Remodeling process
after signing the contract
You are about to sign on the dotted line for a major remodel and at this point would like a sense of the process from start to finish.If you have already signed with a Professional Remodeler, he/she more than likely have already spent some time doing this.So this article is geared toward those that have not signed and also give a greater understanding of why you and the builder have to go through this process.
After the contract is signed a lot of things go on that a lot of homeowners are not aware of, but I can assure you that your Remodeler is hard at work behind the scenes.
The first thing is your set of plans for your jurisdiction, unless you already have them prepared. Your Professional Remodeler will use the professional resources of an architect or a company that draws blueprints. He will set up an appointment with his Professional firm that he trusts along with you to meet, Some larger Remodeling Firms have this done in house. After this meeting, there will another appointment for the remodeler and you to met and go over these plans for your final approval.
Along with these set of plans, some jurisdictions are also requiring calculations on all the wood members. If all goes well with this second meeting you are almost ready to apply for Permits. Some times the question is asked, why do I have to get permits and whose idea was this anyway?
It all started a long time ago, before there was any permits or inspections. What happened was when there was a fire, building got damaged or some one go hurt, the insurance companies had to cover these costs, so these companies pushed for some guidelines for contractors to build by, so the permit and inspection process was started.
The whole purpose of this process is for the safety of the public which also includes fire safety. As a general rule, your contractor has to bring 2 to 3 copies of plans, the calculations for your wood members and possible the concrete, if there are trusses involved these specifications will need to be included for your project, a plot plan – which shows the property boundaries, the existing building, other buildings on the property, the new addition, along with the distance from the property boundaries of these buildings Of course, if you are in an historical district or a neighborhood with Restrictions, these have to get approved first before you apply for permits.
At this point your remodeler will then proceed to fill out the application and apply for the permits. After submitting there will be a 2 to 4 week wait period for the plans examiner to look at the plans and contact the remodeler. There is a possibility that some revisions will need to be made or added before the permits will be issued.
During this time frame your remodeler is hard at work getting the schedule pulled together for subs, materials and fixtures to be there when the project starts and as the project proceeds. He does not want any down time any more than you do. He will also have a dumpster ordered along with a portable toilet if these are required.
As the project proceeds forward you will be getting inspections, so there may be some down time as these are proceeding. It is not uncommon For an inspector to find things to be corrected. Depending on what it is the inspection will allow you to proceed and have these issues fixed Before the next inspection as long as he can see them. Other times these will have to be corrected before proceeding.
I am going to get off on a tangent here and explain the inspectors role. His\/Her role are to enforce building code, for again, the public’s safety. He is required to follow also what is on the blueprints that are stamped by the city. As a Police Officer protects the public, so does the building inspector. Most inspectors, as a general rule, have been in the construction industry before becoming inspectors. The other thing to understand is that if they make a bad call or let something slide; he is the one who this will come back on. As a further underrsstanding,the inspector can only enforce the code, that is his role. If you or your contractor feels the corrections he is requiring are not correct, ask him to show you in the code book where this is stated. If you cannot get resolution, you can go to the head inspector or supervisor, as a general rule they will not side with the inspector or the homeowner but listen to both sides and come to a fair judgment. One more thing on inspectors, they do have a great deal of knowledge and are great source to tap into.
As your inspections proceed forward your Professional Remodeler will be proceeding with proper sequence and order for your remodeling Project to keep it on track. So again you may not see him/her as often as you think you should, but he is doing a lot of behind the scenes work to keep your project proceeding forward without any slowdowns.
After all the inspections are completed, you will then have a the final inspections for all the trades and the final inspection for occupancy.
I hope this article helps in some way you to understand the Remodeling Process
Comments or Questions are always appreciated
