subject: What Can Go Wrong With Your Home Renovation and How Can You Prevent It? [print this page] OBSERVATIONS: OBSERVATIONS:
Renovating or adding on to an existing home is often a real nightmare. It does not have to be that way.
"Murphy's Law" stipulates that whatever can go wrong will go wrong.
"Finagle's Law" stipulates that if anything can get even worse it will get worse at the worst possible time and in the worst possible way.
"Flanagan's Precept" categorically states that both Murphy and Finagle were incurable optimists.
"Silverman's Paradox" states "If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will".
The general consensus is that Murphy, of "Murphy's Law" spends a great deal of time on construction sites. Some believe that Murphy has a Star Trek-like' transporter and simply transports himself to any construction site at any time with no advance notice.
Here are just a few examples of what typically can happen: Homeowner ends up totally at the mercy of the contractor
Homeowner faces and is stuck with significant and unexpected cost overruns
Construction drags out much longer than anticipated or agreed
Workmen fail to show up on a regular basis, contributing to delays
Liens are filed against the homeowner's property
Project never gets completed
Mediocre to poor workmanship
The contractor decides to go to another new' job to ensure that he will have an income over the next few months and leaves your job unfinished.
Lack of compliance with local building codes
You cannot get a certificate of occupancy
Law suits
The homeowner gets a divorce (it happens!)
So how DO you get the best pricing and control the quality and progress of the project:
It's really fairly simple:
Define your project: It is as important that you know in detail what you actually want to accomplish as it is that the contractor knows. Obviously if you are not reasonably sure of what you want to get done the contractor will not be sure either. The latter will, without question, cost you unnecessary time, money and aggravation.
Describe your project in a concise and straight forward manner. Keep the description simple and to the point. Too much detail can cause problems as easily as too little detail.
Use graphic and written descriptions to outline the scope of work and your requirements. Later in this manual we will "walk you through" the process of creating a graphic description of your project.
Insist on getting what you want and get it in writing. "Selective Amnesia", "Murphy's Law" and other construction related maladies are addressed elsewhere in this manual. It is very important that you understand and acknowledge the existence of these phenomena.
For much more information on how to control your home renovation please click on www.HomeRenovationBook.com
What Can Go Wrong With Your Home Renovation and How Can You Prevent It?
