Home Renovations: The Chaos to Calm Approach

Knowing what to ask and how to plan for your home remodel can be a daunting task. This week we're sharing more of our tips to planning and executing a home renovation project with ease.

Have you ever looked at your home and thought: I'd really like to update it but I have no idea where to begin, what questions to ask contractors, or if they are going to leave me holding the bill with 1/2 my kitchen or bathroom done?

You're in luck, we are sharing some of the questions we ask during our vetting process.

Questions to Ask?

• Do you hire subcontractors and if so, what is your process for vetting and onboarding sub contractors? Does your insurance cover them? Or do you have your own team? You should know from the start who is entering your home, and what their qualifications are.

• What level of insurance do you carry and can you provide proof? It's always good to confirm how the contractor is covered if an accident happens in your home.

• What percentage of your projects finish on time and what's your guarantee if they go over the deadline? The answer to this question will tell you if the contractor over books themselves regularly, or if they are organized in their renovation processes.

• What are your payment terms and how do you accept payment? This is especially important for homeowners that have houses out of town or vacation homes.

• How do you keep your projects on budget? And what tools do you use to monitor the budget, timeline, and payments? This is another question that will let you know how organized they are in their processes and let them know you are watching the numbers.

• Do you have a designated project manager on your team and what's their availability to you the homeowner? This will let you know what the level of communication is going to be, level of access to the contractor, and sets the expectation for clarity around your project. If there isn't a project manager or dedicated communicator, look out as it could lead towards contractors ignoring or disappearing on you.

• Can you pull required permits, and how often do your projects pass inspections? This is a great way to let the contractors know, you expect quality work from them and also protects you, if or when you ever go to sell your house.

• Have you worked with an Interior Designer before, and do renderings help you execute the vision? A lot of interior designers get some discounts when working with general contractors and fabricators. This is a good way to save money and also have a clear vision of how you want the final project to turn out.

Sonder Luxe Solutions Vetting Process:

SHHH! It's ok, we're letting you in on our secret strategies to our little black book of quality contractors. We take extra care to do extensive vetting of anyone we recommend to our clients and we're happy to share those tips with you.

• We always ask for 2-3 quotes from different contractors to make sure pricing is fair and in line with the market. Sometimes this is challenging as certain states don't have regulations for what contractors can charge.

• We require proof of insurance and licensing. You don't want to get stuck with a contractor suing you for falling and getting hurt while on a project for you.

• We participate in multiple conversations with the general contractor or lead contact of their company about the project before it even begins. Communication is key to loving the final result of your home update.

• We schedule initial walk throughs for project scope estimates and another walk through when the project begins. I'm always wary of those contractors who provide estimates over the phone site unseen. They don't know what issues the house may have in the walls, when it was built, if certain home features are custom etc.

• We perform a review of their contracts to make sure the language included for your remodel or renovation is up to code. Do you now how many contractors try to add on costs for something not being required?

• We read reviews, meet one on one, and provide background research for each contractor before hiring or recommending them.

How many times have you heard a horror story from your neighbor about the project they did, and the contractor didn't show up, stopped returning their calls, ran off with the deposit and never completed the work?

We've recently heard of a simple bathroom remodel where the home owner wanted to replace the glass shower surround. The contractor provided them a quote, and when the homeowner went to initiate the work, the contractor tried to say the bid was only for removal not replacing the shower surround. They ended up hiring another contractor at a more expensive cost due to miscommunication and dishonesty.

We've personally seen contractors trying to slip in extra fees into proposals that they think no one will notice. Even something as small as $35.00 for materials, not necessarily required to meet codes, adds up.

Updating your home shouldn't be a headache. We've seen it all and we are on a mission to eliminate the stress that so many have experienced in their remodel and renovations.

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We really appreciate you, our readers, and we want to make sure we are providing content that is helpful and meaningful to you. It'd mean a lot, if you would take a moment to fill out our poll for what topics you want to see us discuss here.

