Home Renovation Part 13: Your Time

My experience is that a large renovation project that ends in time requires at least two days a week of your time, which can be split between you and your spouse. You need to spend this time for the entire duration of the project, from the time you picked your architect until the project is done. Much of the time you spend will be on regular weekdays (not weekends). You need to pick myriad items, meet with your architect and contractor, meet with subcontractors, and supervise specific important tasks (like installing counter tops).

You can do some of the work on weekends, but often you need to decide or pick an item with a close deadline, which require weekday work. The alternative is that the project will be delayed, or you pick a default item that is not exactly what you want.

You should visit your home at least weekly to verify that the work is done as you expected. You need to pay attention to all details, even if they were written explicitly in the contract. For example, the electrician installed the correct number of recessed ceiling light fixtures in our kitchen's ceiling, but the Sheetrock people forgot to cut openings for all of the recessed lights. The problem was solved easily, but it could have gone undetected.