OK — so this is part 2 of my renovation!!!!
2 rules:
– nothing is easy
– everything takes 2x as long as you think.
as long as you get those rules down, you are off to a good start.
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7am is the bewitching hour! before all the tradesmen come, i have to return the house to work conditions…this includes:
– removing my bathroom mirror from the vanity top and putting it back in the bedroom (along w/ all our toothbrushes and wet towels so dust doesn’t end up stuck to it!).
– putting kitties away so they are contained with their litter box, food and bowls of water for the day
– filling the ice cooler with water and gatorade for the workers; coffee is on (with to-go cups/lids); checking to ensure powder bath is well stocked with soap and paper
at the end of every day it’s only natural to walk thru your house and make mental notes of questions, concerns. schedule a time with your contractor to go thru these…whether its first thing every morning or 2x a week. try not to piecemeal your questions/concerns thruout the day via 20 text messages or phone calls. it will drive your contractor crazy and he’s more likely to forget something on your list if you don’t sit him down and have his/her focused attention. unless you see something happening that you feel is wrong, hold your thoughts.
i also spent 30 minutes vacuuming and cleaning the house after the contractor’s standard sweep up at the end of everyday. i did this so that everyone else could have a normal-as-possible house to come home to. AND b/c i’m a neat freak. do not think that you are getting a white-glove cleaning service at the end of each work day. you get a quick sweep and trash removed (or at least contained) and that’s it. if you REQUIRE a thorough cleaning, a service can be brought it and it will cost you money and time.
during the work, anything can happen. expect:
– workers just not showing up one day — no call, no show… there’s been an emergency on another job site and they need to go to resolve it. they might be back in a day or 2. grin an bear it.
– there will be a scrape or gouge in your wall at some point. as careful as they may be, lugging ladders up and down skinny staircases have their risks. your contractor will take care of this. just try not to be a raging lunatic. you get more with sugar and honey!
– don’t feel bad or weird about walking thru the job site yourself several times a day. ask the workers if they need anything or have any questions. best you ask vs. letting them stew in their own questions.
after watching these guys, you’ll have an appreciation for how much time is involved getting from one point to another. for ex, the sheer work involved in removing a soffit and recessed cans from my master bathroom vanity area and adding sconces was ENORMOUS. it took DAYS. and switching out one chandelier for 2 pendants that were installed in a vaulted ceiling too DAYS. and i’m not evening adding new wiring…the wiring was already there…we were simply INSTALLING the fixtures. scaffolding had to be built and broken down….and if you don’t see this for yourself you just wouldn’t believe it. remember that YOU are not the expert on how to get this done, that’s why you’ve hired professionals.
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