When Homeowners Bully Contractors

All of us have heard accounts of a contractor who bullies a homeowner, but there seems to be a new flip side trend in which the homeowner becomes the bully. With homeowners spending money again, some will spend it attached with strings knowing the contractor is vying for their business. This is often fueled by various spectrums of cultural entitlement, and cable home shows that set unrealistic expectations of a remodeling process, time, and costs. While it’s true that contractors are in the service business, the sensible "give and take" method is becoming a lost common courtesy.

Some homeowners have made unreasonable demands on contractors, and bully them into doing work without getting paid. They keep asking for extras, but the contractor who continuously does extras to please the homeowners may find the relationship soured as profitability is reduced. Then there are those who will unreasonably withhold payments. This is can be detrimental to the cash flow needed for already covered expenses by the contractor and throws up red flags for future work with that homeowner.

Homeowners are often shocked when projects run over budget, but it is quite normal for there to be change orders that result in extra expenditures. We make sure our clients understand that an extra 10% to 20% (depending on the scope of the project) should be budgeted for the job. Yet there are some who live so close to the bone that they run out of money before the project is finished. This makes things very awkward and often times the contractor becomes the scapegoat for their poor planning.

Homeowners should be actively involved in the renovation process. However, if they have difficulty making up their minds over the smallest issues, or insist on controlling minute aspects of the work, or hover over the workers on site, the project could be a nightmare experience for both sides.

Finally, homeowners need to know what is an appropriate punch list item, what is not, and a time limitation for addressing them. We remodeled a staircase for clients who, after we left each night, would take a bright spot light and go over all the painted railings and steps. They called us out multiple times for little knicks or scratches that we fixed each time and the next day there would be a few more found. With two small very active boys running up and down the stairs without a care they couldn’t conceive that their children were creating the problems. Our resolve was to take pictures of the entire staircase as we left it and prove to them it wasn’t on us. Sadly, we have learned through that experience and others that in order to protect ourselves from redoing work we take pictures of our completed work before any mysterious damages appear and we’re forced to rework any of it.   

The bottom line, not all contractors are seedy, they’re just regular folks trying to make a living too.  Remodeling should be a collaborative process in which the two parties mutually respect each other. This along with common courtesy will net result in a great remodeling experience for all. And isn’t that what everyone wants?

Unusual Items Found During Remodeling Projects

 Stacks of yellowed newspapers in dark attic recesses are the least of the surprises found when remodeling older homes. We found newspapers in the walls that announced the sinking of the Titantic on a 100 year farmhouse we were remodeling. Valuables that were once stashed away for safekeeping (and later forgotten), mummified critters that checked in and didn't check out, time capsules of building methods and materials that died out decades ago are among the many discoveries. It can be lessons in history and can add to the personality to the home when these are found.

Weird things found include an antique trivet, an old iron carpenters punch, and a Victorian tulip cover. Also, some old Art Nouveau-ish wall paper, some of it on the backs of scrap blocking for baseboards. Another remodeler found a corn cobb pipe hanging on the side of a stud on a nail. Hand written names, dates and weather from the carpenters who worked on the house before.

Here is another good one that always makes homeowners shake their heads in amazement. In bathrooms, the old steel medicine cabinet inserts from right after WWII had slots in them to dispose of used double edge razor blades. One bath they found a pile of rusted together blades that was the width of the stud bay and about 6-7" high. Either a BUNCH of men lived there or the guy changed blades every other shave!

We did a whole house remodel for a gal who was a widow. She bought the home from a couple in their 80's who were the original owners. It just so happened that the contractor and the homeowner were in the room while the guys were doing demo in an office. When they knocked a hole in the wall an old revolver fell out of the wall on onto the floor. Both guys immediately threw their hands in the air and said, "Not mine!" The homeowner didn't know it was there, and we all wondered why the original owner (long since passed) would have hidden it in the wall. We gave the gun to the homeowner and never heard another word about it.

Sometimes we remodelers feel like archeologists, a little like Indiana Jones, thankfully no snake pits yet, Anyways we’re always thrilled with our discoveries, our little version of the Dead Seas Scrolls. Let us know if you find any little treasures in your home.

Termites!

You do your best to keep your house in good shape. It has been painted, you’ve updated your windows, and even the small holes in the exterior have been fixed. Yes, your house looks amazing and you are proud of it. How would you feel, then, if you found out that your house was rotting from the inside? What if there are thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions!) of termites feeding off of your house and slowly decaying it while you have no idea whatsoever? Unless you live in Alaska, there’s a good chance that your home could get infested very easily by termites, which cause approximately $5 billion in damages annually. Not even the White House or the Statue of Liberty are safe from termites, as both have undergone treatment to rid themselves of these wood-chewing insects.

