Home renovation budget tips

[Pea-n-Me]

Is this your Ikea kitchen? It is very nice!!!

Yes, it is. Thank you!

 

[TeacupsForever]

My husband works in a niche construction industry (not residential home construction), so he has a TON of connections in the industry and the skills to do most things himself as well. Because of this, we're familiar with the ins and outs of the industry and are working them to our advantage for our own reno.

The best thing you can do is find a trustworthy contractor if you're not up for doing the work yourself. Look for someone who subs out as little work as possible (typically only trades like electric, plumbing, and HVAC) and handles everything else themselves or with their own in-house employees. A lot of contractors are what my husband refers to as "stand and point" people, who subcontract literally every aspect of a project. This will result in WAY higher costs because contractors add an average of 30% onto every subcontractor they hire. I agree that it's not wise to try to manage all your own subcontractors if you're not familiar with the industry, but working with a contractor who relies on their own labor force rather than many subs will save you a bunch. Typically, these are smaller operations run by guys who are jacks-of-all-trades themselves. If the contractor is working alongside his employees and is getting his hands dirty himself rather than running around supervising (standing and pointing) at various projects all day, you've probably got someone who is keeping costs lower for you.