Kitchen remodeling – much like all remodeling – is about compromise.  It’s always the case that we want more than we can afford.  But it’s particularly so with kitchen remodeling.  We’ve all seen so many luxury kitchens that it’s hard to stay focused on what’s important.  In the shelter magazines, even second homes of folks who don’t cook are filled with appliances and finishes on which most of us shouldn’t really spend our scarce capital.  Ultimately, the $5,000 we spend on a professional range isn’t available for our retirement fund, our kid’s education, or a family vacation.

Plan for a successful Kitchen Remodel

Often my clients approach me with specific proposed solutions.  One of the aspects of human thinking is that we often proceed directly to “solving” problems without fully defining the problem or our objectives.  And so, clients, too often start the process saying they want to replace their kitchen or create an island or … some other specific action.  But I often find that the solution a client has in their head at the beginning of the process won’t achieve many of their objectives or dreams.  They can spent $50,000 on a kitchen remodel but don’t really enjoy their homes any more afterward than when they started.

In one case, my client said they wanted to gut their kitchen and replace everything.  But after discussing their lifestyle and her frustrations, I proposed a completely different solution.  We left the kitchen almost untouched except for changing a few finishes.  Instead we removed a wall separating the kitchen with the family room, improved the access to the outdoors, and built a patio.  For about the same money my client was thinking about spending on her kitchen, she and her family achieved a completely new lifestyle.  And the frustration that my client felt while in the kitchen (and that she thought would be solved with new cabinets and appliances) went away completely since she no longer felt trapped in the kitchen while family life went on outside her view.

I also know, from experience, that no one or two or three solutions works for the majority of my clients.  Because each family has their own lifestyle and their own frustrations and dreams, the solution for each is unique.

I use 2 questionnaires when I work with clients on kitchen remodeling.  The first is the more important one.  It helps me think through overall concepts.  It’s a way to help diagnose what’s really wrong.  As in the example, above, I know that sometimes we focus on little things – like sticking or dingy cabinets — when the problem is really bigger, for example, that you feel disconnected from your family or garden.  The most important planning activity is an accurate diagnosis of what’s needed – then it becomes much easier to compromise because we know what’s critical and what we can give up.

The second questionnaire is a detailed questionnaire about appliances and finishes and the like.  It’s just a convenient way for me to keep track of preferences.  I don’t usually even look at this questionnaire until I’ve come up with solutions that achieve the big lifestyle objectives.  I’ve found that we can often compromise on the details if we can achieve the big picture.

Click the link below to download one or both questionnaires.  They can help you sort through your real frustrations and desires without getting side-tracked by less important factors.  That’s the first necessary step is planning a remodel that will change your lifestyle for the better.

Download Questionnaires.

You’ll need a PDF reader

A Consumer Reports survey revealed that a high percentage of respondents said they wished they had done more research or selected a pro more carefully when taking on remodeling.  Here are 25 tips to avoid disappointments and problems in remodeling your kitchen or bath.

