Kitchen Renovation Dos & Don’ts, Part 2
In our previous blog, we explored the need for home renovators to pull permits early and often and order their fixtures and finishes well before the deadline. Today, we’ll explore two new sets of kitchen renovations dos and don’ts from Transworld Tile, your home for Thousand Oaks and San Fernando kitchen tiles.
CONTRACTS
DON’T: TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED
When dealing with contractors and subcontractors, it is easy to take things on assumption. For instance, it seems easy to assume that installation costs will cover all additional costs for a kitchen floor tile installation, but a dishonest installer could easily slap you with an unmentioned disposal fee for your old tiles, effectively increasing the estimate after the fact. When it comes to contracts, you simply cannot afford to take anything for granted; if the contracted party should be liable for the quality of the work, then it is your responsibility to make sure that it is expressly written out ahead of time.
DO: GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING
We’ve all heard the expression “get it in writing,” but very few of us actually practice this. While a large amount of business today is done through email, providing an easy-to-follow papertrail, a fair portion of the decisions and deals set for a home renovation are done on-site and well away from email or contracts. Whether you are dealing with contractors and subcontractors yourself or operating through a general contractor, it is crucial that every agreement is set down in writing to protect your interests. While it may seem difficult or awkward to ask for this, simply asking for an invoice, addendum, or agenda for your records can often be enough to get the task in writing. This reasonable request takes almost no time, yet can offer you a tremendous amount of legal protection in the event of a disaster.
CALENDARS & SCHEDULES
DON’T: ASSUME THINGS ARE ON SCHEDULE
The quickest way to ruin relationships with your contractors is to stay uninformed. If you allow things to get behind schedule without your clear understanding, then it will lead to a great deal of discomfort and misunderstanding the working relationship you share. If you assume that everything is on schedule, whether that be an updated or outdated schedule, only to find that they are not, then your relationship with the contracted party is likely going to take a big hit. Nothing is more frustrating to a contractor than being asked why things are behind, especially when they believe you should completely know and understand why things came off-track.
DO: WRITE DATES & TIMES IN PENCIL
Your timeline will almost certainly change; likely many times, but typically at least once, you will be faced with a snag that will either cost you something you want or push back the timeline. We advise that all of your scheduled dates and times be written in pencil so that you may be able to make changes without completely ruining the renovation. As mentioned above, it is crucial that you understand how any change or snag impacts your timeline; be sure that you are comfortable asking this question anytime there is even a small change: “How does this impact the timeline?” When you go to make changes on your penciled-in calendar, you’ll see how it can impact the other aspects of the renovation and, painlessly, make the necessary schedule changes.
STOP IN TODAY
Visit Transworld Tile for your kitchen tiles, where you’re sure to find the selections you’ve been looking for at a great price backed by a friendly, knowledgeable staff. We’re excited to help with your San Fernando or Thousand Oaks home renovation project, and are sure that our inventory of kitchen tiles has just what you’re looking for.