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Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself

Let me say, hiring a social media/marketing manager was one of the best things I could have done. Right out of the gate, Casandra told me she wanted to conduct an interview featuring... your's truly!

In case you haven't noticed, I love sunshine, sunflowers, blue skies, the Redskins...er Commanders, and all that comes with that.

Casandra: I'm going to dive right in. What made you choose to start a company in this industry and when did you start this line of work?

Michele: Solving problems is my expertise. I’ve worn many hats throughout my career, Wedding Planner, Executive Assistant, VP of Finances, Consultant, etc. After years of dishing out a high level of blood, sweat, and tears, I finally decided it was time to harness all those skills and go to work to build something new for myself.

I've always had a passion for home projects. In college, while living at home with my folks, I used to surprise them with makeovers of their bathrooms, bedrooms, and living spaces, any time they went out of town for an extended period. I'm not sure they loved the surprises as much as I did, but the bathroom is still the same color I painted almost 15 years ago now.

I noticed a trend in the industry where homeowners are increasingly frustrated about contractors taking advantage of them, projects not being completed, or the budget skyrocketing out of control. I want to change this.

I’m on a mission to flip the script of what’s happening in this industry. After all, your home should be your sanctuary, and full of peace. Three years ago I started helping clients source contractors for issues such as flooring floods, getting french drains added to the yard to help with water flow, or updating outdated houses that were still stuck in a tired age of the early 2000s, or even the 90s.

Casandra: How did you come up with the name of your company?

Michele: Sonder - One day I was reading the book The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig and I came across the word Sonder. The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own - populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness - an epic story that continues invisibly around you. It was like a lightning bolt hit me, and I knew at that moment that Sonder had to be in my company name. It’s a made-up or new word but its meaning has such a powerful punch behind it.

Luxe - I believe in providing 5-star all-encompassing service for my clients and that we all deserve to live a luxurious life if we want it.

Solutions - Solving problems and finding solutions is who I am. I’ve done that for most of my friends, colleagues, and former employers. I’ve always been the one they naturally turn to for help.

Casandra: Where did the concept for your business originate?

Michele: I grew up with a father in blue-collar trades. He is a retired master electrician and firefighter truck engineer. One of my favorite memories is when he strapped me in a harness and took me with him to check the lights on top of a 200-foot-high water tower at our local university.

I also get my work ethic from my mom. As a teen, she had me "volunteering" in her office learning how to track the money from vending machines and answer phones. Throughout my career, I've spent time in startups, managed the remodel/renovation of a boutique gym, helped my clients source quality contractors, etc. I was even hired by a plumber to get his company organized and learned more about the inner workings of a toilet than I ever wanted to.

The rest I sort of fell into. I had a very supportive network and supportive former employers all of whom encouraged me to start my own company to solve problems for folks. I niched down into home renovations.

Casandra: What's unique about your company?

Michele: Besides the fact that Sonder Luxe Solutions is minority female-owned, I think what makes me unique is that I have a backbone. I’m not afraid to fight for my clients and push back on contractors when needed. I also speak the language of executives and financials, while being able to negotiate on their behalf with the trades. My entire mission is to take the headache out of the process. I can and have managed both interior and exterior projects.

Casandra: Any special hobbies or hidden talents?

Michele: I always hesitate to answer this question, but I do have a hidden talent: I grew up classically trained in piano, and competing in guilds. These days it's mostly a stress relief for me, though I am teaching myself Jazz piano. I get horrible stage fright playing for others, so no plans to join a band yet. I never say never though.

Casandra: What are your company's goals?

Michele:

1. Provide quality connections for contractors and trades (Bonus if they are women-owned businesses)

2. Bring chaos to calm for home renovations and alleviate stress.

3. Be a resource for other women in the business, or those looking to start in the business.

4. Teach others how to run home renovations and manage the expectations and emotions of the homeowners, and the contractors.

Casandra: How do you define success in your organization?

