 Frequently
Asked Questions
Why should I use Roxy Renovations?
Renovating a house is rewarding and exciting, but it can also be
complicated and overwhelming. Roxy Renovations helps make projects
easier and more successful in the following ways:
- Effective, to-the-very-end project management. The idea
is to make the project go as quickly as possible and to keep you
informed and feeling in control along the way. As I've mentioned
elsewhere, my background is in business, so I know how to manage
a project, produce updates, and keep clients "in the loop."
- Design help. General contractors typically coordinate
the major components of a project: making sure the electrical
work gets done, etc. But you usually can't count on them to work
on design issues with you, and even simple projects require numerous
design decisions. Roxy Renovations will help you through as many
of those decisions as you want, being available to discuss choices
or even going with you to visit showrooms, for example.
- Open pricing. We let you see the cost of each project
component and base our fee on total costs. The more traditional
method of pricing renovation projects obscures how much general
contractors are actually making. That's not to say that they're
charging unreasonable fees, it's just that you can't tell. Open
pricing is described in more detail in the answer to the next
question.
How much will Roxy Renovations cost?
The cost of doing a renovation project is made up of:
- subcontractors (electricians, plumbers,
etc)
- materials (lumber, tiles, etc) and
other components (sinks, appliances, etc.)
- the general contractor, who is managing
the project
What many general contractors don’t tell you is that, in addition
to their fee, they also make money by marking up the costs of every
component of the project. It doesn’t mean that they make an unfair
amount of money, it just means that you can’t see exactly who’s
getting what.
At Roxy Renovations, we manage the project on your behalf. You
will be able to see what every component of the project costs, and
our fee will be a percentage of that cost. The exact percentage
we charge will depend on how involved you want us to be. At the
most involved end of the spectrum, we can go with you to the tile
store, talk for hours about the exact stove you want, and be there
when the painter comes by for a color consultation. At the other
end of the spectrum, you may know exactly what you want in terms
of look and have already picked out all the components. All you
need is someone to sequence events, make sure things happen on time,
and that the work is high quality.
How long will a project take?
That depends, of course, on the complexity and size of the project.
Re-doing a bathroom could take a month. Expanding a kitchen, adding
on a family room and a second-floor master bedroom, and building
a new bathroom and deck could take six months or more. I can say
that my goal is to complete the project as quickly as possible and
I have the project-management skills to make it happen.
Will you be on site every day?
Yes.
People frequently come out of renovation projects feeling
like they’ve been run over by a truck, how do you make sure that
doesn’t happen?
Renovation projects are stressful, there’s no getting around it.
Houses are sanctuaries and when they are torn up and tromped through,
it can be a little taxing. Never-the-less, these stresses are easier
to bear when you have confidence that the project is being done
as quickly as possible and you are being communicated with so you
know what’s going on.
The way to get projects done on schedule is to be very organized
about getting sub-contractors and materials to the site. As I’ve
mentioned elsewhere, my background is in business and I excel in
keeping the show on the road! As for communication, I’m a big fan
of email and I use it to regularly keep people up-to-date on projects.
These things tend to make people feel more in control and relaxed
during a project.
How do you relate to architects? It sounds like you’re
doing some of their design work?
I work closely with architects, because we share the goal of making
your house functional, comfortable, and beautiful. There can be
some overlap between what I do and what they do, but we usually
work out the balance before the project starts and both price our
services accordingly.
Do you have a general contractor's license?
Yes, I am a Massachusetts-licensed construction supervisor.
Do you have liability insurance?
Yes, I have $2 million in liability insurance, which is what you
should expect from a general contractor.
When I think of a general contractor I think of carpenters.
Do you do any of that work?
No. I’m the one responsible for getting the project done in a cost-effective
and timely way. I hire carpenters, of course, and I’ve worked as
a carpenter, but I’m not the one actually banging the nails. You
will, however, see me at the end of a project wielding a few tools
to finish up the things that inevitably fall through the cracks.
I hate making decisions. Can’t I just leave the state
while you handle the whole project?
I can definitely do that. But that approach increases the risk
that you won’t like the finished product, of course. So, if you
really had to get out of town, I’d work closely with you to determine
the feeling you’re after before you cross the county line. You’d
also have to accept the possibility that I might make a decision
that you wouldn’t have made.
Why should we pay for your services when we could just
manage the project ourselves?
You absolutely can manage the project yourself, it’s just a major
hassle and you have to expect to make mistakes. My goal is to pretend
I’m you, but with more knowledge of the construction industry and
the time to be singularly focused on the project.
If your fee is a percentage of the project costs don’t
you have an interest in making the costs as expensive as possible?
I would if I never wanted to get another referral (and I were unethical!).
But that’s a shortsighted way to run a business. My ultimate goal
is to leave happy customers and I’m not going to get there by squeezing
a buck out of them every chance I get. In addition, I usually suggest
options at several different price levels.
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