the punch list mid-century style

We are getting down to the nitty gritty. It is punch list time. I realized the contractor was scheduling the last of the sub appointments for this week and next, and we had to speak now or forever hold our peace. I made Albert walk through the addition on Sunday and help me make notes of all the little things. He actually got way more into it than I did, typing on his iPad enthusiastically. I finally discovered why Apple added cameras to iPads. Evernote plus iPad camera equals an amazing punch list. I found myself saying, "I can live with it" kind of a lot. You get to this point. Plus Albert is really picky, if you ask me.

Amazing Punch List

recovering from a remodeling window mistake

I got this text a couple of nights ago from Albert while I was out walking with my energetic walking friend. “I need you to check out the window, two were swapped I think. MBR with left open?” Disturbing. I examined the windows when I got home. The proportions were weird, but were they wrong? The architect and I had extensive bathroom window discussions (e.g. vinyl vs. aluminum and manufacturer, Milgard). I didn’t really remember a lot of bedroom window discussions aside from the manufacturer (Pella). I valiantly attempted to read our fourteen pages of plans. After about 45 minutes, I deduced, the bedroom windows in our mid-century modern remodel were most likely, in fact, switched.

MBR Window

reasons to NOT hire a contractor

After years of hiring people in corporate America, the most important lesson I have learned is you are really looking for a reason to NOT hire a job candidate. These reasons you would not hire someone for a job at Yahoo Answers holds true  for contractors as well. After vetting the two contractors for the basics via the interview questions and comparing the two bids, both checked out as relatively good choices. I was torn. I decided, at this point, I liked Contractor #1 the best, just on gut instinct, and would begin checking his references first. I asked to see a home in progress. He had me stop by a large property in North Orange County, a 6,000 square foot house where his company had redone four bathrooms and built an ultra glamorous walk-in, 2-story closet. I was wowed and easily could look beyond the shabby chic décor to the meticulous workmanship. 

Shabby Chic Bathroom

reference checking contractor #2

I went to a live site for Contractor #2. It was bustling with activity and involved the addition of a second story on a really large home in Irvine. The site was spic and span and the job was impressive. The homeowner is in the asbestos removal business and strongly recommended Contractor #2. Having a personal tour from the homeowner of a live job site really gave me the feel for Contractor #2 and made me trust him. Contractor #2 was around the site, but stayed away from the homeowner and me. The homeowner said the job was on budget, and was being completed in less time than quoted. The only problem happened due to an unusual rain storm, and the contractor did everything he could to mitigate this issue. The family of five lived in the house during the project and said they were very comfortable with the contractor. The tile in the bathrooms was beautiful and absolutely perfect. Our job is ALL tile so this is important. This reference check made me really appreciate Contractor #2. He became my favorite.

bid returned - contractor #2

Contractor #2 met with us the very next day which provided a nice contrast. His bid was in a similar format as Contractor #1 except he called out what wasn't included more than Contractor #1. He was friendly and professional. The price made sense (lower than Contractor #1). Contractor #1, later in the week, sent us a detailed spreadsheet with costs broken out. Tile was 20% of the job though; that didn't seem right.  Both contractors provided reference information at these meetings. I was going out of town the week of October 18, so reference checking will wait on me to come back (about a week), and visit live job sites.

Postscript 11/28/2011: Contractor #3 never returned the bid! He followed up several times but then just quietly went away. I wish I had gotten 4 contractors so I would have had 3 bids. In the end, 3 bids would have provided good information as the prices between Contractor #1 and #2 were so similar.

bid returned: contractor #1

The architect and I met with Contractor #1 today. It was a good meeting. He answered all the questions we asked very appropriately, and would be a good fit for this project. Because of KP's poor remodeling experience, I made sure to ask if the contractor would ever request us to pay subs directly (NO-good answer) and how he handles mechanics liens as KP has had two that I know of. It seemed that he was surprised by my interest in mechanic's liens, but said he could make me comfortable. Also, he is very open to the idea of weekly project meetings between us, the architect and the contractor. We really want an open dialogue between all parties on this project so that was important. Frankly, his bid was higher than my high projection. Because there wasn't any type of itemization in his proposal, I couldn't tell what was driving the cost up. Probably our scary, detailed, plans and specifications. We can see after interviews with Contractor #2 (tomorrow) and Contractor #3 (next week hopefully) if this price is basically correct, or if something might be off. I added a surprise question #51, "What do you think about having this project detailed in a blog?" I said that architect and contractor names have been anonymized, but they don't have to be (depending upon their preferences), and I am most certainly not anonymous. The contractor smiled and said, "I think that is a great idea. I have always been meaning to do something like that." I caught the architect a little off guard (just a little). He said he likes the idea but are comments on? Good question! I told them the blog name, and saw that the page views went up this evening (you know, from zero to 15). Revealing the blog so soon was probably a tactical error on my part since we are still in the contractor selection/negotiation process, but this is REMODEL 2.0. Everything out in the open with total transparency.