1.    Plan First.  List what you like and don’t like about your existing kitchen or bath.  Also what you like or don’t like about kitchens and baths you’ve been in – maybe a luxury hotel or former home.  Write it down.  Turn it into a wish-list for your remodel.  Review the wish-list at several points during the planning process and one last time before you begin construction.  Make sure you’re not forgetting anything.  It’s really easy to forget a small but important detail.
2.    Create a workbook. Clip Pictures and analyze.  It’s rare that you like everything in the image in a shelter magazine.  What’s making you feel good about the room?  Is it the color, the light fixtures, the color of the wood, the style of the cabinets.  Then review it with others – not to get them to approve but to have them tell you what they see.  We all take in details differently.  Maybe they notice a detail that’s important to the look that your eye missed.
3.    Guidelines from NKBA – The National Kitchen and Bath Association.
These guidelines are a must read for anyone remodeling a kitchen or bath.  If you stick with these guidelines, you will avoid myriad problems such as not being able to fully open appliance doors or bumping into stools every time you move around the new island.
Kitchen Guidelines
Bath Guidelines
4.    Create a Budget – Even if you’re hiring a contractor to do most of the work, a detailed budget is a must.  List the price of everything (and I mean everything) you want/need to purchase.  Here are some resources to follow:
- Budgeting for Remodeling a Project
- What Does It Cost to Remodel A Kitchen?
- Comparing Bids
Then remember to also:
- Round up all numbers
- Remember to add in a line for the cost of shipping, delivery and tax
- Add at least 3%-5% for items that you’ve left off the list (this is separate from the contingency (below)
5.    Add a contingency of 10% to 25%. The contingency can be 10% if you’ve done this before and it’s a relatively straightforward remodel.  If it’s your first time or it’s an old house, I strongly recommend a contingency of 25%.  There are dozens of items that you don’t know you need until you’re missing it.
6.    Update your budget every time your purchase an item or something changes.   If you budgeted $100 for hardware and end up spending $300, update the budget.  Going over your budgeted allowance by $200 on 10 items is $2,000 added to the budget.  Don’t get surprised at the end or end up not being able to finish because you ran out of money.  If the contractor included allowances in the budget for items like fixtures, keep you own budget of the actual versus the allowance.
7.    Include Decorating Items in the budget. Your remodel isn’t really complete until you’re installed items like window treatments, rugs and specialty items like stools.  If you haven’t purchased them lately, these items can be quite expensive.  Don’t get caught without money to complete the work.
8.    Make a Schedule & add 30%. Work with your contractor or installer (maybe your husband, brother, or sister) to establish a schedule.  And than add 30% to the planned time.  If your installer has never done it before – add 50% or more to the schedule.  If your contractor says it will take 2 months, plan on a 10-11 week project.  Rarely does everything go as planned and we usually underestimate the time it will take to accomplish any task.   Mentally it’s far easier to have the remodeled kitchen ready before you plan than to have weeks of work left when you thought you would be enjoying the new room.
9.    Make sure this is a good time to remodel – Think about activities that you have planned – a dinner party or graduation ceremony.  Don’t cut the time too close.  Also add in time for you to get the new space set-up and decorated.
10.    Don’t confuse price with quality. You can buy the same size stainless steel sink for $200 or $2000.  Don’t presume that the $2,000 sink is better.  Its higher price is likely due to name brand, finishes or features that may or may not be useful to you.  Think through what you need and don’t be persuaded that more is better.
11.    Read Reviews. One of the best things about the internet is the ability to read what folks think about the product or service you’re thinking of buying.  And remember, we don’t all value things the same way.  So even if someone rated a product poorly (or highly), they might want the product to perform differently than how you intend to use it.  Pay attention especially to issues of maintenance or reliability.  Reviews can be really helpful to help you figure out whether the features of the higher priced sink or other fixture is worth the additional money for the way you cook or live.  I personally like Amazon reviews and often start there for most products.
12.    Don’t Necessarily Go with the low Price Merchant. Along with product reviews, also read merchant reviews.  You don’t want to delay your project because items don’t arrive or arrive damaged.
13.    Have the Installer Review Product Specs Before You Buy. Kitchen and bath fixtures and appliances have become quite complex.  It used to be that you could be pretty certain that a faucet or drain would work with any sink.  No longer.  Some sinks require 1-1/4 inch drain assemblies and some require 1-3/8 or 1/1/2 assemblies.  Some sinks require overflow drain assemblies and some will leak if you use an overflow drain assembly.  One cooktop described as 36” can fit in a 36” cabinet and some require a 39” or 42” cabinet.  The list is endless.
14.    Select the contractor carefully. Don’t assume that because your neighbor or friend had a good experience with a contractor that you will also.  The difference in experience might be because you expect a different level of quality, because the scope of the work is different, or because the finish level is different.  Here’s a handy guide about what to ask references (including your friend or neighbor).
Remember, that you’ll be with your contractor every day for weeks or months.  Make sure you like them.  If you have any hesitation about the individual listen to your gut!
15.    Plan for a Temporary Kitchen. If you’re doing a kitchen remodel, there will likely be some period when the kitchen is unavailable.  Work with your contractor to figure out where and how you can make coffee, make breakfast and dinner, wash dishes.  This should be someplace with water but could be near a bath or in the basement.  Also work with the contractor to limit the time that the kitchen is unavailable to you.  This can be done by appropriate staging of the work.
16.    Remodeling is Dirty and Dusty. Plan accordingly.  First, make sure that the contractor or installer is experienced using strategies to reduce dust and dirt in the living area.  Second, make sure you protect your furnishing and equipment.   Third, think about whether you can tolerate the dust and disruption for the period of the project.  Your frustrations will probably be even worse if you have children.  If this is going to strain your family, plan to live someplace else during construction – but still make sure that your contractor used strategies to limit dust and dirt.
17.    Plan for a move-in cleaning service before you move back in or start using the new room.

