I joke with customers who ask my opinion on things that I cannot see. “I don’t have the x-ray vision”, I say. If I did, I wouldn’t be writing this blog, I’d be a billionaire sipping scotch on my yacht. Alas, most recent events support my lack of x-ray vision. We demoed a tiled deck built on 2x10 joist expecting to find a plywood mortar bed or some concrete board. Instead we found 6” of poured concrete. So here is one more for the “never seen that before file” with a tag line that reads “why would they do that?”. This puts the deck structure grossly overweight, not to mention it was completely unnecessary. We removed 26,000 lbs of material (scaled at the dump), checked it and framed it right.
The moral of the story is, we can’t plan for what we can’t see. So it is with any remodel or alteration to an existing structure. Sometimes we run into issues, as much as we like to plan for the certain risks that we are aware of, we don’t try to expect the unexpected.
Beware of contractors that tell you there is no risk in a remodel when there are portions of the project that cannot be evaluated until the demolition is complete. They are either lacking experience or they are lying you.
A good plan to budget 10% contingency for these events. It will allow you the flexibility to absorb issues if they arise and still get your job done right, the alternative is to have a contractor who will bury the issue and leave it unresolved or worse.
At OnDeck, our project managers will work with you to hone your ideas, develop a plan and select materials and design that reflect your preferences and meet all your needs. Call now 866-278-2841 to schedule your free consultation