Remodeling your home is no light task. It often requires months (or even years) of saving up, budgeting, researching vendors, making key decisions, and powering through the construction phase before you get to see your dream home remodel displayed.
If you’re working with a great remodeling company, all those steps can feel like a breeze. A great remodeling company should work closely with you to make decisions easy, reduce the impact of a remodeling project on your home life, and keep the remodeling areas safe and clean whenever possible.
But what do you do about a bad remodeling company? More important, what are the telltale signs of a bad remodeling company before you sign a contract and begin a project with the wrong vendor?
Telltale Signs of a Bad Remodeling Company
Home remodels are an investment, and unfortunately, not every remodeling company out there is going to make that purchase a good investment. It’s dangerous to start a remodeling project with the wrong vendor, but not many people know the telltale signs of a bad remodeling company.
We’ve seen a lot through our time in the industry, so here are a few common signs that a remodeling company may not be the right pick for you:
Early Communication
You can tell a lot about a vendor by how they handle conversations in the early research and quoting phases. How long does it take them to respond to initial emails? A certain degree of business can be expected, especially if you’re contacting them in the middle of summer. But if email responses and callbacks are far exceeding reasonable communication timelines, they probably are not the right vendor for your project.
Communication Detail
It’s one thing to answer questions on a high level and respond to emails quickly. It’s another to give insightful and detailed responses to specific questions you and your partner may have about various aspects of the remodeling project. A professional remodeling company should always leave you feeling assured that they understand your concerns and questions, answer them in detail, and make sure you feel comfortable throughout the process.
Is your remodeling company giving you detailed responses, or do you feel like you’re always prying for more information?
Lack of Process
This should be a key decision-making factor for you – does the remodeling company you’re looking to work with have a defined process in place? A process isn’t just a high-level overview of the scope of work. A process details precisely when each part of the remodel is happening. It talks about who is in charge of which aspects and keeps all vendors informed on potential problem areas in the remodel so they can be proactive in planning ahead.
Stonehearth has what we refer to as a Partner Plan, which does all the above. The goal is to create a centralized process that keeps homeowners informed on what is going on at all times, vendors informed on what they should be working on, and all contractors aware of what to pay attention to when executing their part in the whole remodel.
Everyone wants to say they have a “process”, but if the remodeling company you’re looking at can’t clearly define that, you may have a huge problem.
Conclusion
No one ever wants to get stuck with a bad remodeling company. You’re spending a lot of money to have the dream remodel done to your home, and you want to make sure it’s done right. Make sure that the remodeling company you’re talking with is detailed in their responses and keeps on top of communication throughout your early conversations. Busyness is unavoidable to a certain extent, but they shouldn’t be pushing calls or email responses far beyond reasonable timelines. Also make sure that whoever you choose to work with has a clear defined process that informs homeowners, construction workers, and contactors on the when’s, where’s, and how’s of each part of the remodel!