While you might have heard about termites your entire life, there’s a good chance that you may have ever actually seen one. Termites are small insects that measure anywhere between a few millimeters to a few centimeters in length. There are over 3,000 different species of termite worldwide. A termite colony can consist of a few hundred or up to millions of termites. A home that is within a half-acre of a termite colony can be at risk of infestation, so it is easy to have an infestation travel from one home to the next throughout a neighborhood. Subterranean termites often tunnel underground and produce swarms of winged reproducing termites that emerge once a colony has matured for a few years. Dampwood termites are attracted to, as their name indicates, wood that is damp. They are attracted to moisture and are typically found in more coastal areas. They, unlike the subterranean termites, never live in the soil, but stay in wood where they feed and lay their eggs. Drywood termites live along the southern border of the United States, as well as in the coastal areas of Florida and California. They, much like the dampwood termites, prefer living within a wooden structure and are not found in the ground.

Termites ruin your house by feeding off of its wood and some other building materials. They can be especially dangerous if you have a pier-and-beam foundation, as it is easily accessible via the soil and a good portion of it is hidden from your day-to-day view, often times leaving damage undetected. Interior walls can be infested for years before a homeowner finds out, causing extensive damage. Termites have even been known to ruin furniture, ranging from book cases to antique dressers. It is for these reasons, that you should do everything you can to ensure that your home is not infested and take immediate action if it is.

As the damage that termites can do to your property can be very serious and expensive to repair, you should periodically check around your house for signs of infestation. During the spring is when most termites swarm to look for new colonies. Swarming is when winged termites fly away from their colonies to establish new ones. You can often find discarded wings or dead insects near your house when swarming has occurred. Winged termites look a bit like winged ants, so they can sometimes be difficult to identify. Hallow or rotted wood is often a spot-on indicator that there is a termite infestation. Often times it will appear that only water damage has occurred near where termites have infested, but given that they are attracted to damp areas, be sure not to right off the possibility that termites are present, as well. Drywood termites often leave pellets that one might mistake for mouse droppings. Look for these pellets along window sills and other wooden areas in your home. If you find hallowed wood or wood that has specs of dirt in it, that is another sign of a termite infestation. Sometimes subterranean termites build tubes out of mud and dirt on exposed areas of your house to travel in. The tubes are about the size of a pencil and made out of mud. If you find any of these indicators, contact a termite specialist immediately, before any additional damage is done to your home.

Making A One Of A Kind Look

 

The owners of this Lake Oswego home, purchased new to them just a few years earlier, were ready to change up the kitchen. Because the oven had finally ceased to work, along with the other tired appliances, the reasons were easily justified. The tiled granite counter tops were too busy, on the dark side, and of course dealing with the grout lines just topped the list of annoyances. What they didn’t want was a full kitchen gut with new cabinetry. She wanted a solid surface counter top that was light in color, but not a solid humdrum color. The solution was to install a 3CM CeasarStone Dreamy Marfil slab. This stone is dreamy with its light veins in it and has the appearance of marble with absolutely no maintenance. It works well when combined with other elements including the oak cabinetry. To soften the 80’s awkward corners on the island, the kind that hurt when you bang into them, the new counter top was cut with a larger radius of rounded edges.

He wanted a backsplash that had some contemporary glass and a natural stone texture to it. After viewing many options he decided to generate his own design plan layout for our skilled tiling guy to mimic. The Salceo 10x14 in Cortez Beige and ½” Designer Glass in Emperador Mix Mini Roman tiles were meticulously laid out in a cohesive look that really gives the kitchen that punch of an unexpected surprise, which is exactly what they wanted to accomplish.

Because the new stainless steel wall oven, warming drawer, and microwave were different sizes than the original appliances, we modified the one cabinet unit to accommodate the new ones. It’s as if it was always that way. New electrical circuitry for all the new appliances were installed, as well as matching stone plates on backsplash, and new under cabinetry lighting to enhance the one of a kind backsplash.          

 

BEFORE: notice the cut counter top corners and wall oven combo

AFTER: much lighter look

AFTER: a seamless look

AFTER: new wall appliances fit to a perfection in old wall cabinet unit

 

Protecting Your Pipes During the Winter

While it might be “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for your family, especially the children, the pipes in your house are singing a different tune: “Don’t Let Us Freeze!” Freezing pipes can be inconvenient, dangerous, and very expensive. You see, not only does water stop moving when it’s frozen, it can actually lead to the pipes in your house bursting. Burst pipes will not only take away your hot showers during the cold season, but they will also cripple your holiday shopping budget, as it can be very costly to have them fixed. Obviously, the best way to deal with pipes bursting is to prevent it from happening ahead of time.

Pipes typically burst when there are exposed or uninsulated lengths of pipe on the exterior of your house. While water does expand when frozen, causing bottles or cans of soda to burst in the freezer, this is not what typically causes pipes to burst. Pipes burst due to ice blocking water pressure between the ice and a faucet, typically bursting at a spot where there is little ice to be found! Opening your faucets slightly to allow movement can greatly decrease the chances of pipes freezing or bursting. The cost of increased water usage are dwarfed by the cost of having your pipes replaced. Placing insulation over all over your exposed pipes outdoors is a necessity during the winter, especially if you plan on leaving town.

