The Top Ten Top Ten List

In preparation for writing this column, I commenced making a list of topics to discuss. I soon realized I had a very long list. While intending to make a "top ten" type of list, I actually created enough for ten such lists—the Top Ten Top Ten List for home remodeling, which I present here. David Letterman—eat your heart out!

1. Kitchen remodel
2. Master bed/bath suite
3. Second story addition (pop-top)
4. Combine two bedrooms into one
5. Study and home office additions
6. Add or replace windows and skylights
7. Replace interior doors and trim
8. Basement finish
9. Add or enlarge windows in basement
10. Whole-house remodel

1. To impress your friends and neighbors
2. To move your teenager to the basement
3. To build a kitchen you’ll want to work in
4. To make a place to exercise
5. To add a home office
6. To allow you to stay in the neighborhood instead of having to move
7. To make room for elderly parents or returning children
8. To create a home theater (see #1 above)
9. To make a place for crafts or hobbies
10. To spend your children’s inheritance

1. A contractor’s license
2. Lots of recent references for the same type of project as yours
3. Business sense—contracting is about business as much as craftsmanship
4. A clear comprehensive contract
5. A personality you can live with during the inevitable stress of construction
6. A reputation for ethical business conduct
7. Someone who is invested in the community and likely to be here five years from now
8. Someone who will return phone calls promptly and whose home phone number is listed in the phone book
9. Liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and strict adherence to building regulations.
10. A successful contractor with enough capital to ensure continued success

1. It will cost more tomorrow
2. Interest rates are the lowest in a generation
3. So you can enjoy the improvement while your children are still home
4. Because home improvements tend to appreciate (like the rest of the house)
5. To make your neighbors and friends jealous sooner
6. Because if you don’t, someday you’ll wish you had
7. It won’t be any easier later
8. To allow elderly parents to move in with you
9. Because you really want to
10. Because if you don’t, your daughter-in-law will get all your money when you die, and remodel her home

1. Decide what your budget is, and share it with your contractor or architect from the beginning
2. Move out of the house if the project will impact most of the house
3. If you can’t move out, schedule some vacations during the messiest part of the project
4. Have frequent, regularly-scheduled meetings with the contractor
5. Demand excellence, but not perfection
6. Start a design portfolio with ideas and magazine clippings to show the architect what you like
7. Keep your sense of humor and perspective
8. Communicate your concerns immediately—don’t let them fester
9. Allow a contingency budget of 5-10% as budget insurance
10. Hire the best contractor you can find—you get what you pay for

1. Budget-sensitive design
2. Streamlined schedule
3. One less person to hire
4. Fewer meetings
5. Single-point responsibility
6. Lower design fees
7. No conflicts between builder and architect
8. Team-based approach
9. Reduced stress
10. Because it is a growing trend

1. How much will it cost
2. How long will it take
3. How much will it cost
4. How long will it take
5. How much will it cost
6. How long will it take
7. How much will it cost
8. How long will it take
9. How much will it cost
10. How long will it take

1. Wouldn’t return phone calls
2. Didn’t finish on time
3. Workmanship was poor
4. Took a large deposit and wouldn’t start the project
5. Didn’t finish the job
6. Cost overruns
7. Didn’t provide the work that was contracted for
8. Damaged the existing home or landscaping
9. Never knew when contractor was going to show up on the job
10. Didn’t pay subcontractors or suppliers

1. You don’t know where to start
2. You’ve heard too many horror stories
3. You’re going to remodel as soon as you get around to it
4. You don’t have the money right now
5. You don’t know how long you’re going to live there
6. You can’t stand dust
7. You have too much stuff in the way, and don’t know where to put it
8. You’ve seen the movie named "The Money Pit"
9. You’ll do it yourself when you have more time
10. If you wait long enough, maybe you won’t have to do it

1. Sentimental attachment to your home
2. Because you like your neighbors
3. The current location is convenient
4. There aren’t any good building lots left
5. You have mature landscaping, and can’t stand the thought of starting over
6. You won’t have to compete for permit allocations
7. Because moving is expensive and disruptive
8. Your home needs just a little help to be perfect
9. The existing house has more character than new houses
10. It may be less expensive to get what you want by "recycling" your current home

By Larry Parrish, CR, CGR

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