10 Things to Know Before Your Home Remodeling Project Starts

1. Contractors Don't Do Anything Unnecessary

Many clients suspect that contractors do various extra tasks that are not included in the initial plan just to take more money. Let's be honest — of course, such contractors exist, but really good and professional ones will never do this. They do change orders sometimes, but not to gain more cash — they do it when it's simply inevitable. For example, when a wall that seemed firm as rock begins to fall apart.

So, while change orders really can be expensive, they're a completely normal thing and not something to be afraid of.

2. They Cannot Go Against Permissions

Many clients wish for some special provisions while not looking at the permissions. They want the remodeling of their dreams but don't care if it meets the requirements or not. But obviously, contractors can't fulfill such a wish. Most of them have good, stable, and long-term relationships with local permit offices and don't want to risk it and get fined because of clients.

So, there's no point in asking them to do anything against the permissions — but on the other hand, they can talk to the permit office members and ask them for some help — of course, if it doesn't break the rules.

3. They are Reluctant to Utilize Old Things

Do you have any old kitchen cabinets or other things that you love dearly and want to be reused in a remodeling? Sorry, but there'll be a high possibility that your remodeling contractor won't agree to reuse it. Why? It simply may not "survive" the renovation process. While standing in its place, it may look totally fine, but when moved, it will probably fall to pieces. Because of its age, this is very much likely to happen. It doesn't mean that you must throw out all the old things that you've got at home or in the kitchen.

You can reuse them — but get ready that it will cost you additional time and money.

4. They Prefer Not to Work with Your Friends or Relatives

Let's imagine a situation — you're planning to have your kitchen remodeled and call a contractor for this purpose. Then you tell the contractor that your brother wants to do all the plumbing because he is a professional plumber. And your dad is an electrician and will do everything connected to electricity.

But remodeling contractors have their own teams, with whom they're already used to working. In those teams, all the roles are distributed, and everyone knows what to do. So, they definitely don't need help from your dad or brother.

They have a long-established connection to everyone in their team, and they won't abandon it in favor of your friends or relatives.

5. They're Glad if You Search for Them

Any contractor will be very pleased if you say something like: "I looked for a contractor all over the world and chose you because I clearly saw that you'd be able to do this job the most optimal way." And it's not because of vanity. The contractor is simply pleased to hear that you made your choice not by accident but after thorough and attentive searching.

It means that you really trust this remodeling company and are sure about their high professionalism.

6. Never Tell the Contractor to Pull Anybody from the Project

Of course, remodeling contractors value every single one of their clients, not only because of the money they pay but also because of positive reviews they can leave on the company's site and recommendations they can give to their acquaintances. But the thing is that their relationship with you is temporary — they do their job and leave, while they have a long-lasting partnership with the people involved in the project.

So, it's better for you not to have any problems with all of them. It's very rare when a contractor agrees to remove someone from a project to satisfy a client.

7. You Can't Negotiate the Markup Fees

Markup fees annoy many people because they find them too high and burdensome. Remodeling a kitchen or an entire home is not cheap by itself, but those fees make it even more expensive. This makes irritated customers think that contractors just want to get more money from them. But it's not true. On the contrary, really good and professional contractors do everything to help you save as much money as possible. They can find plenty of places where it's possible for you to pay less. But there won't be a markup fee among them — it simply can't be lowered.

And no, contractors don't take it all for themselves. A sizable part of it goes to their companies, which need regular income to work effectively.

8. If You're a Perfectionist, Don't Worry — They Like it

Many clients are anxious that they're too perfectionistic and demanding, which (as they think) can annoy or even scare away the contractor. But there's no need to worry — most contractors like clients with long lists of super detailed requests if they're exact and clear. Of course, it doesn't mean that you may be rude, but it's much better to speak out about every demand that you have than be too shy and get the wrong result in the end.

It's completely possible to be a perfectionist and a polite person at the same time.

9. You'd Better Leave Your Home During the Remodeling

Some people think: "If the contractor is renovating one floor of my house, then why can't I live on the other?" Yes, the contractor won't kick you out of your own home — but it will be much better and safer to leave it temporarily, especially if the project is really big.