24 contractor interview questions

I checked with all 3 contractors regarding bid status late last week. Contractor #1 was willing to make an appointment for this Friday to review his bid (exactly one month from meeting the contractors, as projected). #2 and #3 said they would be finished soon, maybe in a week. 

In preparation for bid meetings, I checked some books out from Newport Beach Public Library. Although many of the remodeling books had pretty pictures and nice ideas, I was really looking for specifics about running a project and hiring a contractor. My favorites were Home Remodeling for Dummies (out of print, but you can buy used copies), Remodel This! A Woman's Guide to Planning and Surviving the Madness of a Home Renovation and 50 Plus One Tips When Remodeling Your Home (large print format but I wasn't offended). I also liked this these 50 Contractor Interview Questions online, by Tim Carter. Another great post about selecting a good contractor can be found at TrustyGuides.com.

waiting for bids and shopping for mid century modern glass in New York City

All three contractors checked in this weekend with questions or to say they were still working on the bid. I am taking this as a good sign that they are all interested. Our architect says to figure it will take at least three to four weeks. Meanwhile, to kill time, I went to New York City with KP for our now second annual weekend of  extreme self-indulgence. Mostly intensive shopping followed by wine and dinner. We stopped in at our favorite mid-century modern glass shop, The End of History. Stephen Saunders, the owner, was in and said he remembered us from last time. Probably because of the non-stop self-deprecating chatter. I really loved three pieces from last year. He only had the yellow in the shop, and the green was at a show. The blue had sold. 

The three pieces I really wanted from the year before.

So, instead I bought two matching pottery pieces that should arrive in a week or so. Update Sep-30-2011: Here they are with the glass vase I purchased last year from the shop:

My little Italian glass and pottery collection.
I have a real problem with glass and pottery. More about that another day.

finding a strong contractor for a bathroom remodel: contractor #1

Contractor #1 came over tonight (#1 as in strongest referral). He is younger, I would say about 35-40. He works in a family business with his father and brother. He came strongly recommended from an old high school friend of mine who used him to remodel her period kitchen in a home off the traffic circle in Orange. My friend and her husband have extremely good taste and high standards so I was very interested in meeting their recommendation. Contractor #1 did not disappoint. By far, he asked the most detailed questions and offered alternative suggestions for what he perceived as problem areas. He was quiet, thoughtful and very mild mannered. He thought he needed 2 weeks for the bid. I told him to take his time. I figure 4 weeks when all is said and done and our plans are extremely detailed. This final meeting pointed out a couple of details we missed: the wood choice for the cabinets, cable details for TV on master bedroom wall, and the finish treatment for outdoor fireplace. I can't believe we left all that out! And we were trying to be so perfect. This contractor has done most of his work in Orange, which means a lot of remodels, but maybe not so many mid-century modern NPB.

selecting contractor #2

Met #2 today on my lunch break. He is #2 since he is the second strongest referral -- from a good friend of a good friend of mine. This gentleman was our oldest contractor (between 55 and 60), and definitely had been out in the field today from his dress, and seemed a little rougher than the other two contractors. The architect came over and briefly reviewed the plans with Contractor #2. This contractor seemed a little bit skeptical on some of the architect's ideas, especially concerning ceiling tie-ins from old to new. He asked extremely pointed questions. He also wondered how soon we were looking to start. I said, we could start right away, or work into the schedule, but if we didn't start in October, would want to wait until January due to things dragging out in December. Not sure if that was good or bad. This guy has worked a lot locally in the area and was familiar with NPB codes. Again, good impression. Seems solid.

how we found contractor #3

Met Contractor #3 yesterday. He is our least strong referral as he came to me via the designer used by a friend of mind. He may have bid on their project but didn't get it. He ran over to grab the plans and understand the job. He is getting married next week but didn't want to be out of the running, so he was in a hurry and didn't ask a lot of questions. Contractor #3 commented that typically he gets plans on disk now-a-days. I called the Architect and asked about digital plans. He said, in fact, he had ordered digital plans (maybe his first time ever). He emailed them to me and I uploaded to Google Docs. Now we can do business like 21st century home owners. Contractor #3 is between 50-55 years-old, professional and has done many jobs in the Newport Beach area. He made an overall good impression. He looks a little like Tom Selleck. A little.

Postscript: he never returned a bid after several communications to us saying he would. He just wasn't a strong referral.