way around. Having input from both mindsets is a benefit for all.

LEGAL STRUCTURE

The reason for legal intervention is your exposure to risk

There are legal obligations we follow. The construction industry is primarily monitored by the resale of property (if not snoopy neighbors). Since the sale of property usually involves a lender, i.e. bank, the lender will want the property asset protected from faulty construction to minimize risk. The way they do this is to confirm that any construction is permitted by the local jurisdiction. This is where city or county building codes become relevant.

Is a permit required?

You will likely need a permit if you plan to;

• Relocate plumbing fixtures
• Relocate or eliminate electrical wiring
• Upgrade the heating system
• Add any permanent structure overhead; inside or outside
• Add any permanent structure to walk on 30” above any surrounding area
• Abate (remove) any hazardous materials

Permit; permission by your civil authorities to construct in a certain manner.

• • Jurisdictional Codes – How does the civil authority require you to remodel your project?
    • For home remodels most jurisdictions will follow the International Residential Code, plus (or minus) some of their own regulations they amend to the IRC.
    • The primary permit needed is typically a Building Permit.

There are typically subsequent permits required for various specialty trades

• • • • Demolition
      • Street Use
      • Plumbing and Gas Piping
      • Mechanical
      • Electrical
      • Side Sewer

Inclign values your trust.

Another legal structure considers the risk of money or performance loss, which is controlled by contracts.

Contracting; a binding agreement between two parties defining and ensuring mutually expected results.

Here are a few things that should be in the contracts;

• • Scope of Work – What are the details of the work to be done? Reference the blueprints.
  • Liabilities and Responsibilities – Who is responsible for what?
  • Price – How and when are the costs to be paid?
  • Warranty – How long and to what extent is the contractor or vendor responsible for their product or work after installation?
  • Changes Orders – How do you deal with unforeseen alterations needed, to the agreement?

METHODS OF CONDUCT

Procedures to avoid confusion and frustration

Communication

A systematic approach to communicating will help all parties know what to do next.

• • Responsibilities – Define the roles of the owner and each contracted party
  • Document Control: Use standardized documents for consistency and ease.
    • Contract – ensure all parties participate with a detailed contract
    • Scope – be specific about what each party will do, “Construction Documents”
    • Details – include assembly drawings and product specifications
    • Questions – contractors ask formally with a “Request for Information” document
    • Answers – designers may respond with a “Supplemental Instruction” document
    • Schedule – a Master Schedule needs to be confirmed by all participants
    • Changes – if unforeseen changes arise, the initiating party informs the decision makers with a Change Order document, regarding affects to cost or schedule, for approval prior to commencing with the change
    • Invoices – contracts typically invoice monthly
    • Schedule of Values – a SOV tracks expenditures to-date and is updated each month
    • Receipts – file proof of purchase for warranty purposes
    • Waivers – utilize lien waivers to ensure all vendors and subcontractors are paid
    • Approvals – track approvals of; plans, products and changes to cost or time
    • Manuals – collect all manufacturer manuals for owners use after construction

Payment

The basic payment structure is a monthly invoice.

• • Deposits – often contractors request deposits for large material purchases
  • Pay schedule – Typically invoices from subcontractors go to the general contractor on the 20th of the month. Then the GC invoices the owner on the 25th. The owner will pay the GC by the 10th of the following month and then the GC will pay the subcontractors by the 15th.

Schedule

Factors that impact schedule and need to be anticipated early on:

• • Lead times – Products that are not readily available take time to ship to the job site
  • Work crews – Contractors only have a certain number of crews. From the time they contract to the time they start work they may need to finish up other projects they’re working on, so there’s a chance they may not be available exactly on the day you need them to start.
  • Weather – If snow falls into your concrete forms you cannot pour concrete. This is one example of weather conditions that affect construction.
  • Deadlines – It’s good to have deadlines. It keeps people focused. You can demand deadlines in your contract, but it will likely cost you more.
  • Inspections – We cannot always control the inspectors schedule, so time needs to be set aside for inspections.

Inclign utilizes these procedures and more to increase productivity and efficiency.

PERSONAL IMPACT DURING CONSTRUCTION

Some possible hassles to deal with

• • Noise – time this
  • Dirt and dust – clean and control this
  • Parking congestion – plan this
  • Delivery logistics – plan this
  • Strangers around your stuff – know who
  • Property damage – report and remedy
  • Schedule and meeting inconvenience – plan this

Inclign may not be able to eliminate all negative blows but we are committed to softening their impact, to the best of our ability!