The Importance Of Having A Floorplan For Your Remodeling Project

I recently finished a project that I was supposed to finish in 4 weeks after obtaining the necessary permits but it was not like that. Unfortunately, it took me 2 months longer than
expected, going through multiple inconveniences and the worst thing was seeing the customer’s frustrated face.

Throughout the process I wondered what was the mistake that triggered all this delay so as not to commit it again since in all the years I’ve been in this business I had never experienced anything like this, if I had already completed much larger and more complex kitchens without
difficulties Why did this simple little kitchen take longer than it should have to complete?

I received the call from the client one weekday around 5pm and I gladly agreed to stop by her house the next day between 5 and 6pm to take a look at the project and listen to her needs but to my surprise, the client told me that the kitchen had already been designed and ordered and that my job will only consist of demolishing and rebuilding. Out of curiosity, I asked her to show me the specs sheet for the cabinets, but she told me that the company responsible for the design did not give her that document that showed where each cabinet was going to be placed, so I suggested that she reach out to them and request it in order for us to go through the house and review the entire design together but the company did not show any interest, we waited for days without receiving anything and this part is attributed to failure #1.

A few days after starting working in this kitchen, the client decided to make some changes to the project which consisted of removing several load-bearing walls to make an open concept from the kitchen to the dining room and living room. After explaining to them that in order to make such a change, they would have to go through a process of bringing an architect and submitting the changes to the town to be approved and all this would take several weeks and to this I attributed failure #2.

After several weeks of requesting the spec sheets of the cabinets and not receiving them, I decided to go box by box to review the measurements of the cabinets and I came across the theory that several of the cabinets did not match the information that was given to me from the client so I immediately contacted her and let her know my findings and concerns and that it was vitally important that the company that designed the cabinets come back to the house so that we would all be in sync on the same page but for reasons I don’t know they never returned, they just sent the specs sheet to the client via email. Unfortunately, when I finally received the spec sheet for the cabinets it was confirmed that several of the cabinets did not fit the new design so they had to be reordered and to this I attribute failure#3.

Personally, I see construction as a puzzle where it is necessary for each tile to fit correctly in its place and for this, it is necessary for the client to take very seriously planning with their contractor or designer every aspect of the project before anything, especially if they have no experience in that field.

This action will save you time and money.

Unlike this project, I always have the opportunity to plan each aspect with the client or its designer and try to identify in advance every detail that could delay the journey or cause any
change.

This is the formula that has helped me complete all of my previous projects with zero or minimal delays as well as zero headaches or frustrated customer faces.

My suggestions for anyone planning on embarking in a new house project are:
● Have an experienced and trusted contractor
● Plan with your contractor or designer every detail this step will be vital so take all the time necessary to cover every detail
● A complete design of what the project will look like once completed approved by the client
● Have all the material possible in the job site and each special order in the schedule
● This is the part I enjoy most of all. Let’s do it!

I hope you find this story helpful in your construction project. Home improvement or new construction can be quite a joy when you have the right person and efficient planning.