That's All Folks

Happy New Year, Friends!

I've really appreciated the inquires about upcoming projects on television.  These notes have meant a lot as well as the words of support and enthusiasm for the shows.  

As many of you understand or can imagine, renovating a house that's been condemned is a big challenge and doing this work with a film crew on site makes everything more interesting and exciting.  In many ways, the network's role makes things easier and in others, it makes them trickier.  It's certainly a give and take, but without a doubt the TV involvement in the effort makes the renovation work more expensive.  

Schedule is significant in renovating houses, but with a Pig's Ear or extreme rehab, it's just one factor.  For me, it's never been the top thing.  I know it's really important in home flipping, but that's not what I do and this disconnect in priorities was an obstacle that I didn't anticipate.  My objective is to save the house, make the most of whatever I have to work with, and come away with some profit.  But the producers have different goals.  They have a show to make with an awareness of what viewers will tune in for.  Along with that they're diligently focused on the schedule in a way that takes precedence over everything.  As an example, the producers came to South Carolina to film me four times and we wrapped production as scheduled all four times.  But this adherence to the schedule comes with a cost and our rehabs were extremely costly, especially on Restoring Charleston where we completed both homes in nine weeks as planned.    

I'll always be grateful for the TV experiences I enjoyed and will continue to share my work through this blog as well as my Trentovation page on Facebook.  

Best wishes for 2018 and as always, please feel free to ask any questions or comments below or email them to bloodsweatandpigsears@hotmail.com.

My step-son Covington getting a feel for the
weight of the camera, Summer 2016.

Welcome Back Rehab Addict

As I've written plenty of times before, I like listening to sports radio while I'm working and my preference is discussions about college and pro football over anything else. 

The completion of Super Bowl XLVII marks the end of football season and the return of the DIY network to our house.  Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis and the network that broadcasts her popular show are not two things that get considered together regularly, but around here they do because of our pay television packages.  In the fall when football starts back up, we upgrade our pay channel package to include the sports channels.  I only want ESPN and ESPN2, but I have to pay for ninety-eight other channels and to make things worse, they pull DIY from our list of options as part of this upgrade.  We still get HGTV, but Rehab Addict is really a DIY show. 

If I wanted to have ESPN and DIY we'd have to jump up to an even bigger package, and this doesn't make sense for our family.  It's just a waste plus a lot of what we'd get is no good for a house with small kids.  And along with this I'm not interested in writing checks for hundreds of TV channels we won't watch any more than I like wasting time or throwing away building materials that can be salvaged.  

Rehab Addict is a show I really like sitting down for.  I love the attitude of the show and the can-do spirit of NC.  Rehab Addict features my kinds of projects and the people who watch Curtis' show are the same types of DIYers that read my blog; hands-on rehabbers or people with a dream of renovating a rundown home of their own.

Like Nicole C. I love the challenge of buying and resurrecting houses most others don't want and we consistently preach similar messages; we share a fondness for ignoring naysayers, we're big on salvaging and recycling things others send to the landfill, we each take pride in solving issues with our heads and stretching our dollars, and neither of us hesitates to roll up our sleeves to get down and dirty when we're the best person to knock out a task.  In addition, we each have our own time-tested approaches we're proud of and comfortable with.  And I think Nicole enjoys encouraging others to do what we do as much as me.

I really love to renovate run down homes and I feel like I get a little fix of my own each time I watch an episode of Rehab Addict.  It's great to see someone take on their projects the way I do, and I especially love the moments when my wife watches along and says, "Hey, that's what you always say."  

So as much as I'm sad to see the football season end, I'm glad to have the DIY Channel back. 

Appreciation for the Radio (January 26, 2012)

Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis on DIY  (April 24, 2012)

Push Hard to Get Quotes

A common mistake people make when serving as their own General Contractor is to hire the first and only person they meet on any given trade.  Roofing, ceramic tile, or the septic tank installation; it doesn't matter...you have to push hard to get multiple quotes and resist the urge to take a short cut and move ahead with less than three.  

Let's use plumbing as an example.  The rehabber and Joe Plumber meet and tour the property.  They talk about the project, perhaps review some drawings or sketches together, and answer each others questions.  This leads to an estimate and the novice renovator has to make a decision.  First of all, they don't have to tell the plumber yes or no at this point.  However, what happens many times is that the inexperienced renovator jumps into an agreement too quickly. 

I know how this goes in the mind of the renovator or home-builder because I've been there hundreds of times.  The plumber seemed like a good guy that knows what he's doing and what he's talking about.  Maybe he came highly recommended and that adds to the impulse to give him the green light.  Renovating a house is a lot of work with a long list of things to get done.  The person making the decision is focused on crossing things off their massive to-do list and having a plumber on board (with a name, phone number, and agreement) would feel like a big step in the right direction.  Plus, it's easy to award the first plumber the job and rationalize later that his competition would have likely been in the same ballpark (price-wise).  This is totally wrong.  You shouldn't stop at one quote and settle for that because one estimate won't give you an accurate understanding of the value of the work.  It's tempting to move ahead with the first price from contractor #1, but it's a mistake even if your uncle (a retired plumber) told you how much the job should cost, you got a guesstimate from a helpful licensed GC you know, or you diligently researched the subject on the internet.  Those are all smart steps on your path to finding a plumber and signing him on, but you need to keep going.

