Lessons Learned: part2
(The Marriage of Calapooia and Vivacity Spirits)
This is our ongoing post about what we experienced merging two businesses, see above, together. This post reflects what we experienced and is not meant to be completely fair or unbiased. Maybe in a year or two we will be able look back, see the “Big Picture” and laugh about it all.
Making the Budget:
There are two ways you can estimate your building budget.
The first is to get rough estimates for everything and guess from past experience on the rest. Unless your past experience is very recent you are going to be woefully low on your guesses.
The second is to get hard numbers (bids) from contractors. This way you have a much more precise number to work with. Remember that quotes are only good for so long and that if the job scope changes so will the bid.
In the first case double your guessing estimate. In the second, add 50% to the estimates (at least). You can help offset some of the cost by doing some of the work yourself (if you have the capability).
A note on construction costs: Bidding on a brand new building is going to be more accurate than on an existing building, which can have hidden issues. If you want to make a change, on the fly, say add a skylight after the framing is done. No contractor will tell you, “No”, however, that is a “Change Order” and is not part of the original bid. It must be paid upon completion of said change (much to the customer’s surprise). Change orders can be caused by City codes, finding hidden issues with the building (or surrounding property, etc) or any number of various other things. They must all be paid upon completion of the change and are in addition to the original bid price. Always always always ask questions and then make a decision based on the given facts. Having to initiate change orders, because of an oversight on someones part, can be very frustrating and begs the question:
“Why didn’t the Architect, City, Contractor, your brother-in-law catch the (glaringly obvious) issue during some previous process? Thus saving everyone lots of time, money and frustration.”
The answer is: “Who knows?”
I have a few theories, non of them flattering to anyone. Just be prepared for a long bumpy ride.
A note on Contractors: Not all, but quite a few of the contractors we have dealt with are like a teenager. If you ask them to empty the dishwasher, don’t be surprised if the dishes are all piled on the counter right next to the dirty dishes. Don’t be angry, they did exactly what you asked and absolutely nothing more. I have seen contractors frame over light boxes, bury a stud half way out of a wall while dry-walling. I have seen bids based off of old drawings. I have seen building drawings with no windows. Why didn’t they ask about what was obviously wrong? Because time is money. If we didn’t want that stud half way out of the wall we would have moved it, right? Which leads us to:
Congratulations, You are now the Building Expert
or
Do Your Homework
Welcome back to school and homework. Just because you hire professionals to work for you doesn’t mean that they are not human and make mistakes nor does it mean that they are motivated to go above and beyond (see above note on contractors). As the customer it is your job to make sure that you get what you want; from the blueprints (you had better learn how to read the basics) to something not looking quite right. When in doubt contact the contractor or supervisor and have them explain it to you. Don’t feel stupid, this is not your forte but it is now your job.
Note on Architects: Architects are design professionals. Either have a very precise vision of your project or stay out of their way. If you have a vision then it is up to you to tell the Architect, as exactly as you can, what it is that you want and to police the drawings (do not assume that they “understand” what you meant). If the plans are not what you want then you must let the Architect know and have them change the drawings. This can be a bit frustrating on both ends and can run you into extra $$ as no one works for free. So be sure to communicate well the first time. When meeting with the Architect take notes. If you are making changes then have the Architect repeat back to you what those changes are so you know you are both on the same page. It’s better to pay for the changes at the drawing stage than to deal (and pay) with it in the building stage, can you say, “Change Order”
The Change Order: The change order is when you want something done that was not on the plans, say add a window to a wall or change that second story window into a double door that opens onto a deck. The problem with Change Orders is that you must pay them as soon as they are finished. Designing on the fly is a costly thing.
Note on Plan Changes: If there are changes made to the official drawings (blueprints) after you have drawn your permits, make sure that everyone involved is working from the latest set of plans. This helps to ease confusion and frustration for everyone.
I hope this shed a little light on the subject. Good Luck.
Cheers!