At the beginning of your construction, there are a few guidelines to follow that will help ensure that your project gets done on time, prevent work interruptions, and give you the best renovation experience possible.
This guide will help you understand best practices when it comes to communicating with construction professionals, site maintenance, equipment usage, and winter renovations.
Communicating with construction professionals
Project managers
Your project manager is your primary point of contact throughout the project. Reach out to them with questions or concerns that you may have throughout the project. Project managers will also do site visits and send out progress reports (both on a weekly basis), so you can follow up with them at those times too.
What to discuss: You can discuss any aspect of your project with your project manager. For example, you might want to reach out to them with regards to change orders, quality concerns, advice on general contractor’s suggestions, and payments. If ever you find yourself in an uncertain situation, get in touch with your project manager — their role is to help you out!
What not to discuss: While there are many things you can discuss with your project manager, your project manager cannot give directions to your general contractor or construction workers on site. That role falls upon the general contractor — they are responsible for the construction work that’s being done on site and for providing instructions to their crew and subcontractors.
General contractors
What to discuss: General contractors will be the primary driver of your project. Together, you can discuss potential changes to the project, design ideas, and scheduling concerns if they come up. Be sure to include your project manager communicating with general contractors — this will help keep everyone aligned on construction progress and the direction of the project.
What not to discuss: If you have concerns about the quality of work during construction, talk to your project manager first. Some perceived quality issues may turn out to be work that’s still in progress and will be addressed at the end of the project.
The general contractors that we work with prioritize high quality work and care about providing you with a newly renovated home that you will be happy with. All of our general contractors are professional and responsive, but are also often managing multiple clients and projects, which may sometimes prevent them from responding immediately. If you are unable to get in touch with your general contractor, please contact your project manager for assistance.
Subcontractors
There will be construction workers coming in and out of your home during your renovations. Feel free to introduce yourself and create a friendly rapport with them! However, it’s best to refrain from distracting subcontractors by asking them about their work. They’re often on a strict schedule with a set list of tasks, so it’s important that they stay focused and get all their work done since construction work has many dependencies. For example, to build new walls, it may be required to pour in a new foundation first — any delays on the foundation may cause a domino effect on the other tasks to come. Therefore, for a project to be on schedule, it’s critical for subcontractors to be able to wrap up their work on time.
What to discuss: You may communicate with subcontractors regarding access to site and basic logistics.
What not to discuss: If there are any additional items that come up during construction that were not part of the original plan, avoid tring to tackle these items directly with the subcontractor. Always let your project manager and general contractor know about the issue first to discuss potential solutions.
Never give direction to a subcontractor or trade directly — doing so may result in errors. If a subcontractor or trade asks you for clarification, call your general contractor so they can provide the right kind of information and direction.
Site maintenance
Dust and noise are a normal part of any construction project — and difficult to avoid completely! If you are staying in your home during construction, rest assured that general contractors will do clean up at the end of each day, though they may need to leave tools, materials, and protective equipment on site for the duration of the project. For any concerns, please speak with your project manager first.
Equipment usage
The contractors will leave their supplies and equipment at your house during construction to facilitate their work. Please refrain from touching, using, or moving their supplies and equipment when they’re away. If you need to move them, feel free ask the workers while they’re on-site.
Winter renovations
Utilities: Keep in mind that during winter, construction within your home can cause a spike in your monthly utilities costs. Be sure to plan accordingly to avoid any surprises.
Snow removal: As the homeowner, you are responsible for making sure that snow is removed throughout the winter to ensure site safety and that there are no interferences with your contractor’s work.
Communication is the most important part of every project, especially when it comes to aligning every stakeholder who is part of your renovations. Use the group chat to your advantage to communicate with your project manager and general contractor, so that everyone has access to the same information. While the amount of communication may be daunting at first, but is completely normal! You will get into the groove of things as the project progresses — and will have access to your project manager throughout your renovations if you ever need advice.
