What pro for whole home remodeling?

8 years ago

We’re very early stages (still working through if it will work for us) of considering remodeling a house that is in the family. (I‘ve posted about it a little bit before.) One of the big factors we’re trying to work out is what our budget would need to be, and part of that is which pro or pros we will need to hire. None of us want to oversee the whole project so we definitely need a general contracor, but I’m wondering if we should also be budgeting for an architect and some sort of interior space/design help? I don’t think we need someone to do everything down to the curtains, but I do think we’re likely to want some help on things like kitchen and bathroom surfaces, flooring, etc.

As far as we know, the house structure is not hiding any major surprises - no one has opened up a wall without putting a support beam in or anything like that. However it does need to be updated in general (it last had major things like cabinets done in the early 80s) and we would like to at least investigate adding some windows and possibly changing the flat roof on the addition to one with some pitch (because flat roofs do not ‘go’ with our weather) which I think we’d want an architect for?

Right now we’re just trying to make sure we have the right lines on our estimated budget so we don’t start and discover we can’t finish. We are expecting it to be Not Cheap to do all of this, but the market is such that we likely won’t be over-improving the house except in areas we’ve already decided we don’t care about resale. (Ex. we buy kitchen appliances based on what we can afford and what we enjoy using, not what is in keeping with the overall house value, because cooking on appliances we don’t like using makes us both cranky.) There is, however, Not Cheap and NOT CHEAP, if you see what I mean. We don’t want to be thinking Not Cheap and get NOT CHEAP instead once we’ve started working on it.

(And yes, the budget will include contingency money, because I know something ALWAYS surprises you.)

Featured Answer

PRO

Bspoke Homes

8 years ago

Get your general involved early. In most cases, a good general can either assist with the design or has a good designer you can with with that they also are comfortable with (usually, if you like the general, they tend to work with similar people, so chances are, you will like their people as well). Must generals will also either have the ability to generate plans for the roof section and an engineer to review and stamp if necessary, and/or an architect/pan designer to assist in that process. Without plans on the roof section, proposals you receive will be estimates based on final design which means a bit of a moving target and more difficult to compare apples to apples between various GC. IMO, get proposals on the clearly defined work (most generals will give budgets for unspecified items based on their interviewing of you) and make a selection you feel most comfortable with based on the more concrete projects. Of course let them know you intend to do the roof section. If you need a roof number, just ask that section specifically be broken out from the total project.

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Comments (8)

PRO
Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc.
8 years ago
From my perspective, I would want to be the first one involved, as long as you know you are not planning an addition. My plans for your home would allow for detailed labor bids (not just rough estimates), the budget needed for materials and will determine if you need an architect or engineer. You need to find a designer who specializes in construction design, not just decorating. Designers can also offer contractor recommendations.

If you are planning an addition, you need to start with the architect. You'll need one for changing a roof line, but if you decide not to do that, you do not generally need an architect to move windows or non-load bearing walls. But every city is different with their requirements. A good designer would be able to assess the need for an architect’s involvement.
KD thanked Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc.
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roarah
8 years ago
I did an addition and actually interviewed GCs before architects to make sure I could afford the work I wished to have done. We know many friends who paid for architects' plans only to realize the cost to see the plans to completion was well outside of their budget and neighborhood's return of investment. When we found we could afford to move forward we hired the architect and paid to keep him on during the build as a consultant and got finalized bids for work scope. We hired an interior designer last and she was not very involved and I wish I had hired a more involved person in this area.
KD thanked roarah
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
8 years ago
@roarah: kudos to you for involving a contractor early on to ensure the budget for your project was realistic before investing a lot of time and money in design. I've seen lots of folks plunge into design without any idea of the construction cost. The most typical outcome is a project that goes nowhere and lots of wasted time, energy, and money. Architects will tell you that you need to hire them to protect you from builders. A builder--engaged early on-- can help protect you from wasting money on a design that won't get built.
KD
Original Author
8 years ago
I’m nervous about bringing on a contractor without a scope of work because I don’t want the contractor to be saying ‘oh you don’t need an architect I can do that’ when we really should get an architect. Or choosing a contractor and then finding out we need someone different because of what we need done and areas of experience.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
8 years ago
I suggest you interview a couple of remodeling companies with experience in whole house remodeling. Ask each company how they would approach your design; some may have in-house capabilities and others may outsource design either to an architect or designer. Check with some of their past clients to see how it went and pick the one best suited for your project.

Best wishes for a successful project.
KD thanked Charles Ross Homes
KD
Original Author
8 years ago
There’s a home show this week and that is one if the things we plan to do, check out some of the local companies. I’m sure we can’t get into too much detail at a home show but hopefully they can tell us if our project is the kind of thing they do, which will help shorten the list of phone calls to make.
PRO
Vision Interiors
3 years ago
I think a designer who does both construction design and interior is the first person to have on the job. They will pay attention to more of the finish details of how you will live in the home.