Most homeowners fall into one of two categories. Some have already met with an architect and have a full set of engineered plans that are ready to go. Others have a vague idea of what they want, but have no idea what to do next.
If you already have plans, that’s great. We can get right to work on the detailed estimate. If you need to meet with an architect or designer, we have relationships with some of the area’s most talented design professionals who can work with you to help bring your ideas to life.
Either way, you’ll love working with us. One of the reasons our customer satisfaction levels are so high is our time-tested construction process.
TIME-TESTED PROCESS
Initial Meeting When you first contact us, we can set up a time to meet at your home to discuss your ideas. If you already have plans, we can go over them. You should allow one to two hours for this initial meeting and invite every decision-maker to be present so that no ideas are left out. We’ll take pictures of the site and have you complete a questionnaire about your proposed project.
Preliminary Estimate Since most people have a budget in mind but have no idea how much their project might cost, we will prepare a preliminary estimate based on the information gathered at our initial meeting. There is no cost or obligation to you for this preliminary estimate. This estimate should be within 10% to 15% of the actual project costs, depending on the complexity of the plans or condition of the existing structure.
Design/Plans If you did not already have plans prepared, now is the time to meet with an architect or designer to lay out your ideas to scale in print form. These architectural plans are your first financial commitment to your proposed project. This stage can take from two weeks to two months depending on how busy the architect is and how many drafts are required to achieve your final plans.
Detailed Estimate With final plans in hand, we can provide a detailed estimate and scope of work report. We can schedule a meeting to discuss design details and make final decisions on all finishes and fixture selections. You should allow two hours for this meeting to ensure that we have time to go over all aspects of the project. The detailed estimate and construction agreement specifies the exact scope of the proposed work, including details and specifications in up to 40 expense categories.
Pre-construction Planning With all plans finalized, estimates complete, and the contractor/customer agreement signed, now is the time to plan for the construction to actually begin. You will need to determine how much construction activity you can handle and whether or not you can live “under construction” for as long as six months or if you will need to find temporary housing while the construction is completed. You will be provided with a project schedule that gives a tentative timeframe for the construction activities as well as deadlines for the selections that you will need to make to keep the project flowing smoothly.
Construction The start of construction is a very exciting time, but it can be very stressful too. Remodeling and addition projects can be a major disruption to your daily life and routine. It is important to be prepared for this, to be flexible, and to keep your expectations realistic. Communication on a regular basis is vital to ensure that everything flows smoothly and on schedule.
Project Completion As the project approaches completion, we are busy with final inspections and frequent quality control checks to make sure that no detail is overlooked. It is not unusual to have a “punch list” of small details that need to be addressed, but we work hard to handle these items as they come up so there are no delays in completing the project. We offer a one year warranty on all work performed on your project.
"We LOVE Ken Neuhoff. He is excellent, focused, attentive to detail, prompt, efficient, cost conscious, very easy to talk to and work with, available when needed, returns calls and emails quickly. William really likes how he bills-everything is itemized and he gives routine updates. He gives a schedule and sticks very close to it. He has good ideas/suggestions and is committed to doing a great job. His workers respect him and work hard. I highly recommend him." – William & Sally