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