The idea of remodeling your home can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never hired a contractor before.

You may be wondering, how does this work? What is the process for hiring a contractor? What do I need to know? And/or what do I need to do?

Most contractors use a very similar process, but companies are run by unique individuals, so there are often subtle differences in how different companies follow this process. The overall process, however, is pretty much the same from company to company.

We would like to take a moment to talk about the process most contractors use, discuss why this process is used, and mention a few ways we believe this process can be improved.

What is the process for hiring a contractor?

If we go to the internet, we will learn that there is a process for how you are “supposed to” hire a contractor. When you follow this process, you (the homeowner) are “supposed to”: 

• Compare all the building material options that are available today.

• Pick out all the materials that are needed for your project.

• Plan out how you want everything to come together in your space. 

Once this is done, you are “supposed to”: 

• Make appointments with three (or more) different contractors. 

• Take the time to meet each contractor in your home.

• Systematically go over all the details of your project with each contractor.

After you do this, each contractor is supposed to give you a price quote for your project, and you are then “supposed to”:

• Hire the company that provides the best value for your money. 

• Oversee the contractors as they are building your new space.

While some of these steps make a lot of sense, many of them don’t seem very convenient for a busy homeowner. This causes us to ask the question:

Why do contractors work this way?

Truthfully, this process originated in commercial construction. When large companies need office buildings or warehouses built, they follow this process. How this plays out in a commercial project is as follows:

• First, the company hires architects and engineers to plan the project in its entirety. 

• Then, they ask multiple contractors to provide a price to build the project. Since cost is by far the most important factor for them, they hire the company that offers the lowest price. 

• Finally, since they know that the low bidder is incentivized to cut corners and do sub-standard work, they hire a third-party company to oversee the contractors that are doing the work. 

Even though this process is inherently inefficient, large companies are able to leverage it in a way that allows them to get large commercial spaces built for the lowest possible price. 

Does this process work well for residential clients?

When you are considering whether this process will work well for you, you might ask yourself:

• Is my home remodel similar to an office or warehouse renovation?

• Do I have the same needs as a large company?

• Do I have the construction knowledge, or the time, to plan out my project in as much detail as an architect would? 

• Are there any factors, like the safety of my family, that are more important to me than getting my project done for the lowest possible price?

• Do I have the time, or the knowledge necessary, to ensure that a contractor is doing a good job?

We have found that when homeowners ponder these questions, many of them find that their needs are very different than the needs of commercial clients. This begs the question: Is there a process that would be better for residential homeowners?

What is the process for having a residential construction project done?

As residential contractors, we have seen firsthand how the commercial construction process can be very stressful for residential homeowners. A homeowner’s needs are very different from the needs of a large company and some of these needs can go unmet when the wrong process is followed.

Because of this, we have tasked ourselves with creating a remodeling process that is tailored to a residential homeowner’s needs. We remodel bathrooms, so we created our process with the specific intention of making bathroom remodeling simple, easy, and stress-free for homeowners.

This is what our process looks like:

Step 1: Dream it!

When you fill out a form on our website, send us a text, or give us a call, we will ask for photos of your space, and we will schedule a phone call, at your convenience. 

On this call, we will listen to the dreams you have for your new space, answer any questions you have, and make sure our company can meet your needs.

How much the project will cost is an important factor to consider when you are planning a renovation. We don’t think that it is reasonable to ask you to plan your project in its entirety before we let you know what it might cost. So, while we are on the phone, we will share what similar projects typically cost.

We do this initial exploration over the phone because we value your time and we understand that a phone call is much easier to fit into your busy schedule than an on-site meeting.

Our goal for this phone call is to answer any questions you have, explain what you can expect during the next steps of our process, and prepare you (and ourselves) for a productive in-home consultation!   

Step 2: Explore it!

Once you are ready to further explore the ideas you have for your space, we will come to your home and help you start the process of developing your project! 

At this meeting, we will walk through the dreams you have for your space, and explore how we can make them come true in your home!

We will help you set priorities that will guide the product selections you make, and we will make recommendations of products for you to consider. 

Step 3: Refine It!

Instead of asking you to research all the materials and plan all the details of your project by yourself, we will come alongside you and guide you through the planning process. This can happen in one of two ways:

#1. If you are unsure about what you want your space to look like, we will connect you with a designer. This designer will walk you through a discovery process and help you design a space that you will love! 

#2. If you already have a good idea of what you want your space to look like, and you are comfortable choosing products and finishes, we will bring you to our vendors’ showrooms to make those selections. We will guide you through the selection process, making recommendations of products to use, and offering suggestions to help you create a beautiful, functional, space that will hold up to daily wear and tear for years to come!   

Step 4: Facilitate It!

Once the planning of your new space is done, we will provide you with a fixed-price proposal for the build. 

Since we have helped you plan everything ahead of time, you can rest assured that what you pay at the end of the building process will be exactly what you expected! Unless you decide to make a change during the building process, you will not pay a penny more for the project than the contracted price! 

In the facilitate it phase of your project (after the contract is signed), we will order all of the materials, schedule the workers, and get permits for your project. We will also take this time to help you get up to speed with our project management software! 

Step 5: Create It!

When we are creating your new space, our focus will be the same: making the process easy and stress-free for you. 

Remodeling is noisy and messy. No matter what we do, it will be disruptive. But, we do our very best to control the disruption as much as possible. Some of the ways we do this:

• Setting daily start and end times that work with your schedule.

• Using drop cloths and plastic dust walls to control dust and prevent damage to your home.

• Keeping our work site as neat and organized as possible throughout the entire building process. 

• Providing you with access to the information you need through our project management software. You will be able to sign the contract, pay invoices, approve changes, view progress photos, read daily logs, and view the project schedule! It’s all in one place, accessible 24/7/365!

Step 6: Enjoy It!

When the transformation is complete, we will walk through your new space with you, and make sure that everything is to your satisfaction. We will then follow up a few weeks later, a few months later, and about a month before your warranty period is up. 

We do great work, but old homes can be challenging, and sometimes things happen. That’s why we are proactive about following up with you. We want you to love your new space! If a product isn’t working perfectly, or something needs to be touched up, we want to make that happen as quickly and in as stress-free a way as possible! So, we check in from time to time to make sure you are still loving your new space! 

Which process is right for you? 

Sometimes people are surprised to hear that we do things differently at Rothrock Kitchen & Bath Remodeling, especially when they have worked with contractors before. 

It seems odd to some people that we have such an in-depth phone conversation before we ever visit the site, or that we offer project development services to guide them through the planning process. Our process may feel odd, or even unnecessary, to those who have had good results using a commercial construction process to complete their residential projects.

That’s okay. Many people are happy with the service they get from their contractors. If the process your contractor follows is meeting your needs, by all means, stick with it!

But, for people who have limited time, who need things to be simple, or who have been disappointed by the process other contractors use, our client-first process may be just what they need! 

Give us a call or click the link to fill out a web form if our process sounds like it would be a good fit for your remodeling needs! We would love to help you transform your space!