Considering a remodel? You might want to wait.

[stephenson]

This is pretty normal for the the typical boom and bust cycles of construction - which is intrinsically related to remodeling.

We got lucky in a soft market a couple of times - dead housing market, contractors working hard to get jobs, and many of them we employed all said the same thing - that they used to be general contractors building houses, but had to devolve to their previous specialty of drywall, electrical, painting, etc.

We recently moved into a house built in 2018 - it needed a few more cabinets - and we wanted them to match. Contacted the local custom cabinet company, but they said they could not take on any modification or remodel business as they were too busy with new homes. They then said we could contact one of their installers to see if they could provide the cabinets - yeah - a very odd business case. As we had no option, we did this and it worked out OK, but we had to pay more than what it should have cost.

Many of the contractors have been around in harsh times - and good times - and, I don't think they can help themselves - they will charge what the market will bear.

 

[Markola]

I started in my early 20s with no knowledge of any of this. It took a lot of reading, asking questions, and revising plans as I learned but I figured my work would be at least as good as most of the construction crews!

I too am a proud DIYer on certain things but we aim for resale value and quality work that passes inspection. We’re on our 4th old house and I’ve learned to choose my battles.

I embrace the DIY spirit and pride myself when things I do work out and receive compliments but let’s be brutally honest. It is nearly impossible for one person to master all trades to equal the skill of the people who do those singular tasks every single day. Come on. I bet even Tommy Sylva on This Old House hires some stuff out.

 

[Markola]

This is pretty normal for the the typical boom and bust cycles of construction - which is intrinsically related to remodeling.



We got lucky in a soft market a couple of times - dead housing market, contractors working hard to get jobs, and many of them we employed all said the same thing - that they used to be general contractors building houses, but had to devolve to their previous specialty of drywall, electrical, painting, etc.



We recently moved into a house built in 2018 - it needed a few more cabinets - and we wanted them to match. Contacted the local custom cabinet company, but they said they could not take on any modification or remodel business as they were too busy with new homes. They then said we could contact one of their installers to see if they could provide the cabinets - yeah - a very odd business case. As we had no option, we did this and it worked out OK, but we had to pay more than what it should have cost.



Many of the contractors have been around in harsh times - and good times - and, I don't think they can help themselves - they will charge what the market will bear.

+1. We’ve been there, too. I served as our general contractor for a house in Atlanta that we bought in the absolute trough there in 2011 and sold for a tidy profit in 2014. One day I had so many Angie’s List A+ rated subs show up that they couldn’t all park their trucks and one had to be rescheduled. I guess that’s the opposite kind of cluster than the current one.

 

[Music Lover]

I too am a proud DIYer on certain things but we aim for resale value and quality work that passes inspection. We’re on our 4th old house and I’ve learned to choose my battles.

I embrace the DIY spirit and pride myself when things I do work out and receive compliments but let’s be brutally honest. It is nearly impossible for one person to master all trades to equal the skill of the people who do those singular tasks every single day. Come on. I bet even Tommy Sylva on This Old House hires some stuff out.

I agree on choosing your battles. I subbed out drywall mudding and rough in plumbing...the drywall mudding because I'm only "okay" at it and it would have taken forever for a mediocre job. The rough in plumbing was a little beyond my scope of expertise so I was happy to sub that out.

But demo, framing, electrical, hanging drywall, flooring, painting, doors, tiling, finish plumbing, trim work, etc. was all in my comfort level. I've been doing that stuff for years and have all the right tools. It was also my own place so there was no pressure to get done quickly because a family's life was being disrupted. I was more than willing to live in a construction zone for 6 months and leave piles of tools and supplies on the floor for days at a time.

Tommy Silva does big jobs on limited time frames...he's probably mostly a contractor now and subs out most of the trades. But I bet if he was working on his own house he'd do a lot more of it himself.

