Three Steps to Renovation Success.

A home renovation can be a daunting task and a huge undertaking.  Be realistic towards your project goals, create a budget that works for you and choose the right contractor. We’ll lay out these 3 fundamental steps for you to ensure  renovation success.  Think about flipping through some books and magazines in the planning stages to get some knowledge because its better to dive into this informed.Learn more about planning a renovation.Learn more about our renovation process.

Food for thought - realizing your own reality

Being realistic and making the right decisions will determine the value of investment put forth by you.  Make a list of priorities, and again do some research to check out the cost relating to all materials you want to buy.  Use your budget as a reference guide and start window shopping.  Choose the things you want done based on the plan facts. Knowing the value of your home today and where it should be, at the point of sale is very important.  Market and neighborhood housing trends should be considered when choosing what types of renovations will keep the home competitively priced.

Money wise - window shopping and planning ahead

In the short term, Its always a wise idea to look ahead and plan for any unforeseen expenses. We have all experienced something that doesn't exactly go as planned. With something complex like renovating your home, make sure you make room in your budget encase unexplained expenses arise. Only you know your budget. It’s always a good idea to tack on a little extra to the end price and get to know the insides and outs of the very house that you're in.

The credible contractor - finding the right one

If you are dealing with a contractor, shop around for a credible one with multiple references and documents. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) A good contractor should go through all prices thoroughly. You should feel like nothing is missing. There are many good contractors out there but  with anything, bad stories circulate as well. Good contractors are also recognized by the BBB like Ottawa General Contractors LTD is as finalists for the 2012 BBB Torch award. A signal that you're dealing with reliable and good contractors in Ottawa is when you have a CEO like Moe Abbas who  sits on the board of directors of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Ontario and on the board of directors for the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce for 2013.Here’s article from CBC: Stated that between 2002 to 2007, over 50 seniors in the Ottawa area were cheated out of $1-million each. Inflated estimates, advance fees for work, and aggressive sales men and women were all part of the scheme.

Contractor and project management

Learn who the contractor is and what they are all about. Take a brochure and read it front to back. You will be dealing with this person for the duration of the  home renovation.   BBB will show credibility and also list complaints. Check out red flags- a credible contractor should have a solid reputation within the city. You don't have to go with the famous design companies to get quality work done. Communication is huge. Contractors often deal with multiple chains of renovators from the designer to the sub-contractors. There is often a team of people under management.  Make sure the contractor works with the designer or architect so that the designs and plans are directly linked to material costs. Have everything done all under one home roof. Professionalism and guidance can be every step of the way. In projects where so many things must be managed, your time and money work best when put into a reliable, fully accountable system that will get the jobs done.  In the end, this is really what matters.