Michele: When my clients are happy, and I see the stress roll off their shoulders at the end of a project, or even at the beginning of it by hiring me, that is a success. Sure I have a vision for my company and where I want to take it. But at the end of the day, it's all about you, my clients. Without them and their faith in me, there would be no company.

Casandra: What platforms do you use to promote your business?

Michele: Promoting my business has been challenging. Most of the time I'm an introvert. Putting myself out there for my business on social media and in person has been a learning curve. I enjoy LinkedIn and connecting with like-minded business owners, and posting pictures on Instagram/Facebook. This is where you come in Casandra, I know you're going to help me take this company to the next level and help me utilize the platforms better.

Casandra: Last question. What do you like to do for fun?

Michele: When I'm not working, I love to be at the beach, go on adrenaline-pumping adventures, roller-skate, be in nature, travel, and watch football in the fall. I hate the new name for the Skins, but that's my team.

Michele: In closing, I'm really glad we did this interview. I think it's important that people see the face behind the company, and get to know me. I love what I do. I love helping my client's homes become the sanctuary they deserve. I also have a vision for the company. I hope 5 years from now that I will have a solid team of female contractors I can rely on. And build this into a resource for other women in the business. I can't wait to share some of the projects I'm currently working on with all of you. And thank you Casandra for being the first one to officially join the team. I'm so happy you're here.

What We Look For and Why... The Process of Protecting Your Home

First Choice Roofing believes that your home is your haven. A sanctuary for your house, your families, your memories, and the material items that are valuable to you. Our objective is to ensure that these sentimental items are protected from the shortcomings of a damaged roof.

Did you know a simple hail or wind storm can cause damage to your roof?

As GAF Certified Storm Inspectors, First Choice roofing can do an inspection to look for damages on your roof caused by the weather. Finding hail or wind damage does not mean that your roof is compromised. It does infer that further down the road, those damages can cause strenuous problems to the interior of your home and even your belongings.

Multiple factors go into consideration when assessing hail damage to a roof and its surroundings, such as hail size, hail density, hail shape, velocity, and direction. Our job is to decipher whether the hail damage is cosmetic or functional. Cosmetic hail impacts are visible but do not affect the integrity of the roof. On the other hand, functional damage caused by hail is more urgent, affecting the integrity and the longevity of your roof.

Upon an inspection, our storm inspectors will walk the property with you, looking for storm-related damages that may have affected areas on the ground level, such as windscreens, downspouts, siding, and garage doors. Following, we will get on your roof and examine the top domain: shingles, gutters, soft metals, and other vulnerable areas susceptible to environmental happenings.

Wind-induced damage can look like blown-off shingles or creased shingles that flap in the wind. Roofs that house a three-tab shingle are most likely to have this issue. This type of shingle lays flat on the roof and is more susceptible to wind speeds that exceed 50 mph.

To understand how hail can damage a shingle, you must first know the makeup of a shingle. The base component of an asphalt shingle is a membrane composed of fiberglass that maintains the structure of the shingle and is covered by layers of asphalt that gives the membrane its impermeability. The next layer consists of a thicker coating of asphalt that provides the membrane flexibility and protects the membrane from harsh weather. The top surface is covered in granules, where the shingle color is visible, and those granules make the shingle resistant to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

North Carolina may not bring softball-size hail, but we do get hail ranging from the size of a quarter to a golf ball. How do these “bigger” problems develop? Hail impacts, at high speeds, knock the asphalt granules off your shingle, essentially leaving the other components underneath unprotected from weather and the South’s intense sunshine. Exposure like this can eventually lead to a melted membrane and exposure to your home, which is where those heinous interior leaks problems begin.

There are solutions to this as a homeowner, always take the safe route and have your roof inspected after every storm in order to preserve the integrity of your roof and home, giving you a little peace of mind.

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Bailey Morris is the Project Manager for her family's company 1st Choice Roofing, USA. She's an avid community liaison, an ambassador with the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, and a member of National Women in Roofing - Raleigh. In her free time, you will find Bailey working out at the gym, indulging in coffee, hanging out with family and friends, and enjoying time with her puppies.