Quality Home Renovators

How’s Your Kitchen Work Triangle Working For You ?

2012-01-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

It’s amazing how a few steps in either direction can impact your overall kitchen experience!

Fifty years ago, efficiency analysts tracked the average person’s steps in the kitchen and found a natural pathway between the refrigerator, sink and stove. The distance and flow between these 3 items and how easy it is to reach them is still the measure of the perfect kitchen today. A kitchen remodel should be beautiful, efficient, and timeless! Most importantly your kitchen remodel should work perfectly for your specific needs.

Contact the kitchen remodeling experts at Quality Home Renovators today for more information at (727)-437-6200.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Your St Petersburg General Contractor’s Estimate: Why the Bottom Line Isn’t as Important as How It Was Arrived At

2011-05-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Most people who put a remodeling job out to bid are most interested in the last line in each contractor’s estimate. As important as the final number is, it isn’t nearly as important as the method used to create the bid.

Let me tell you a story to explain what I mean.

A few months ago, Quality Home Renovators, LLC, was asked to bid on a kitchen remodel for a couple who had just purchased a charming, historical bungalow in the heart of St Petersburg.

This image by David Sawyer and licensed under CC by SA 2.0

We looked at the job, and noticed that the existing cabinetry had been damaged by a water leak and suspected that doing the job properly would require replacing some rotted wood. Our quote included money to cover that.

We also checked the electrical and noticed that it would have to be updated to allow for the convection oven and other appliances that were part of the remodel. The house had original knob and tube wiring and needed to be updated to current building code. The kitchen would never pass a building inspection without this electrical upgrade. Not to mention the risk of a future fire in this area.

Image by Dave Bellous and licensed under CC by 2.0

The costs of bringing the service up to date were part of our quote.

Some St Petersburg Remodeling Contractors Estimate from the Drywall Out...

We didn’t get the job because our bid was higher than another contractor’s. This other contractor’s bid looked good because he practices a kind of bidding that I call “bidding from the drywall out.”

In other words, he strictly bids on the work that he can see, even when he knows that other work is almost certainly going to be required.

The homeowner who hires this type of contractor is always finding out that another change order (and more money) is required to finish the job.

The homeowner called Quality Home Renovators midway through the project and asked if we could complete the work. The other contractor had walked off the job due to disagreements about the cost of change orders.

Not all estimates are created equal, so when you look at bids on your kitchen or bath remodel, consider how the contractors created their bids.

Before You Remodel Your Kitchen or Bath…

Interview a few different contractors, get a general feel for how they do business, and ask them to prepare an estimate for your kitchen or bath remodel.

An experienced contractor knows how to inspect a job and determine the issues that will probably arise. He or she may give you a bid that’s higher, but only because it accurately reflects the required work.

Instead of being nickel and dimed to death, you can proceed knowing that likely costs have been built in. Ask your contractor if there is an allowance for work that cannot be seen and may likely need to be addressed. In the long run, doing business this way is what has helped Quality Home Renovators, LLC, grow by word-of-mouth.

When you’re ready to renovate your home, do it with a contractor who has the experience and integrity to construct an honest estimate. Not every St Petersburg General Contractor bids home remodels the same way we do at Quality Home Renovators.

This post written by Diane Portelli, Project Manager for Quality Home Renovators, a St Petersburg General Contractor specializing in home remodeling work. Visit our portfolio of completed home remodeling projects at QHRbuilds.com. Reach Diane at 727-437-6200.

Insurance Claims-What Every Homeowner Should Know!

2011-04-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

With hurricane season right around the corner, now is a great time to review the steps necessary to take if you experience an insurance related loss. Don't be left scrambling!

I can’t tell you how many times I have met with a homeowner after a property loss and heard, “I didn’t know what to do”. There are some crucial steps you can take to make this process as efficient and hassle-free as possible.

1. DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH AN INSURANCE RESTORATION CONTRACTOR AHEAD OF TIME.

This is one of the smartest steps you as a savvy homeowner can take. Chances are that after a storm rolls through, good contractors will be swamped with calls. The steps you take to develop this relationship will help to ensure that your loss will be handled quickly and accurately.

You can reach Quality Home Renovators any time at 727-437-6200.

Too many policyholders rely on their insurance company to visit their property after a loss and provide a claim settlement for their damages.

An informed homeowner would never let this happen!

Many insurance adjusters have passed an insurance claim exam and learned how to use an insurance estimating program, BUT have never worked on an insurance repair project. Many have never built or repaired a home, nor have they ever worked for any type of construction firm. Chances are that they will miss something needed to properly complete the repairs of your claim.