The next few items have to do with the design itself:

18.    Make sure there’s enough light– daylight and artificial.  Too many homeowners leave lighting to the end – having sufficient daylight and artificial light is critical to your enjoyment of the remodeled home.  If your budget is tight, think about sacrificing some of the more expensive details for larger or more windows and better lighting.  Further, if you wait until the end to think about lighting, it can significantly increase your building costs since running wires is done early in the remodeling process.
19.    Make sure there’s enough storage. You already own a lot of what will go into the remodeled space and know of future needs.  Plan where everything goes before you complete your planning process so you know you have spaces for everything.
20.    Do Furniture Arrangements Before Your Start Construction. Far too often I hear complaints that homeowners feel that furniture arrangements are awkward after all the work of remodeling.  It’s easy to see a big space on the floor plan and just assume that your furniture will work.  Use a low-cost software program or a cut and paste planner to arrange your furniture and make sure it will work in the new space.  If my clients have artwork or other special items, I make sure spaces are pre-planned for these special items.
21.    Make sure the views are inviting. When I design plans for my clients, I think about focal points and views through rooms and to the outside.  This prevents finding out only after you’ve finished that you look at dirty dishes each time you walk into the house or that when you sit down you lose the gorgeous views.  I use rendering software to accomplish this.  You can also frame views with cardboard cutouts or other such physical means.
22.    Involve all the members of your household. Your children have valuable insight into what’s comfortable and how they use the house.  Make sure you involve everyone who will be living in the home.  It will also help create buy-in to the end result.  If you’re using a designer, he or she can help you with this process and help reconcile divergent opinions so that tension doesn’t result.
23.    Keep style consistent with rest of home. I personally hate when I walk into a house and know exactly where the addition starts and the original house ends because the homeowner changed style or trim details.  This doesn’t mean that you need to replicate what exists, but don’t plan for conflicting styles.  It be as simple as replicating crown or base molding.
24.    Think through future remodeling plans. If you’re planning on several phases of work, make sure you design the subsequent phases before moving forward with early phases.  You’ll feel awful if your only choice next year or in five years is to either forego something that you really want to do or rip out portions of what you’ve already because you didn’t think it through in advance.
25.    Enjoy yourself! Remodeling can create strain and conflict – worries about money, frustration at the mess and the strain of having strangers in your house each day.  If you can’t enjoy the process keep your mind focused on the terrific outcome.

In my experience, homeowners experience 4 different types of bad experiences during and after a major remodel project:

1. Financial – The actual costs are much greater than the anticipated costs
2. Financial – They invest more money than they can get out during resale
3. Problems with Contractors
4. Style/Look – When it’s completed, there are certain areas or items that they’re not satisfied with.
5. Function – Don’t like way certain areas or items function

Successful Home Remodeling

And many of these areas overlap – For example, a contractor makes a decision on his own without asking about placement of an appliance or cabinet and the homeowner doesn’t like the result.

