Who Sings Defying Gravity in Wicked?

Make sure your contractor also has your cell or work number, so he can reach you quickly with timely questions. If you’re living in your home while you renovate, make sure you communicate with your contractor, so you’re prepared to deal with the noisy and dusty parts of the process as they come up. Just knowing in advance can make those days or weeks much easier on you, since you may need to do things like cover valuables or move furniture to accommodate construction. Not only will that help avoid confusion and mistakes, but quick communication helps keep your project on schedule, because no one will be waiting around for your responses.

This is another area where you might start feeling like you’re over-doing it with the questions and clarifications, but your architect and contractor aren’t mind readers. Most homeowners can’t be on-site all day during a renovation, so you want to make sure the contractors have a clear idea of what you want and how they can reach you if questions do come up. If there’s something you don’t understand on the plans or in your contract, it’s always better to have someone explain it up front. As with nagging doubts during the construction process, you’re better off clarifying any questions you may have before work gets started, so there won’t be confusion once you break ground.

When our house needed a new roof, we got a recommendation from the same company that did our first major home renovation. The roofer they recommended came by and gave us an estimate for the work, and we were very close to using this company when we decided to get a few more estimates, just for kicks. It turned out that the first estimate was more than double what any of the others were!

If they can’t get hold of you to clarify a paint color choice, for example, they may end up making the wrong call. If you check your email frequently, it’s probably the best way to communicate with your contractors. It’s not the end of the world, but when you’re paying for a home renovation, you want the end product to be just what you envisioned. You’ll have to either pay to fix the problem or live with a color that you aren’t so thrilled about. Not only can they send you questions without disrupting your day, but you’ll have your correspondence in writing in case something goes wrong.

When you choose a bonded contractor, you’re protecting yourself in case he fails to pay subcontractors or just plain does a terrible job. If your contractor isn’t bonded and flakes on something like this, you’re the one who foots the bill. The contractor’s insurance covers you for on-site problems, like an injured worker who otherwise might sue you for medical costs or damaged property that you’d have to replace out of your own pocket.

We’ve all seen the home improvement shows where a contractor or homeowner pulls up ugly carpeting to reveal gorgeous, vintage hardwood floors. Unfortunately, not all construction surprises are pleasant ones, and there’s always the chance that you’ll discover a problem once the project takes off. If you’re renovating an older home, remember that building codes may have been a lot looser and even non-existent when it was built, so who knows what’s behind that wall or under your floor? When you’re dealing with newer construction, you never know what corners the previous owner may have cut.