Home remodels in the Winston Salem area are still going strong each week as we enter 2021, but there have been some changes in the last year because of the pandemic.
In this post we’ll highlight the most pertinent ones for homeowners planning a remodel project for 2021.
1. There are intermittent shortages in building supplies.
Shifts in processes for manufacturers and shipping companies has left its mark for much of 2020, and for the time being is still the case as we head into 2021.
It’s become fairly common to see delays in building materials becoming available from distributors.
Sometimes that means having to go with different brands of materials than a contractor or homeowner would normally prefer. Other times it means the project is on hold altogether until those materials come in.
Rest assured that it’s certainly not stopped home remodels from happening all throughout 2020. Many homeowners did just that and were very happy with the finished space.
Now more than ever it’s important to prepare for a remodel project properly to mitigate slow downs as much as possible.
2. Steps involving local authorities, such as permits, can be unpredictable.
Just how much the quarantines have affected any given city varies. Many of these government offices were already operating on minimal staff, and things fall between the cracks in the resulting overwhelm.
That’s not a value judgement; it’s just how it is and has been our experience.
Sometimes a permit application is processed quickly and things move right along. Other times it’s weeks at a time and having to call repeatedly to check on the status of things, eventually getting somewhere as a misplaced filed or hefty punch list finally lands on that particular project.
We share that with you so you can enter a remodel project with the right expectations.
Permits come into play any time you’re altering the structure, such as walls and decks, but also when you’re adding windows.
3. Roadwork issues can delay your timeline.
Even in a pandemic, weather and construction happen. Snow road closures can potentially slow your project. Dangerous roads and wet working conditions will force many construction companies to pause work so as not to put their equipment at risk.
Considering North Carolina is notorious for receiving snow in late winter (February through March), snowfall can slow your project later than you might think.
Other roadwork issues, like the Peters Creek Parkway construction or the notorious Business 40 construction, can also cause delays if trucks have to find new routes to get to your home.
4. Your neighbors’ opinions matter.
If your home is located within a neighborhood with a Homeowners Association, there may be restrictions on when you can have remodeling crews at your home. Be sure to check in with your HOA to confirm that the regulations you are aware of are still accurate.
Even if you aren’t part of an HOA, you may want to still consult your neighbors about your remodeling plans. Especially now, many people are working from home completely or quite often. Noisy remodeling crews could have a serious impact on your neighbors’ capacity to participate in work calls. Working with your neighbors to create a mutually agreeable schedule will go a long way in your endeavor to create a happy, comfortable home.
5. We build a consulting stage into our remodeling services to help prevent snags.
Our standard procedure is now to charge a nominal consulting fee for assessing the property and coming up with a detailed plan for how the remodel would work, including needed supplies and contractors.
This fee is applied toward the cost of the project should the homeowner choose to proceed with us. In some cases homeowners have chosen to take the plan and have someone else run with it — usually someone quoting lower.
Our consulting stage helps ensure we are compensated for our time developing that valuable plan in either case so that we can best serve our entire customer base.