Project Spotlight: Renovation With A Tight Timeframe

When Nadia and Jonathan first contacted us, they had just agreed to buy a home, and they wanted major renovations completed before they moved in. They knew it was a tight timeframe, and they wanted to know if it could be done. Naturally, we said yes and explained to them the process that needed to be followed in order to accelerate the renovation.

 

October 22: Access to the home before possession 

Prior to closing on the purchase of the home, the purchasers got approval from the sellers to visit the home a few times. This allowed us, as the contractor, to see the home, discuss the work and draw up a proposal.

 

November 1: Begin design, engineering and permit process. Once the homeowner signed the proposal, we arranged to visit the home again, but this time our electrician and plumber came with us to provide input. Because there was no time to waste, it was important that everyone be there to evaluate the scope of work.

 

Once we had all the measurements and necessary information, we began design. Because we needed to remove a load-bearing wall, we solicited the expertise of a structural engineer. He verified that the existing basement was inadequate to support the renovations we were planning above and developed the plan to remedy this.

 

Permitting was an interesting aspect of the project. Because of the tight timeframe, other contractors may have forgone the building permits. Not us. We wanted to complete this renovation within the laws, and we worked tirelessly to get the drawings approved and permits needed within the allotted time.

 

November 15: Homeowner closed on the purchase of the home

Because asbestos was discovered, we were unable to start construction immediately. The homeowner had pre-arranged to have it removed those first few days after closing.

 

November 21: Construction began

The scope of work was significant for the seven weeks we had to complete the job.

 

In the basement, we excavated to make room for new plumbing and concrete. We also made significant improvements to the structure so it could support the renovations that were being made upstairs.

 

The homeowners wanted an open-concept first floor, so we removed the walls between the dining room and kitchen.

 

From an electrical standpoint, we rewired a significant portion of the house – without taking down the walls. This involved fishing wiring through the walls.

 

Other improvements included completely renovating a bathroom and transforming the smallest of the three bedrooms to a master ensuite and walk-in closet.

 

Perhaps the biggest challenge to this accelerated project was that the work schedule fell over the holidays. In fact, the week between Christmas and New Years Day is the only week where contractors close shop so employees can spend time with their families. With such a tight schedule, we simply couldn’t afford not to have work being done for a week. We explained this to our subcontractors, many of whom had been with us for years, and they adjusted their schedules so we could complete the project on time.

 

January 7: Last Day

We had several different contractors working in the house, and everyone worked well together because they had a goal of getting this project done on time.

 

January 8: Substantial completion

With most of the renovations complete, Nadia and Jonathan were able to move into their new, and freshly renovated, home.

 

While this project afforded us an almost unreasonable amount of time to complete, we developed a plan and implemented it in a thorough and organized fashion. We confidently agreed to this project because of the faith we have in our long-standing business relationships. The designer involved in this project designed the first project that Inspire Homes built, and 10 years later, he is still working with us. Our plumber is also a 10-year veteran to us. Other subcontractors such as drywallers, flooring installers and electricians all have been with us for a minimum of 4 to 5 years.

 

In addition to the fantastic team of subs we work with, much of our success with this project can also be attributed to Nadia. She’d been through a home reno before and understood what needed to be done, and she and Jonathan were quick to make product decisions so the project could move along quickly and efficiently.