A home remodel can be a stressful project. Depending on what part of the home is being improved, the household disruption can be intense and frustrating. After all, the home is supposed to be your tranquil, happy place that shuts out the external noise and daily stresses.
However, once a home remodel starts, all of that external noise comes in. That is why it is crucial to work as efficiently as possible with your contractor. Ultimately you want the remodel done correctly and in a timely manner so you get your peaceful home back.
Communication Is Key
Oftentimes I hear from clients that they are road weary from sour experiences when working with other contractors. The common issue is miscommunication.
Typically, the first thing a client wants to know is how much the project will cost and what are the steps taken to complete the project. While that sounds reasonable, there are a variety of factors that can hinder both timeframe and cost of a home remodel. It is important to share both the best and the worse case scenarios with your clients. I find it helps avoid surprises, and everyone can plan better.
For instance, we have a full-time Superintendent and Project Manager that creates a group text with the clients as well as a group email. We also use the Buildertrend construction management software, which we share with our clients to keep up with the construction schedule, to-do’s, and daily logs.
Use Multiple Tools To Communicate with Your Clients
These tools allow us to discuss everything from selections and work schedule to making sure the scope of work is correct and that any changes are made appropriately. These tools work reciprocally to allow clients to chime in with their questions, concerns, opinions and ideas. Because, ultimately, they are the ones that have to live with the remodel choices that we make.
Lack Of Communication Tools Can Ruin The Remodel
When communication is lacking, mistakes are often made. Usually it is with the materials used and the client winds up with a selection that they did not want. With poor communication tools a client will make a change that they thought was communicated to us and either it wasn’t or we missed it. Better tools mean a better project outcome with less room for errors.
Conclusion
Near disasters have been avoided at Plan Rebuild with the communication methods we use. We’ve had several clients make selections from windows, doors to vanities and tile that were out of stock and had a long lead time that would impact the construction schedule. With our tools, we are able to make the clients aware immediately to either make a decision or push our finish date back. We had a client recently select an egress window that was out of stock. This would have pushed our start date back 4-5 weeks and they were adamant that we stay on schedule and begin the work on our originally agreed upon start date. Because of our streamlined communication, we were able to go back and select an in stock egress window, allowing us to stick to our original start date.
Customers Should Expect Clear Communication Lines From Their Contractor
We do our best to go above and beyond with our communication. And at a minimum, I think clients should know when there’s a pause in work for a day or days where no workers will be on site. And if there’s any significant change in the schedule for whatever reason. By empowering customers to be part of the entire process step by step, we create better rebuild outcomes and maintain client retention and referrals.
Recent Comments