In this series of articles (on successive Mondays), we’ll address each of these area starting today with Financial Pitfalls – Costs Exceed Budget

Pitfall:  Actual Costs are Greater Than Anticipated:

Planning: The planning for a remodeling project must be extraordinarily comprehensive because even small details can have big price tags.  I got a question recently from a homeowner living in Pennsylvania saying that she wanted to do an attic remodel and got a ballpark from a contractor of $200/sf for the remodel  She wanted to know if that was reasonable.  It certainly is a starting point.  In the area I work – the greater Washington DC area – the price for an attic remodel could range from $100/sf to $250/sf.  For a 1000 sf attic, that’s a price range of $100,000 to $250,000.  Not a good basis for any planning except whether it’s even worth planning further.  Similarly, even for the exact same floor plan, I can’t give much closer a price range without having worked through the details.  Let me give just a few examples: a kitchen with laminate counters can cost $5,000 less than a kitchen with the same square feet of granite counters.  I can spend anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 for appliances for the same size kitchen.  I can spend $1,000 to $6,000 on flooring.  And lighting can be anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000 for the same area.  A single sink can be anywhere from $100 t0 $1,200.  And the list goes on.  When I work with a client, I start with the ballpark only so they can figure out whether to continue.  Then I work on a floor plan with the functionality that they need.  And then we start working on the details WITH THEIR BUDGET IN MIND.

Compromise: With the basic goal in hand in the form of a floorplan and wishlist of specifications, we can then start to plan the specifics.  For most homeowners this means identifying specific compromises to get close to their goals within their budget.  I usually present a detailed budget that meets their budget and one that contains their full set of desires.  Sometimes these can be tens of thousands of dollars apart.  Then we start compromising.  Maybe some items are so important that it’s worth increasing their budget.  Some high priced items are jettisoned (maybe that higher priced stove or dishwasher or specialty cabinets) for lower priced items in order to stay in the budget.  Or maybe the project is phased so that they get it all – just not all at once.

Execution: The other reason for detailed planning is that a change at the planning stage is incredibly cheaper than a change-order after the job starts.  I always include 10%-25% contingency in the budget to take account of inevitable unexpected items when the walls are opened up and the equally inevitable “while you’re here” requests.  That’s why my projects almost never exceed the budget.  But when you don’t do detailed planning up-front, the costs can exceed the budget by 50% or even 100% because it’s costly to change plans in the middle of the project.  The costs of change come from

For further reading:

-    Budgeting for a Remodeling Project
-    How to cut $20,000 Out of A $85,000 Kitchen Remodel
-    What Does it Cost to Remodel a kitchen?
-    8 Way to Keep Kitchen Remodeling Costs Down
-    Price Drivers in Residential Remodeling
-    Budgeting for a Remodeling Project
-    Basement Remodeling – Cost Components
-    A Low-Cost Kitchen Remodel
-    You control remodeling costs
-    Comparing Price Estimates – Make Sure It’s Apples to Apples

Computer Rendering of Remodeled Ranch

My client owns a typical 1950’s post-war construction 3-bedroom ranch house in Silver Spring.  Virtually the same house can be found in many communities throughout the area including Bethesda, Wheaton, Gaithersburg and Rockville.  It’s a small brick house where the front door opens directly into the living room.  There’s a small living room, a dining room and kitchen plus 3 small bedrooms and a bath on the first floor.  It has a full basement – originally unfinished.  The house has relatively small windows and no connection to the outdoors.

This home is on a very large lot that backs up to park land – creating a private green way in the back yard – a very desirable reason for opening up the house to the outdoors.

We are still in the conceptual design phase but I thought I would share 3 separate approaches I developed for them to think about.  My client’s priorities include:
-    Bringing the outdoors in
-    A modern/open/informal lifestyle
-    Both a  foyer and a mud entrance
-    A Master Suite
-    A Carport with ample closed storage for recreational & outdoor equipment
-    Preserving or replacing the existing attic storage
-    The back of the house has a southern exposure and the client would like to be able to add photovoltaics in the future.

The following are computer renderings of the home after construction for each approach.  Since we’re at the beginning of conceptual design, the drawings are not fully detailed.  There will be many changes in whatever approach (or combination of approaches) they choose.

