Is Your Remodeling Project Ready to Start?

Let’s have a quick hypothetical conversation. You say to us, “Can you start construction on my project next week?” We say to you, “Sure, we could – anyone could.” Here’s the thing – starting construction fast is actually pretty easy. We could swing by your place today and make some holes in your walls. That wouldn’t be particularly helpful though, and we don’t think you’d be very happy with us afterward.

The question you want to be asking is, “When will construction of my project be FINISHED?” Thoughtfully designing and planning a project so that it is ready to start (and therefore ready to finish) is what we really want to focus on. After all, there’s no sense in starting demo and ripping your house apart, only to find out later that there’s a delay – you don’t want to be inconvenienced any longer than you need to be, and we don’t want that either. 

For your BOWA Design Build project to be considered Ready to Start, five things must happen.

1. All of the materials selections have been made and are finalized.
   • We’ll walk you through this process during the design phase. We need to complete all of the selections and they need to be finalized. If we have a lingering decision on a light fixture or a faucet, we can’t be considered Ready to Start. The thinking here is that we don’t want to start demo with an open selection and then find out that it will take 8 months to get whatever material it is.
2. All of the scope decisions have been made and are finalized.
   • Similar to making and finalizing the material selections, we need to do the same with the scope of work. To expedite the design process, it’s easy to say “we’ll figure this detail out later” or “let’s wait until we see the space to decide if we should add built-ins.” These are rarely good long-term decisions and often lead to delays during construction.
3. All of the long lead time items have been ordered AND we have delivery dates.
   • With all of the supply chain issues we’ve been experiencing, this is more important now than ever. Things like appliances, cabinets, windows, and doors need to be ordered well in advance, sometimes very early in the design process. Once we place the order, we need to receive a delivery date and also have some sense of whether or not it’s reliable. What we don’t want to do is demo your kitchen and then have to wait for a key appliance to show up.
4. We have jurisdictional approval to start construction.
   • Most of the time, this is related to applying for your building permit and receiving approval back. Sometimes though, we will also need approval from an HOA, condo board, or historic district. We need to make sure that any governing body that needs to grant permission for your project to start construction, has.
5. We’ve signed a Construction Contract.
   • If we’ve made all the material decisions, and finalized the scope of work, then we will be able to put together a fixed-price contract. When it’s signed, this piece of Ready to Start will be met.

Once all five things are complete, your project is considered Ready to Start, we can get you in our production queue, and give you a start date. There is typically about a week or two between your project being considered Ready to Start and production actually starting. This does fluctuate throughout the year though, so be sure to check in with your Project Leader.

Part of having an awesome remodeling experience is planning for it. If we can work together to make sure that your design build project is Ready to Start, we’ll put your production team in a position to make construction smooth sailing, which means you’ll be enjoying your new space before you know it.

If you want to learn more about our Classic Design Build remodeling process, visit How to Enjoy Remodeling – Phase 1.