 

[gayl]

Wow. Just wow! Thinking of redoing kitchen / breakfast room / family room and just new floors on laundry-bath. Idea started with floor, then counters, then redoing entire great room. Now I'm thinking next year might be better after reading your post

 

[Boho]

After years of perfecting a plan to tile over my kitchen's linoleum, which has curled edges and's glued to asbestos tile, I decided I want the dining area to have tile too, where there are carpet tack strips nailed into brittle asbestos tile, and carpet that I guess is glued to asbestos tile, and I can't find anything on how to deal with that except for a webpage I found once that basically says don't abate, don't remove anything attached to asbestos, don't drill or glue or nail. Seems more people violate the law than abide by it. I gave up on my do-it-yourself flooring plans and I'll hire someone. I won't stop them from doing whatever (short of something like sanding the asbestos). So much for saving money. I'll never buy a house or apartment built pre-1990.

I invented "and's"

 

[Sniggle]

I am planning a house build in 2023....keeping my fingers crossed that the craziness has subsided by then. Having a wood floor put in our master bedroom, $2500, or slightly more than $10 a square foot installed. Guessing maybe $750 more expensive than it would have been 1.5 years ago (although now I am worried that the contractor will never show up to do the job).

 

[Starsky]

New homes cost $36,000 more because of an epic shortage of lumber

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

New homes cost $36,000 more because of an epic shortage of lumber

I think there are other issues too in regards to new home construction. DW and I noticed that some new houses being built near us were going under contract within a day or two of them being listed for an amount that I think is quite unreasonable. Even more concerning is that we took a look at some of these "custom built houses" and the construction quality looks terrible and half ass. Very little in terms of upgrades and LOTS of contractor grade appliances/fixtures/etc. yet they are commanding prices that are absolutely ridiculous. We are living crazy days right now.

 

[Markola]

OP here. The general contractor just can’t seem to drag her crew across the finish line. There’s been a lot of promises and very little progress in the 3 weeks since I posted.

 

[bhoferp]

We will (hopefully) have our master bath remodel completed tomorrow. All supplies are in but the Toto Washlet bidet and it is supposed to be in tomorrow. We signed the contract in January but work didn't start until April 13th. We originally were told it would be in late March. We paid 1/4 down in January (for supplies) and 1/4 at the beginning of the work. We will pay another 1/4 tomorrow (after substantial completion) and will be billed later for the rest. Our remodelers worked every day for 3 weeks but then we had to wait because of supply chain issues. After 3 weeks we could use the toilet and sink, but not the shower. Our remodelers have been both pleasant and professional and communication has been excellent. They weren't cheap but the price wasn't exorbitant. They are rated A+ with the BBB. Our bathroom looks great and we have been pleased with the whole process.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My son has decided that he will do my bathroom remodeling since I scaled back the scope of the project. That will save me a ton of money.

 

[DrRoy]

I know that these kind of stories are rather typical these days. So many people have found that if they are going to spend a lot more time at home, they want home to be nicer. We are about to begin a project to oak panel our study. We have a contractor that we like above any other, and have used him twice before. Even with the good relationship, we started talking to him about this last fall, and he is just going to get started in a week or two. Most of the materials are delivered for the job. We are not pleased with the delay, but this guy does fantastic work at a reasonable price. No one else for us. If we delay the project, it just means that we do not get to have use of the new room. He said last fall that wood prices had gone crazy, and that maybe we should delay. We got a delay anyway, and prices just went up more. No benefit from waiting longer. We are go.

 

[jollystomper]

One of my "blow that dough" plans for 2021 was an upgrade of our first floor bathroom. A relatively small job - replace tile, vanity, and toilet to make it similar in style to our other bathrooms. The contractor who did our other bathrooms (who is also a good friend) has been up beyond his ears with projects, but hopes to start it next week. I am trying to make it as easy as possible for him. I already have the tile, vanity, and toilet, I will be his "assistant muscle" to help tear out the current stuff, and I will do all of the painting. I'm hoping that the items I need him for can be done in a couple of days.One can have trouble getting contractors interested in small jobs like these, so I feel fortunate he is getting me on his schedule.

 

[gayl]

You've convinced me to do as much of the kitchen as possible. I'm starting wrong. Doing cupboards, next painting cooktop to match oven / fridge / dishwasher with liquid stainless, then brush painting backsplash. It's brown [emoji2961] Having a local guy replace floors. Just farming out 1 thing