The options go from big to small and more expensive to less expensive.  All the options maintain the character of house from the street so the house will continue to fit into the neighborhood.

Option 1 – 775 square foot addition in the back of the house.

Option 1: View from Dining to Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 1: View of Kitchen & Dining through to Entry

Option 1: Floor Plan

This option fulfills the client’s entire wish-list albeit at a fairly steep price of approximately $350,000 to $400,000 which includes refinishing the entire first floor.  The existing living room is transformed into a separate foyer.  From the front door you can see all the way through the house into the deck and gardens in the back.   The dining room, living room, kitchen and new master suite all open onto a large deck.  A new mud entrance off a new carport is close to the kitchen and bath.  The new carport has lots of enclosed storage for outdoor and sports equipment.  The new space has a new roof volume that can take advantage of future photovoltaic arrays and allows for clerestory windows to let soft northern light into the middle of the house.  A large southern roof overhang prevents solar build-up in the summer but promotes passive solar in the winter months.  While drawn here as wood, stone floors would provide further passive solar benefits.  With a generous master suite, 3 additional bedrooms, and an office all on the 1st floor – this home would provide substantial value with relatively small footprint and continued fit within the established neighborhood.

Option 2 – 800 square foot 2nd Floor

Option 2: View From Entry Through to Deck

Option 2: View of Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 2: First Floor Floor Plan

Option 2: 2nd Floor Floor Plan

The second option involves adding a partial second floor instead of a back addition.  The result is a home that feels more traditional but still feels open.  Because the 2nd floor only spans part of the house, it still fits in with the homes on the block.  In option 2, we added almost exactly the same amount of space and met the full wish-list at a smaller price tag.  It’s often cheaper to build up rather than out.  In this case we’re re-using the existing foundation — investigation shows that the existing foundation and wall will support a 2nd floor.  We’re also saving money because we’re able to tie into the existing waste stack and other plumbing lines.

One small bedroom on the first floor was sacrificed to create an open stairway.  This change creates a large airy foyer with large coat closet and views through the house to the deck and garden.  The 2nd floor contains a master suite and 4th bedroom or study.

Compared with the first option, the kitchen is smaller and we lose a separate mud entrance from the carport – in this option, the mud entrance is incorporated to the side of the kitchen.  The deck is smaller with fewer access points.  We also end up with one less bedroom/study.  But the master suite is larger with killer views of parkland and a larger master bath with his and her sinks.

Option 3 – 290 square foot Back Addition and Remodeled Basement Master Suite

Option 3: View from Dining to Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 3: View of New Foyer & Thru to Deck

Option 3: Exterior View of New Deck & Basement Master Suite

Option 3: Floor Plan of First Floor

Option 3: Floor Plan of Basement

The house is on a slight hill and so the floor of the basement is only about 3ft below grade at the back.  The basement also enjoys full 8’ ceilings.  It is dry and already conditioned (heating and cooling) but is essentially never used except for some storage.

The least expensive way to fulfill my client’s wish list is to build a small addition in the back – creating a pleasing L-shaped house with good views and access to the outdoor – and to build a new master suite in the under-used basement.  We would excavate a small sunken patio just outside the new master suite with access through French doors.

The remodeled home would be modern in feel – with an airy, open foyer including a skylight over the stairway that brings abundant daylight to the middle of the basement.  A large open foyer and separate large mud entrance off the new carport would serve family and friends well.  The existing living room is turned into a study with a small but adequate open space with dining, living, and kitchen open to the back deck.  Corner windows in the kitchen add significantly to the open feel.  The master suite is large enough for a sitting area, plenty of closet space, his-and-hers sinks in the master bath and a study opposite the new stairway.
This option – at $65,000 to $85,000 less than the first option – still fulfills my client’s wish-list.  I also like this option because the work can be phased – if desired – to spread out the payment over 2 or 3 phases of work.

