I started this website as a showcase of DIY projects. However, with this house being such a disaster and considering the scope of the repairs and renovations necessary to make it habitable, it is time to call in the pros. The ball is now rolling….
Who to call
I know my limitations. There are a lot of things I can do, or learn to do, myself. There are also a number of things that I am better off hiring someone else to do. The problem up to now has been knowing who to hire. Frankly it’s been hit and miss in terms of my satisfaction with the work of the pros I’ve called in to do work for me. And it’s also been a pain in the rear simply finding pros willing to work on this house.
My wife works in the same office complex as an architectural firm and after talking to a couple of the staff members, we have decided that hiring an architect/project manager is going to be our best course of action. My main fear up to this point has been having work orders slapped on this house. That is no longer an issue now that our time frame has been accelerated.
Time is of the essence
One of my biggest frustrations is the fact that we have not completely moved into this house after living here for more than five years. Much of the delay has been due to finances, thanks in part to the repairs necessitated by the previous owner’s work. Now that we have some cash in the bank account, I could roll up my sleeves and do much of the work myself. However, in the interest of time, and just plain finishing the projects that have been works in progress for the last few years, I prefer to have someone else come in who knows exactly what they are doing, and get everything finished once and for all.
Three phases
The first priority is to finish the two upstairs bedrooms: our daughter’s room and the guest room. Some of the drywall work done by the contractor we hired a couple of years ago needs to be redone because some of the walls were strapped unevenly. The subfloor needs to be patched where knee walls were moved and where the plumber cut access holes for the hot water pipes going to the rads. Finally, the flooring, doors and trim all need to be installed. Much of this falls within the limits of my abilities. However, I don’t have as much time to devote to DIY, and my friend who has helped me so much in the past no longer has the time to lend his assistance either. So I say, “Bring in the pros.”
The second phase will be the main floor of the original house. Originally, there were two bedrooms and a modest sized bathroom. The previous owner knocked out a wall to the bathroom, incorporating that space into the master bedroom, and turned the other bedroom into two bathrooms, one which was the ensuite which I gutted a couple of summers ago. My plan is to use that part of the house for the master bedroom, a decent sized bathroom, and possibly a main floor laundry room. I think it can be done, but hiring an architect to measure the space and draw up the plans will take out any of the guess work. Plus, as project manager, the architect will bring in the best people for the job. The necessary permits will be pulled, and all work will be inspected and up to code.
The third phase will be replacing the existing addition and building a garage that will become my woodworking shop. This could happen as soon as next fall but most likely will happen in the spring of 2010. At the same time, we will have the rest of the house wrapped with a waterproof membrane, have the driveway paved and a new deck built, preferably using composite materials if our budget allows. Throw a couple of porches into the equation, and it is obvious that the cost of this project will be substantial.
And awa-a-ay we go!
Earlier this week, we finally got our property surveyed. Next, the architect will take measurement of the bedroom area (for phase 2) and we will sit down and have the plans drawn up for the addition. Then, the actual work will start with the architect acting as project manager for all three phases.
Not as expensive as you might think
So, how much will the property management aspect of this work cost? Somewhere between 5 and 10% of the total project cost. On a $20,000 renovation that’s only $2000 which will be partially offset by the architect’s discount on materials. Of course, the addition and the garage will likely total over $100,000, so an additional $10,000 is no small chunk of change. But then, having a knowledgable person overseeing the entire project takes away a lot of the stress. How can you put a price on that?
