Ever since I met with the contractor early final week about our kitchen addition, I’ve been contemplating being the contractor on that undertaking. I’m nonetheless simply within the info gathering stage of creating this resolution, and at this level, the scales are nonetheless tipped in the direction of hiring a contractor. However there are such a lot of causes it is sensible for me to do the job myself.
As I used to be gathering info to ship to the contractor in order that he may give me a value for his a part of the undertaking, I gave him a listing of the whole lot I wished to do myself. That listing included:
- Putting in the hardwood flooring and sanding, staining, and sealing the ground;
- Putting in the entire trim (baseboards, door trim, window trim);
- Putting in and portray/ending the entire cupboards;
- Portray the partitions and ceiling;
- Buying and putting in the tile backsplashes;
- Buying the home equipment and arranging for supply and set up;
- Buying the counter tops and arranging for supply and set up.
I imply, that’s an enormous a part of the kitchen addition. That’s actually all the the whole lot that makes a kitchen a kitchen. With out all of the issues that I wish to do myself, it’s simply an empty room. It’s not a kitchen in any respect.
If I had my want, that is how this undertaking would go:
- The contractor would pull a allow to tear down the present sunroom, in addition to construct the room for the brand new kitchen.
- The contractor would rent subs to do the muse, framing, electrical, plumbing, and drywall.
- After the drywall is up (i.e., the partitions are closed up), the valves are put in on all rough-in plumbing, and shops and lights are put in on rough-in electrical.
- As soon as all of that’s completed, they log out on their half (together with town), hand the undertaking over to me, and I end it — set up and end the flooring, set up and end the cupboards, set up and end trim, have counter tops put in, set up the backsplashes, have home equipment delivered and put in.
- After the brand new kitchen is totally completed, I start the tear out of the present kitchen, bringing in a plumber to cap issues off as wanted, and switch that room right into a eating room.
That is the purpose, in case you missed it…
This is sensible to me, as a result of when was the final time you heard of town inspecting kitchen cupboards? That’s not a factor that occurs right here. Putting in new flooring isn’t one thing that requires a allow. I’ve had quartz counter tops put in thrice on this home by a really massive native firm, and by no means as soon as has that required a allow. And customarily, the countertop installers are those who set up the sink as properly. No allow wanted for that. Tile backsplashes don’t require permits. Plumbers are putting in taps each single day, and I’ve by no means seen or heard of 1 pulling a allow for putting in a faucet. And Lowe’s and Dwelling Depot are delivering and putting in home equipment all day every single day, and people by no means require a allow.
So as soon as the partitions are closed up, valves are connected to the plumbing rough-ins, shops and lights are put in on {the electrical} rough-ins, and trim is put in in order that there aren’t any gaps between the drywall and ground or drywall and home windows/doorways (which I suppose signifies that flooring must be put in), then none of the remainder of that undertaking requires an inspector in my home.
So in my good world, that’s how the undertaking would go. However the contractor instructed me that town most likely wouldn’t go for that, and it must be utterly completed earlier than town indicators off on the allow. And as soon as a allow is pulled for a undertaking like that, you may have a 12 months to complete it earlier than the allow expires.
I may inform that the contractor wasn’t thrilled with the thought of me doing a lot of the undertaking myself. I can completely perceive that. He doesn’t know me. He’s not conversant in my work. I do know he simply needs to get in, get the job finished, have town log out on the completed undertaking, and transfer on to the subsequent buyer. He doesn’t need some house owner holding up progress.
Evidently, he really has a scenario proper now the place a home-owner is holding up progress, not as a result of he’s a DIYer, however due to a funding concern. And till the undertaking is completed, this contractor has this document of an incomplete undertaking on his file with town. So I completely perceive how that may very well be very annoying for a contractor. And I also can utterly perceive how he may very well be leery of taking up a undertaking the place he’s not in full management, and the place he can be having to do an entire lot of ready round for me to complete my half.