Let's say the first plumber (that good guy who seems to know his stuff) offers to do the job for $4,150.  You keep at it and plumber number two hands in a quote for $3,300, a third company says they'll do it for 3,000, and a fourth man submits a $2,500 estimate.  Three bids is good, four is better, and five is great.  For the sake of this example, let's just say a fifth quote comes in at $3,250.  This let's us know that the plumbing work for this job is worth a little over three grand.  It's not uncommon for the bids to stack up this way, and I'll also point out that I don't always take the lowest price.  I'll look hard at all the proposals, but ultimately I want a trades-person who can perform.  

A construction budget can get out of hand quickly and awarding work without getting plenty of prices is oftentimes a big part of this.  Going with the first quote would have meant overspending by a thousand bucks.  If you do something similar on all the major trades you'll be hemorrhaging money unnecessarily and budget headaches make any project harder than it needs to be.  I understand that there will be rehabs and scopes when five prices is just not doable; rural areas off the beaten path make magic numbers four and five a real challenge, some scopes are specialized and you'll be thankful to just get two bids (i.e. stained glass window repair), and sometimes it won't make sense to beat the bushes for prices when the cost is minimal.  I get all this, but really try to get three numbers from qualified folks and if you're able to get four or five on the big ticket things (like demolition, framing, roofing, drywall, painting, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.) then do it.

Finally, there's a second very important reason why you really must get more than one quote per trade.  You have to be ready with a Plan B.  What if you choose someone and they have an accident or some personal family issue?  Things happen and you've got to have an alternate in mind so you can keep moving forward if something unfortunate occurs.  This preparedness is just smart business.  Like it or not, the sheetrocker, painter, and electrician will sure see it like this (as business), so you need to be ready to see it this way too.

Don't be foolishly impulsive and don't get caught with your pants down.  Get those quotes.    

Attention First-Timers: Double Your Estimates from the Start

Some folks will be thinking about their next renovation project before they're finished with their first one.  Others understand that one home restoration undertaking is all they'll ever do.  This advice is for first-timers.  If you're an experienced renovator, this may be helpful, but more than likely you'll be reading along while nodding in agreement as you'll know the advice I'm recommending is valid.  I love to renovate and I want to encourage others to experience the process of fixing up a house as I have.  This advice is to serve as an aid, not a bucket of cold water on a prospective home renovator's dreams.  We have a saying in this industry: if you don't get the foundation right, you'll be fighting the building the whole way.  Think about my advice as a cornerstone for your adventure, keep it in mind from the beginning and you'll have a much better ride.  

Your schedule and budget should be at the forefront of your plans to take on a house renovation project and they should stay with you like a pair of guardian angels until the end.  The duo work together and can drive your project efficiently in unison.  However, if you lack in either (time or money) your project will grind along and be harder than necessary.  If you approach the bank for a loan to buy and/or renovate, one of the first things they'll want to know is how much and how long it will take.  That should reinforce the significance of time and money in construction renovating. 

Be realistic and honest with yourself when you determine the cost and time it will take.  You may be able to roll up your sleeves and put your tool-belt on, you might be in a position to hire most of the work out to others, or maybe it's a solid combination of both.  It doesn't matter, when you renovate it will take time and money so give both of these serious enough attention that you can write the specifics down on paper.  This advice applies to redoing the entire house, remodeling the kitchen, or adding a master suite.  If you're a first-time renovator, acting as your own general contractor, take your time and money estimates and double them before you start.  It's that simple.  If you honestly and sincerely think it will take 5 months and $20,000 then make sure you're ready for a ten month project and have $40K ready for action.  No matter how thoroughly you may prepare beforehand, there will be things that you'll unknowingly leave out of your plans. You'll tear into walls and discover challenges you didn't expect.  Also, you'll likely discover certain tasks are easier than you anticipated and find yourself saying, "While I'm at it I might as well..."  As I described previously you're going to make some errors (see Vinny Had the Right Idea), and quite simply, renovating is a marathon and not a drag race and you're a person, not a cyborg.  You're going to get tired.  All these are factors that will impact your pace and your bottom line so double your allotted time and money from the beginning.

The pair at the end of the clip is a Canadian couple that's renovating a triplex together in Montreal (see Just Two Weeks).  You probably understand it's going to take you longer than two weeks and realize it's more complicated than doubling that and planning on a month.  Really make a wholehearted effort to estimate your time and financial commitment.  Furthermore, don't be mislead by the 30 minute or one hour long reality shows you can watch from the comfort of your living room.  A skilled team of experts with a production crew and corporate sponsorship play a big part in making their schedule and budget more palatable than it will be for a first-timer.    

Finally, work hard to stick with your original estimates.  From the start, be diligent about working to get done using your estimated time-line (i.e. 5 months) and be vigilant about completing things with your initial budget numbers (i.e. $20K).  Give it everything you have.  However, keep in mind that things will happen as they always do, your schedule will stretch out, and you'll get further from that original figure you felt so good about.  It's okay.  That's just how it goes.  Be ready for it and understand that in the end you're going to be closer to my numbers than yours.  I may be wrong, but I doubt it.