It's YOUR property,

It's YOUR insurance policy,

and it's YOUR responsibility to protect yourself!

2. REPORT YOUR LOSS TO YOUR INSURANCE PROVIDER.

This is the first step to take after you have suffered a loss. Your insurance provider will ask you for some basic information such as:

-When the loss occurred

-A general description of what happened

-The condition of your home and is it still livable

-Are temporary or emergency repairs needed

-If the fire or police department was contacted

-Your contact information and best time to be contacted

3. PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM FURTHER DAMAGE AND DOCUMENT YOUR LOSS

Yes, it is your responsibility to protect your property from further damage.

Contact Quality Home Renovators at 727-437-6200 to arrange for temporary repairs such as boarding up broken windows, covering the roof, extracting water and removing debris. Water damage left untreated can do significant harm, particularly if it seeps into the sub-floor or other areas.

Quality Home Renovators will document your loss with pictures, measurements and the amounts and types of repairs that are necessary. In the insurance world, this is called a "scope of work". The sooner this scope of work is prepared by Quality Home Renovators and agreed upon with your insurance carrier, the sooner you will be on your way to getting your life back to normal.

4. LET QUALITY HOME RENOVATORS TAKE CARE OF YOU!

Your contractor's estimate is the most important tool you have to insure that your home will return to the way it was prior to your loss. In most situations, an insurance adjuster from your insurance company will visit your property, assess the damage that they can see, take pictures, create reports and an estimate to represent your loss. Many times, the damage extends far beyond what an insurance adjuster can see.

This is why you hire contractors like Quality Home Renovators who are well versed in the insurance claims field. Suffering a loss is difficult enough without trying to maneuver the "ins" and "outs" of the insurance business.

Based on the severity of your damage, your contractor could be involved with your loss for weeks or months. Quality Home Renovators will usually be providing emergency service work to protect your property from further loss, meeting with the insurance adjuster at your home to go over the scope of work and preparing your itemized line-item estimate to provide to the insurance company. It is important that your contractor is familiar with insurance claim procedure.

There is an abundance of detail involved in the process of filing property insurance claims, of which the property owner is often unaware. Therefore, hiring a professional restoration contractor like Quality Home Renovators with expertise in insurance claim renovations is essential.

Contact Quality Home Renovators at 727-437-6200.

This article written by Diane Portelli of Quality Home Renovators, LLC. Quality Home Renovators, LLC, is a general contractor in St Petersburg, Florida.

Remodeling Projects That Pay You Back!

2011-04-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

St Petersburg General Contractor Shares Which Remodeling Projects Pay You Back

I often get asked about which St. Pete home remodeling projects give homeowners the best return at sale time.

Hanley Wood, together with GE Money, Lumber Liquidators, Bostitch, Owens Corning, ThermaTru Doors, and Whirlpool, has compiled city-specific numbers.

These companies publish a remodeling project Cost versus Value Report every year. The report reveals the average cost of a particular kind of remodel in a given city and the percentage of that remodel’s cost recouped by a homeowner when he or she sells.

Many of the homeowners for whom we do historical restoration work do it as a labor of love. They see themselves as stewards of the homes that they are restoring. This report does not cover historical restoration contracting work.

However, the report does cover the kinds of kitchen remodels, bath remodels, deck additions, and entry way remodels that many homeowners hire Saint Pete general contractors like Quality Home Renovators, LLC to do.

Download the 2010-2011 Remodeling Cost Vs Value Report PDF free.

According to the Remodeling 2010-2011 Cost vs. Value Report (costvsvalue.com), among the better projects in terms of recapturing dollars are replacing entry way doors (60% to 102.1%), remodeling baths (64.1%), and minor or major kitchen remodels (72.8% and 68.7%).

Even if you’re not primarily motivated by return at resale, it’s still good to see how much value you are adding by remodeling your St Pete home.

One of our recent renovation projects involved restoring a craftsman bungalow in the historic Kenwood section of St Pete. After years of neglect, the home needed a complete renovation to restore its intrinsic charm and add modern amenities.

The owners of the home have been gracious enough to allow us to share some of the “before” and “after” photos from this gorgeous craftsman bungalow remodel. The home was voted “Home of the Month” and starred in St Pete’s historic bungalow tour.

See some more pictures of this craftsman bungalow remodel in our project gallery.

Whether you have a specific project in mind or several that you would like to talk about to see which will give you the best return, feel free to contact me, Diane, at 727.437.6200.

This article written by Diane Portelli of Quality Home Renovators, LLC. Quality Home Renovators, LLC, is a general contractor in St Petersburg, Florida.