However I’m fairly adamant about doing the whole lot on that listing myself. I’m a DIYer at coronary heart, and I can’t even think about watching another person set up cupboards in my home, or set up a tile backsplash in my home, or set up door and window trim in my home. These will not be issues I may stand by and watch. These will not be issues that can ever occur so long as I’ve the flexibility to do them myself.
I nonetheless held out hope that they may do their half, have town log out on it, after which let me take over with out this undertaking nonetheless being connected to their identify or document with town. So I referred to as the inspection workplace to see if I may converse with an inspector and ask some questions. In any case, their web site does say, “If a contractor/proprietor wants to talk with an inspector, they’re usually within the workplace between 8 and 9 a.m. and from 4:30 to five p.m.” So I referred to as.
Sadly, I didn’t get previous the lady who answered the cellphone, and she or he was fairly impolite. After I requested to talk with an inspector, she responded as if I used to be asking a very silly query. “Ma’am, my inspectors are VERY busy,” she stated. Ummm…okay. I instructed her that I Simply wanted a couple of minutes to ask some very particular questions. “If these are questions on constructing code, all of that info is on-line,” she stated very curtly. I stated it wasn’t essentially about constructing code, however a couple of kitchen addition. “Nicely, they will’t reply your questions with out being there to see your undertaking,” she stated, as if utterly exasperated with me.
I used to be getting actually pissed off. The web site says I can ask questions between sure occasions, however this gatekeeper wasn’t letting me by, and she or he was treating me like I used to be an entire imbecile. And I hate to be that particular person, however my property taxes and gross sales tax go to pay these individuals’s salaries. They actually work for the individuals of this metropolis, so being handled like I used to be such a hassle and an fool didn’t sit properly with me.
I didn’t wish to inform her the entire particulars as a result of I knew she wouldn’t know. She’s not an inspector. So I lastly simply stated, “I’ve a query about how far alongside a kitchen must be earlier than the inspector will log out on it.” Once more, as if she have been speaking to an entire moron, she stated, “EVERYTHING needs to be completed. There can’t be one single deal with left off of the kitchen cupboards. Not one single factor left undone. It needs to be utterly completed.”
That didn’t make any sense. I’ve already listed out all of the issues that do NOT must be inspected by town, and that do NOT require permits. I used to be getting fairly uninterested in being talked to love I’m an fool, so I responded, “So that you’re telling me that inspectors really examine kitchen cupboards? They’ve to come back right here and examine and log out on kitchen cupboards? They LITERALLY examine kitchen cupboards?”
She stated, “Nicely, no. I imply, they don’t examine kitchen cupboards. No. That’s not a part of the inspection.” I used to be not happy with this. So DO they examine kitchen cupboards or DON’T they examine kitchen cupboards? As a result of on the identical time she’s telling me that I can’t even a lot as have a deal with lacking from a cupboard door, she’s additionally telling me that it’s not a part of their job to examine kitchen cupboards. How can each of these issues be true on the identical time? They’ll’t.
And THIS is why I didn’t wish to discuss to the particular person answering the telephones. THIS is why I wished to speak to an inspector, as the web site says I can. However I couldn’t get previous the gatekeeper to somebody who may really reply my questions.
Anyway, I’m undecided why I went off on that diatribe. 😀 And I don’t know why I’d willingly signal as much as work instantly with this workplace. I’ve been instructed horror tales about coping with these individuals on massive tasks like additions. And but, I’m contemplating it. I believe it is perhaps simpler for everybody if I simply take care of town and the subs myself. And though it’s not the premise of my resolution, I’d additionally save an entire lot of cash. The contractor’s markup is 24%. That provides up quick, and it might actually be good to avoid wasting that cash.
So inform me your experiences. Have you ever ever acted as your personal contractor on an addition or new dwelling construct? How did it go? Would you suggest it? Would you do it once more? Or did you look into it and determine to go together with a contractor as a substitute? If you happen to did that, what was the factor that made you determine to go that route?
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
