Knock Out... the Punch List!

Have you ever gone to get a house ready to sell, and realized there is a pretty extensive punch list of finishes to do before it gets photographed and put on the market?

Or maybe you're a realtor who's got a client where a contractor walked off the job without completing the fine details? Such as kickplates or baseboards left undone, and outlets left without cover plates, etc.

We've seen it several times, but unfortunately, it happens. We had a realtor reach out where their homeowner had done all the right things after their house flooded. Went through Insurance, and trusted the providers the insurance sent over, only to have the contractor walk off the job without completing the finishing touches. You can see examples of this below.

Sometimes project management can be as simple as being the owner's representative, to finalize what may seem like minor work. It's always good to have those contractors and skilled labor like handymen in your pocket that are willing to take on these smaller projects.

Unfortunately in our line of work, we do end up being the "clean-up crew" when we come in and fix what others have failed to finalize. It's a big part of the reason we do what we do.

It shouldn't matter if you are selling your home, renovating it because of a flood, or just updating it to make it your sanctuary, the "devil is in the details", and you should love your project no matter how big or small.

If you're a realtor reading this and often find yourself wearing the project manager hat to get the house ready to go to market, let's talk. We'd love to help take that off your plate and get your seller's house on the market that much faster.

Here are the after pictures of the punch-out items at our Allwood project.

Wagon Trail Kitchen

Part 1... The Process

Let's talk about what it takes to execute an efficient project, and minimize those pesky surprises that seemed to catch homeowners off guard. We're going to take this outdated tired kitchen, and plus it up over the coming weeks. Our goal is for our client to not only love their project but eliminate the stress that goes into a renovation of this magnitude.

Project Management

• Working with a project manager, allowed our client to have one person as the main point of contact. This eliminates miscommunication, trying to keep track of every moving part, and knowing when bills and invoices are due, etc.

• A project manager can free up a lot of time for the client when hunting down materials, coordinating trades to do walk-throughs, making sure materials actually got ordered by the GC, reviewing contracts to make sure no hidden charges, etc.

• A quality project manager is good at communication, can translate construction lingo into everyday terms for homeowners, and stay's on top of every detail to help projects go from chaos to calm.

Designer

• Working with a designer allowed our clients to see all their ideas come together in a presentable clean format.

• Space plans provided by the designer, let our GC know exactly what to expect on this project, where electrical should be placed, what items will require a permit, etc.

• A good designer will be able to provide space plans, renderings, measurements, and source materials for the project.

General Contractor

• A lot of General Contractors will actually take project plans and use them to get a quicker turnaround when pricing out with their subcontractors.

• Space Plans allow contractors to review and note any changes that should be made prior to work beginning, this is important as it eliminates so many construction surprises from the beginning. Plans become the bible of the project.

• Make sure your GC is licensed, and that their insurance covers their subs. Don't be afraid to ask if their insurance covers subs, or if they require their subs to have insurance if it doesn't.

We're including a list of items we will be plusing up:

Lighting	We eliminated the fluorescent tube light and a very outdated chandelier for recessed lighting and pendants over the peninsula.
Appliances	Don't underestimate the statement that matte black appliances can make. This contributes to a sleek minimalistic design. It also eliminates the smudges and fingerprints that are apt to show up on stainless steel appliances
Cabinets	In order to gain height and add under-cabinet lighting, our client decided to replace all the cabinets in her kitchen and remove the over-cabinet soffit.
Counter Tops	The countertops in this kitchen, are your typical early 2000s builder-grade laminate counters. You gain a lot more prep space by eliminating the 1/4 raised wall behind the sink and making the counters all on one level. We're also installing a waterfall feature with the counters to create a sleek modern look to the kitchen that will still be timeless down the road.
Sink	Since we are removing all the cabinets and updating the appliances, it only seemed fitting to update the sink. Our client chose a matte black undermount sink.
Paint	By painting the cabinets that will serve as the new pantry for this kitchen, we've created a wow factor, and eliminated having to have a featured wall painted a different color.
Storage	The original kitchen had very minimal storage. By reconfiguring the pantry area into more cabinets, and eliminating the soffits above we're able to almost double the amount of storage.

Examples of quality Space Plans that can help your contractor bid on a project and eliminate scope creep. (Slide through).

Stay tuned for our next blog post where we'll be sharing some progress photos, and breaking down the workflow step by step.

Project management services provided by: Sonder Luxe Solutions

All renderings & space plans courtesy of: Linen and Orchid

General Contractor, labor, and permitting: PA Home Renovation

The Light In The Attic

Happy New Year! If you are anything like us and the holidays snowed you under that's ok. It's a new year and we're back fresh with our blog and ready to share some more fun renovation tips.

We've got an exciting one for you!

The Light in the Attic.

It's a partially unfinished attic. Our clients are wanting to add a little bit more living space by finishing off about 500sq feet.

Now just because you may have an unfinished attic doesn't mean it's as simple as adding drywall, and flooring, to call it a bedroom or bonus room, and here's why.

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For this renovation, this particular home is on septic. That means we not only have to take into consideration the septic field, but also the capacity of what that load is per county code when taking into consideration their septic, HVAC and plumbing allotments.

For this project, we're going to open up the space to the existing finished area of the attic, add a window, and some other cool features you won't want to miss. We aren't adding a bathroom, but we are going to have to relocate the vents going through the attic to the roof from the bathroom below it.

This renovation requires the following trades and work to be done:

• Structural Engineer

• Insulation

• Flooring

• Framing

• Electrical

• Plumbing

• HVAC

• Drywall

• Paint

• and Roof Repair

If you've kept count, that's 10 specialty trades we are coordinating for our clients to see this project through. Unfinished attic renovations are considered major projects, and it can be very stressful to unexpecting homeowners when trying to navigate through all that.

The key to loving your project is: really solid communication, choosing quality labor over cheap, and staying organized from the beginning. Follow along as we kick off this project! We can't wait to show you the progress along the way and the before and afters at the end.

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Tell us, what are some features of this project you want to see more of?