The joys of renovating

BAILA LAZARUS

I wish I were still young enough to know everything. That way, I wouldn't have made the numerous mistakes I did during my recent bathroom renovation. It was a full gut – down to the studs – replacing bathtub, sink, cabinet and fixtures. Thankfully it didn't take long, but it shed some light on several areas of possible communication breakdowns, which I gladly share with you.

Let's assume you're only going to do minor repairs yourself and find a general contractor to take care of the rest. Here are things to think about:

How to find. Ask all the people you trust who've had renovations done to recommend some general contractors. Contractors can provide you with references, but they're only going to give you names of people who were happy with the finished product.

What to check. Ensure that the contractor has the proper licences and check if he or she is a RenoMark member. RenoMark is a voluntary membership for the construction industry in which companies promise to adhere to a certain set of standards. Although there's no legal process if someone doesn't follow the guidelines, it offers a means to communicate a complaint.

Get quotes. Have at least three people give you estimates. As they walk through, see how much care they take in looking at the space and taking notes. If there are special needs, point them out and find out if they've done that kind of work before.

Be prepared. Try to have as many of the fixtures on site before the contractor comes to bid and show them during the walk-through. There may be extra costs around certain types of installations. Many contractors will submit a quote based on a "re-and-re" (remove and replace). This means that they assume a cost based on replacing existing fixtures with similar fixtures but if, for example, your tub or sink had two taps and you want to replace them with single taps, which requires different plumbing and so will not fall under the category "re-and-re," not only might it add hours to the job time, if a plumber is also needed, the hourly rate will jump. This is the same with situations requiring new wiring.

What's "paint ready"? If you're painting after the construction is finished, double-check what may be put in the contract as "finish to paint-ready stage," a common phrase that means different things to different people. It might mean removing walls and putting up new gyproc or it might mean that, once the original fixtures are taken out, they repair holes and refinish walls to the point where they have been "mudded" and sanded, but the repairs may be obvious.

Who's on first? Who is actually going to be working on site? Normally, a general contractor hires sub-trades who do all the work and may visit a site occasionally or only on request. How well does the contractor know the sub-trade and any potential bad work habits? Finding teams of people who have worked together on several projects is best.

Supply the numbers. In many cases, homeowners will be at work, away from the house, while renovations are taking place. This, of course, has its advantages, but there are times when people on site have to be contacted by suppliers making deliveries (such as a new bathtub). Make sure all these suppliers have the cellphone numbers of those working on site. Otherwise, you're going to get a call in the middle of a meeting saying a sink is waiting for you on your front lawn.

Do they do windows? Who is responsible for ensuring that floors are covered, doorways are sealed from dust and protective needs are taken care of? Cutting and grinding for a renovation may take place in a garage or outside. But if there is any sanding of walls taking place (when new gyproc is installed) or if the cutting has to take place inside the home, there's going to be heaps of dust covering surface. It will even make its way into your cutlery drawer and the crevices of your computer modem.

Who cleans up? Whose responsibility is it to take away old fixtures, doors, carpets, etc. Where are they taking it? If you are concerned about the environment, you may want to discuss eco-friendly disposal options with the contractors. There are places in the Lower Mainland that will take almost every type of building material to recycle, but that might mean extra time for transport, and that means a higher cost.

Get it in writing. Take notes of everything the contractor agrees to on the walk-through. Write up them up as you understand them, then e-mail it to the contractor. Put this in the body of an e-mail, not as an attachment. Have them send the e-mail back with confirmation that there is agreement. Once this is done, you have a "paper trail" that you can refer to later on, should there be a dispute.

For more information, contact the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association (gvhba.org) or RenoMark (renomark.ca).

Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, painter and photographer. Her work can be seen at orchiddesigns.net.

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