Conclusion

For me, the real less here is the value of the conceptual design phase.  For less than $5,000 my clients are able to fully visualize and understand their choices before investing in expensive construction documents.  None of these options were options originally conceived of by my client.  They were thinking that they would remove the entire back wall and double the size of the house – an option that yielded fewer benefits at greater cost than any of these options.  The conceptual designs presented to my clients included 2 additional options than presented here and all options contained much greater detail and more internal and external renderings than presented here.  It’s the right way to start thinking about remodeling.

Before Pictures

BEFORE - Dining Room

Front Exterior - Before

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build.

Since I’m in the construction business I’m often asked about the importance of licensing.  Friends read articles that say the only way to protect oneself is to use a licensed contractor.  But the painter or handyman that’s been recommended isn’t licensed, is it safe to hire him?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always an easy one.

There are two different types of licenses in the jurisdictions in which I work.

Professional Licenses: Professional licenses provide assurance that a licensed individual has passed knowledge-based exams and has worked a certain number of years under a licensed professional.  Most jurisdictions require that electrical and plumbing work be performed by a licensed plumber or electrician.  A registered engineer or licensed architect, in addition to passing exams and having professional work experience must also finish certain degree programs.

Since I am not a licensed architect, I always use a registered structural engineer to approve certain types of structural changes.  Licensing says nothing about the quality of one’s designs or ability to work with and understand the needs of clients.  I am not comfortable designing a house from scratch, I would hire an architect to work with me on this.  However, because I’ve remodeled my own houses and am responsible for the construction aspects or remodeling for others, I’m in some ways better prepared than an architect to design and manage a remodeling design/build company.

I will also admit that I don’t always use licensed electricians and plumbers.  I always use a licensed professional for rough-in plumbing and for upgrades to electrical service.  In addition, I always get a permit which means an inspector will review the work to ensure it meets code.  But I don’t hesitate to use a handyman or other experienced contractor to change electrical or plumbing fixtures.  In fact, for remodeling my own homes, I’ve passed an electrical exam for homeowners and done my own wiring of lighting and outlets.  An inspector will inspect my work and this is comfortable for me.  Someone less familiar with construction might only be comfortable using a licensed professional for these tasks also.

Business Licenses: When a jurisdiction licenses a home improvement contractor, this is usually a business license and not a professional license.  The most basic protection that this type of license offers homeowners is the requirement for a certain level of general liability insurance – that level varies by jurisdiction.  In Maryland and the District of Columbia the amounts are $50,000 in property damage.  Both jurisdictions require that a company carry workers compensation insurance in case of worker injury.  In Maryland the license also requires a certain number of years of experience and passing an exam (which is testing knowledge of the laws and requirements not construction knowledge).  The District does not require this but does require copies of preprinted standard contracts.

So this home improvement business license basically assures the homeowner that the owner of the company has a basic level of business knowledge and a basic level of insurance.  But I carry far more insurance than is required for licensing and carry professional liability insurance as well as general and property liability insurance.

Importantly, Maryland also has a Guaranty Fund that can resolve claims made by homeowners should a licensed contractor fail to perform against a contract.

Conclusions: But licensing says nothing about the ease of working with a tradesman or how conscientious they are or about the neatness of their work.  A painting company large enough to go through the licensing process may also cost more and have an owner that only checks on work periodically instead of being on the job site working alongside his crew most of the day.  My favorite painter is not licensed.  But his work and that of his crew is the best I’ve seen.  Equally important to me and my clients, he is always on time, is neat, is easy to work with, has real pride in his work and has demonstrated that he can solve problems.

A decision about who to hire is much more complex than determining who is licensed.  Home improvement is like most everything else we do where we need to weigh risks and benefits in making a decision.  Just remember that a professional license does assure that a contractor has a certain level of training and knowledge (but the tested knowledge is a very small segment of the knowledge-based required for executing a complex remodel).  A business license assures a certain level of business knowledge and insurance.  Neither license says anything about whether that contractor is right for your job and for working with you.  In a previous article (link), I’ve offered guidance about what to ask references in hiring a contractor to help answer the questions about whether the contractor has the experience based required for your job and whether he’s a good match for you.  The questions are as relevant whether the contractor is a general contractor or a painter.

