Because it is Halloween and everyone is enjoying spooky things, we are going to dedicate this blog post on some horror stories about remodeling, and how to best handle them!

All contractors will encounter situations where things just do not go right, or the customer wants to change something in the middle, which puts the entire project in jeopardy. We hear horror stories all the time from disappointing customers, mismanagement, weather problems, etc. Many of them can be avoided with some pre-planning, but many, are just unavoidable. We'll discuss a few of these!

It's Not What You Expected

You've seen the designs. You've have this vision. It looks fantastic on paper, and you want to see it happen in your kitchen...But the color is off, and after all, it doesn't actually fit the rest of the house like you planned. Although fairly uncommon, there will always be a case where something didn't go well with the way it came out. Avoiding this comes from hiring a good contractor. A great contractor will provide you with a plan, a vision, and would understand before they even begin if it will work or not.

The Budget Was Wrong

Sometimes the budget calculations were off. This is frequently the case with customers of ours who have attempted a do-it-yourself project and ultimately ended up causing some more damage than intended, or just didn't understand the cost of the materials. If it is with a contractor, then the contractor themselves probably didn't take the necessary time to go over the numbers. Sometimes there is a change to the project and the costs are no longer properly assessed. This can be avoided by making sure you have a very specific and carefully put together contract with your contractor. It can also be avoided by making sure that the contractor themselves is very competent.

Weather

It cannot be avoided, and it cannot be controlled, but weather sometimes has a huge affect on the budget. Though rare in Southern California, due to our mostly warm climate, we do encounter a lot of flash downpours, and an occasional fire or earthquake risk can actually interrupt or put a total damper on your project. Although there is little that can be done to prevent this from becoming a problem, being patient is the best solution.

Accidents

Accidents are sometimes unavoidable, but large accidents are. Imagine a mistake in the plan and a wall that was not meant to be torn down was, or while trying to fix some plumbing, more damage was caused. There are many things that can go wrong while there is large equipment and materials being moved around in often limited space. Make sure that the company you hire has had a great reputation in being clean, tidy, and willing to repair any damage they may conduct.

The House is Haunted

And sometimes, us contractors just simply can't work in a house haunted by spirits and ghouls ready to strike at us when we try to repair your kitchen and bathroom. Make sure you hire the right Ghostbusters to clean our your house of all the evil ghouls and ghosts!

Remember, there are many things that can happen to your project, and lots of things you can do to mitigate the horror stories that come from home remodeling. 

Happy Halloween!