If you plan on being away from your home for extended periods of time during the winter, there are other things you can do to prevent returning from a trip to a house full of burst pipes. Definitely have a friend or family member on alert to swing by your place and run some faucets during a winter storm. Perhaps the most effective thing you can do is to shut off your main water valve and then turn all your faucets on until no more water comes out. That will empty your pipes of any water that could potentially freeze and cause serious problems while you are out of town. Obviously, this might only be necessary if you live in a climate that freezes for extended periods of time.

Typically pipes freeze when temperatures reach 20°F or below, but it is still wise to have insulation on hand for any time you expect the temperature to fall below freezing. Insulation should be taped around any exposed pipes and you should use an insulated cover over any exposed faucets around your exterior. Unfortunately, some pipes in your outer walls may not be properly insulated, leaving them vulnerable to cold weather. In these cases your best defense is to run water through your faucets to keep it from freezing. You don’t need to open the faucets all the way to have water blast through them to keep them from freezing, just a small amount of flow should suffice.

If you suspect that one of your pipes has burst, contact a plumber immediately! Many more problems will crop up if you have a water leak on your hands, so go ahead and shut off your main water valve, as well. And once again, call a plumber right away.

Choosing the Right Hood Fan for Your Kitchen

 

The cooking process in our kitchens has some unfortunate by-products: grease, moisture and odor. Proper ventilation can help minimize the effects of those fat droplets and neutralize smells in the heart of your home. It's not the most glamorous part of a remodel, but one of the main decisions you should make is the type of ventilation for your kitchen. Before you think about how a hood fan actually looks, explore the technical considerations. An island fan makes a strong statement in the center of the space, but it could fight for attention with pendants or chandeliers. On the other hand, a downdraft fan system lets you install a cooktop inconspicuously — even in front of a window. Being aware of your options could have an impact on the way you lay out your kitchen.

Use this mini guide covering the lingo to help you find the right hood fan for your kitchen.

Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM)

The first thing to consider is how much power your fan needs to have. A range hood's performance is measured in Cubic feet per minute (CFM). The higher the CFM number, the more air the range hood can remove in one minute of operation.

Your CFM needs depend on the size and the type of your range or range top, as well as the type and frequency of your cooking. For example, a large six-burner gas range requires more CFMs than a 30-inch-wide electric cooktop.

The requirement for an electric stove is 300 to 450 CFMs, whereas a gas range will need about 600 to 1,200. This number is based on the amount of BTUs (British thermal units, a gas appliance's performance measurement) divided by 100.

Sones
Many people don't use their kitchen fan because they find it too noisy. Don't let that happen with your new kitchen design. A fan's sound output is measured in sones — an internationally recognized measurement of loudness as perceived by a person with normal hearing. Some of the manufacturers will provide that information in decibels (dB) rather than in sones. Fans typically have three to six speed settings. Consider keeping the low setting, which is usually around 3 sones (at the sound level of a refrigerator running), on throughout the cooking process, and ramp up to the highest setting of about 7 sones (at the sound level of traffic noise) only for short, intense periods of cooking.

Blower Options
You have another option to cut down on fan noise: The blower part of a fan can be located in 3 different areas. Typically it sits in the actual carcass, or body, of the appliance. This is the version that creates the loudest sound. There is also an inline blower, which sits halfway in the duct run, either between ceiling joists or in the attic. If you have a complicated duct installation — either because it is very long or because it has a number of turns — an inline blower can also be added to your main blower to strengthen its power.

Make-Up Air
Don't under estimate the need for a make-up air system in your HVAC system, especially if you choose a strong hood fan. High-powered hood fans take out large volumes of air. If this air is not replaced at the same rate that it is expelled, this results in greater air pressure outside the building than inside (a vacuum effect). A make-up air system replaces the air that is expelled by a building's exhaust system, makes sure your exhaust systems work properly and supplies conditioned replacement air that can be heated, cooled, humidified or dehumidified to suit your specific living environment.

Mounting Height
This refers to the installation height of the appliance: the distance between the filter of the range hood and the burners on the range below. The standard distance between a countertop and the hood is typically 30 to 36 inches. Some of the under cabinet models and microwave hood combinations are installed at a lower height.
The farther the fan protrudes from the wall, the more it will be in your face — literally. And the taller you are, the more you will be affected by the unit, so please do not just rely on what is considered the standard installation height. First and foremost, your kitchen needs to suit you.

Capture Area
This is the term for the range hood’s footprint. It is measured in width and depth of the range hood itself in relation to the cooktop below. Technically, the width of the fan will match the width of the range or cooktop. Its depth should cover the back burners and at least half of the front burners.

Grease Filters
The Vent-a-Hood centrifugal system, mentioned previously, has an easy-to-remove grease trap — either wipe it clean or put it in the dishwasher. All other vent models (should) feature stainless steel filters that are dishwasher safe. Make sure that you take out the filters at the appliance store to see if they're easy to remove.

Recirculation
When it's impossible to ventilate the range hood to the outside environment via a duct, a model with a recirculating kit allows air to be cleaned through a carbon filter that traps and quarantines cooking by-products. Once the air passes through the carbon filter, it is reintroduced into the kitchen, grease and odor free.You will need to clean or exchange those filters regularly.

Information from Ines Hanl, Houzz.com