Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
This is a pure rant but maybe it will help someone. We started gearing up for a needed kitchen remodel and new porch last winter before Covid. It’s still not complete.
- The contractor we “were lucky to secure” last summer eventually broke ground in October, estimating they’d be finished in mid December. LOL!
- Once your kitchen is demolished, life gets harder. We tried renting an apartment nearby and then going away for the winter through mid February, thinking that SURELY they’d be finished by the time we returned. LOL!!! We still have a microwave and fridge in our dining room and an Instantpot in the basement.
- In mid March, they told us it will be mid April. LOL! They still have weeks left, if we’re lucky. I’ve asked simple questions about our 6 figure project, which has resulted in them barely talking to us except through email.
Some reasons:
1) EVERYONE, it seems, has tried to remodel their houses at the same time. There were so many construction dumpsters on the streets in our town, the city passed an ordinance prohibiting them. That means debris is piling up in our backyard, killing the grass.
2). This means contractors are naming their prices. It means materials are scarce and late and prices are outrageous. It means projects get delayed and delayed due to supply chain issues. First we waited on windows. Then we waited on counter tops. Now we are waiting on the flooring subcontractor to show up.
3) The company we hired now has 12 projects going for 9 staff, last we heard. They have decided to seize the market moment and are clearly over-extended, because they haven’t hired more crew. Perhaps they can’t find new crew, because demand exceeds supply? We go weeks without any progress while they work on other projects. If we have even the smallest change order, they say, “We’re reallocating the team to another project while you decide what you want,” then it takes days before they show back up here.
4). If we or the site manager have a question to work out, as we constantly do, the site manager might or might not communicate it to the owner. So, the owner has told us to communicate only with her. However, the site manager keeps asking us questions. It’s a communication cluster.
5). Ironically for a boom time, I suspect they are having cash flow issues, because the owner asked to come pick up our last check and then deposited it that day. I think all of their too-many projects are delayed, meaning they can’t meet objectives fast enough to warrant payment but they still have to meet overall payroll for 9 every two weeks.
Another significant lesson from this project is, I will never do another remodel unless the general contractor is here on site every day helping pound nails and can communicate with us. We’ve designed this project with the owner, who has communicated to her overstretched site manager, and things are lost in translation, then needing to be fixed and costing us money and time. We’ve experienced both business models and there is no comparison.
...And I see several personal friends gearing up to go down the same road. Honestly, if you can wait until the remodeling market cools, you might be spared some significant hell.
- The contractor we “were lucky to secure” last summer eventually broke ground in October, estimating they’d be finished in mid December. LOL!
- Once your kitchen is demolished, life gets harder. We tried renting an apartment nearby and then going away for the winter through mid February, thinking that SURELY they’d be finished by the time we returned. LOL!!! We still have a microwave and fridge in our dining room and an Instantpot in the basement.
- In mid March, they told us it will be mid April. LOL! They still have weeks left, if we’re lucky. I’ve asked simple questions about our 6 figure project, which has resulted in them barely talking to us except through email.
Some reasons:
1) EVERYONE, it seems, has tried to remodel their houses at the same time. There were so many construction dumpsters on the streets in our town, the city passed an ordinance prohibiting them. That means debris is piling up in our backyard, killing the grass.
2). This means contractors are naming their prices. It means materials are scarce and late and prices are outrageous. It means projects get delayed and delayed due to supply chain issues. First we waited on windows. Then we waited on counter tops. Now we are waiting on the flooring subcontractor to show up.
3) The company we hired now has 12 projects going for 9 staff, last we heard. They have decided to seize the market moment and are clearly over-extended, because they haven’t hired more crew. Perhaps they can’t find new crew, because demand exceeds supply? We go weeks without any progress while they work on other projects. If we have even the smallest change order, they say, “We’re reallocating the team to another project while you decide what you want,” then it takes days before they show back up here.
4). If we or the site manager have a question to work out, as we constantly do, the site manager might or might not communicate it to the owner. So, the owner has told us to communicate only with her. However, the site manager keeps asking us questions. It’s a communication cluster.
5). Ironically for a boom time, I suspect they are having cash flow issues, because the owner asked to come pick up our last check and then deposited it that day. I think all of their too-many projects are delayed, meaning they can’t meet objectives fast enough to warrant payment but they still have to meet overall payroll for 9 every two weeks.
Another significant lesson from this project is, I will never do another remodel unless the general contractor is here on site every day helping pound nails and can communicate with us. We’ve designed this project with the owner, who has communicated to her overstretched site manager, and things are lost in translation, then needing to be fixed and costing us money and time. We’ve experienced both business models and there is no comparison.
...And I see several personal friends gearing up to go down the same road. Honestly, if you can wait until the remodeling market cools, you might be spared some significant hell.
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