Before ever beginning any major work on the interior of your home, we will have already navigated several important screening steps to build trust. After a couple of emails with details, we will create an initial ballpark estimate for your review. Our initial estimates are based on our previous experience with the cost of projects like yours as well as the current cost of retail materials pricing. We believe in transparency, as such our practice is to bill our clients for exactly the cost of labor & materials, with no additional Contractor markups.
Step 1 – Interview / Getting to know each other
This begins with the first emails or messages we exchange. We will be discussing mutual expectations, and your desires for your renovation, and answering your questions. In general, it’s a period for getting to know each other and understanding the project itself. We communicate mainly via email in order to have a written record that helps everyone keep track of where we are.
Step 2 – Ballpark Initial estimate at no cost
All initial estimates are provided digitally online or through email and are free to you. The initial estimate we provide, while general in nature, should help you decide if Strong Work Renovations is providing the right service for you. It will also help you understand where to rank us when attempting to compare us to other qualified Contractors offering comparable services. The purpose of the initial estimate is for screening purposes, to narrow down your choices of Contractors and decide if we might be a good fit for your needs.
When our initial estimate is accepted, the next step is to arrange an in-person visit to meet each other, take a look at the space, and take precise measurements. During this visit, we will verify as best as we can the feasibility of the project and may need to take a look at attic spaces, closets, etc. We will continue to discuss and review finishing materials options in order to create a Design Contract.
Step 3 – Design & Planning Contract
On most projects, there are many specific details that must be honored, so it’s often helpful to create a Design Contract and accept a small deposit to hold your start date or place in line for a start date. In this interim stage, we will take the necessary time to work through all of the project details, draw floorplans and create an updated estimate based on the choices you make. During this time we can select precise materials, play with colors, and patterns and work to get every detail ironed out before starting any work on-site. It is typical with a design contract scenario to pre-order many underlying and surface materials, and to store them at the job site before we begin. Many items and materials in these cases are special order or custom made and it’s best to have these on hand before we begin demolition on day 1.
A Design Contract requires a small down payment and does not have a fixed cost. You will be billed at an hourly rate for the time & money spent planning your renovation and preparing the details needed for the Building Permit.
Step 4 – Building Contract & Permitting
Our Contracts are very detailed, and typically more than a dozen pages long. We will review every expectation, procedure, and cost that is known for your project together. The framework of this Contract is created by utilizing the Design Contract details to create a document that removes confusion and that we can all rely on throughout the process of your renovation. You will receive a DRAFT of this document before we plan to meet with you to give you time for review and suggest alterations that may be necessary.
When the time comes to sign, we prefer to sit down at a table together and each sign an original copy of the Contract. At that time we will also accept the agreed-upon deposit amount which is included in the Contract language. Once a building Contract is signed by all parties, it is binding in the State of Colorado. Building permits, when required by local municipalities, will be applied for at the onset of any project that requires it.
Alterations can be made to the scope of the work after this fact, but keep in mind that changes incur both cost & timeline adjustments which have ripple effects throughout your project and others we may be working on. When changes are requested a shorter Change Order form will be utilized, and will include any foreseen upfront costs, as well as a change fee, which will be collected upon signing.