Remodeling Is Painless…When You’re an Informed Homeowner (Part I)

Remodeling Is Painless…When You’re an Informed Homeowner
Callen Guides You Step by Step Through the Process

By Paulette Sodemann, Callen Sales Design Consultant

Part I

It’s a big decision when homeowners decide it’s time to gut a kitchen or bath, convert the attic, or finally turn the lower level into usable living space.  But with the decision to remodel comes some uncertainty over how the project will evolve, what the timelines are, what the costs will be, and how ideas become reality.

In this blog post, I explain how the process works from your first call to us to the final walk-through after job completion.  At Callen, our goal is to make your remodeling experience a positive one.  One of the ways we do this is to make sure you are informed about the process step-by-step and that you have a clear understanding about the choices in materials and products.

We begin our initial consultation with you at our Design Center where we hear your design ideas and understand your goals for the space.  This session, which lasts about 90 minutes, will result in us giving you a cost estimate range for what you want to accomplish.  We’ll get to the final estimate after a home visit.  More on that later.

While you are in the Design Center, we want to give you an idea of what material options you have so that you can make an informed choice and understand how this will affect the overall cost.  At this point, you are not selecting anything specific, but you are learning about differences in quality, maintenance, and durability.  We want you to be aware of the different price points and what is affecting that difference.  This includes cabinetry, flooring, tile, backsplashes, countertops, lighting, exhaust fans, faucets, sinks, and more.

For a kitchen remodel, for example, we will show you the starting price point for countertops, which is laminate.  Laminate, by the way, has been improved through the years and is a nice option for those with a limited budget.  But I will also show you solid surface, quartz, and granite, so that you understand the difference between them and can decide what will work best for you.

You’ll also be walked through the timeline of when we need a retainer to develop plans (not yet), when a contract needs to be signed (not yet) and how you will pay for the project.  We do this so you are completely comfortable about knowing each step and when it happens so there are no surprises to you along the way.

At the end of this initial consultation, we have learned enough to give you a realistic investment range based on what you are looking to have done along with what materials you want to use.

If you are comfortable with this range, our next step is to come to your home so we can assess the actual space and take measurements of flooring, cabinets, walls and other details.  At that time, we can tell you exactly at which end of the price spectrum your project will fall.

You are not obligated to continue the process at this point or to make a decision on the spot.  But for us to develop plans, we ask for a retainer.  Within 10 days of receiving your retainer, we’ll have the specific plans and proposal drawn up and will review them with you and make adjustments.  At our Design Center, you can view a computer simulation of the finished project.

Now it’s up to you to sign the contract, so we can begin to plan the start of construction and choose the specific materials.  I’ll explain that process in my next blog.