Remodeling In Progress

This is the first in a weekly series about working with contractors.  I welcome your questions about your own relationships with contractors and suggestions about future articles.

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by clients and prospective clients is whether we really need to get a permit for the project.  The homeowner is usually asking about the risks and penalties of being caught.  But I think the more important consideration is the benefits of permitting home improvement work and the downstream risks of not doing so.

Almost anytime I get a question such as this, I have a very recent “horror” story about a homeowner who has recently become a client because they didn’t get a previous project permitted.  Here’s a recent one that cost the client $15,000 in re-work to fix a poorly done, unlicensed plumbing and HVAC work.

Our client called because he wanted to remodel his basement.  After we talked about what he wanted to do I asked if there were other problems we needed to fix.  Our client told me about a very slow drain in the basement sink (slow after being snaked twice) and an odor coming from the basement shower drain.  He also complained about always being cold on the first floor.  I learned he had remodeled the basement as well as the portions of the first floor and switched from hot water heat to forced air only 3 years ago.  He was so unhappy with the basement that he wanted to remodel it again plus he wanted several details on the first floor revised. 

His previous contractor came recommended by a work colleague.  He understood, at the start of the job, that the work had been permitted.  Only later – at the end of the project — did he discover that the contractor had failed to get a permit and also used unlicensed plumbers, electricians and HVAC tradesmen for the project.

Upon investigating, we found that waste from the basement toilet was flowing toward the shower drain instead of into the waste stack.  In addition, none of the plumbing fixtures in the basement except for the original washing machine was properly vented.  There were no air returns on either the basement or first floor levels so the HVAC equipment wasn’t cooling or heating properly. 

If the work had been permitted, it’s likely that none of these problems would have occurred:

• Plumbing Problems:  If a licensed plumber had been involved, the flow and venting would have been correct.  Plus, an inspector would have confirmed that the work was performed correctly.
• HVAC:  Code would require adequate air returns and an inspector would have confirmed that the work was performed correctly. 
• Style and Scope of Work:  Without a permit, the contractor could get away with verbally describing the work to be done.  He didn’t have to produce drawings of the work.  The process of making and reviewing drawings might have been sufficient to ensure that the scope and style met the client’s needs.

How much more would it have cost to get a permit for the previous work?  The answer is at least $1,000 and maybe as much as $8,000 including both the cost of the permit and the time for the contractor to develop and submit plans and permitting documents.  The reason for the big spread is that it’s hard to estimate how much the drawings would have cost.  However, the $15,000 in re-work was only to fix the plumbing and HVAC problems.  The additional work to remodel the basement and to modify details on the first floor was an additional $40,000.  All of this could have been saved if it was done correctly the first time.

The permitting process while at times cumbersome is almost always in the client’s interest.  Developing detailed drawings requires a thoughtful design process and complete specification of work to be done.  And no matter how much confidence you have in your contractors or how highly regarded they are by others, it’s invaluable to have an independent set of eye reviewing that the work performed meets building codes.

Are there ever times when it’s not to a homeowner’s advantage?  I’ve spoken with homeowners who want to add a bedroom to the basement but don’t want to spend the extra money to meet egress requirements.  Meeting egress might mean replacing a window in a basement bedroom with a larger window that opens fully and enlarging the window well.  My argument to the homeowner is that the egress requirement is based on safety.  If there is a fire and their child or guest cannot get out or be saved because the fireman can’t get through the window, it’s not money worth saving.  But there are a few other examples that are less clear: such as requiring a railing on a stairway designed to prevent a child’s head from slipping through (in a home where there are no children).  Another example might be finishing an attic where the headroom doesn’t meet the headroom requirement.  On the other hand, I can design very open-feeling railings that still meet code and the addition of a dormer to meet code will greatly increase a homeowner’s enjoyment of the attic room.

So in summary, yes getting a permit can add costs and time to the job.  However, it’s usually money well spent — if only for piece of mind.

Next Friday I’ll talk about 10 questions to ask when selecting a remodeling contractor.