Proven Process: Steps to A Successful Home Remodel

Our home remodeling and home additions process gives you the confidence of knowing what happens when.

Palmer Custom Builders’ New Home Construction, Home Remodeling and Home Renovation Design-Build Process helps our clients visualize the steps required to complete the construction of their project and how the varied pieces all fit together. Specifics about what to expect at every step are detailed in our Palmer Custom Builder’s Remodeling and New Construction Guide booklet.

STEP 1 • INITIAL CONVERSATION AND SITE VISIT

We’ll schedule a free initial phone consultation with a healthy exchange of questions and answers about the project and process. This dialogue enables us to better understand the scope of the project, as well as your needs, expectations, budget and decision-making process. In some cases, we may be able to provide an estimated cost range to help you determine if the project is a realistic fit for your budget and makes sense from an investment perspective. Next, we’ll meet and, if appropriate, we’ll enter into a Project Planning Agreement to determine all the complicated details involved and draw up a detailed Construction Agreement.

STEP 2 • PROJECT PLANNING AGREEMENT

If we both believe we are a good fit for the project and when you are ready to move ahead, we’ll ask you to sign a Project Planning Agreement and pay a nominal design-build planning fee based on your project’s estimated starting range. What you gain through a Project Planning Agreement is an accurate budget amount for your project, which is far more accurate than a free estimate. This agreement entails:

  • Conducting a comprehensive needs analysis for the client’s project and how it will tie into their existing home
  • Defining a detailed project scope.
  • Taking as-built measurements.
  • Preparing 3D conceptual drawings.
  • Client review of preliminary plans.
  • Working with you to establish allowances for material selections (when appropriate) and preparing final drawings (as required) for your new home construction, remodeling or renovation project.

Your Project Planning fee is applied to the final cost of your project. Therefore it is not an added cost to you; rather it reflects your commitment as a serious client who appreciates working with a professional who will add value to your project and eliminate the possibility of surprises in cost.

STEP 3 • PALMER ESTIMATE

When it comes to our estimating process, we believe in delivering an outstanding value. We want clients to understand that not all estimates are created equal. Oftentimes, you’ll see a handyman or even an otherwise reputable company advertising free estimates. What you as a client need to consider is how much time, effort and research they are realistically willing and able to put into a free estimate.

  • If you are considering a remodeling or home addition project, are they taking the time to examine how your home is constructed? Did they go into the attic, basement or crawl space to look at specifics such as the construction and stability of joists, adequacy of insulation, electrical circuits and panel size, and existing HVAC units?
  • If you’re building a new home, are they taking the time to ask what quality and level of materials and finishes you’d like?
  • Are they instead just quoting a minimum square footage cost that would leave you with a home that would fall far short of your expectations or result in a much higher than expected cost at the end of the project?
  • Are they considering the idiosyncrasies of your lot and neighborhood requirements and how that may impact costs?

If not, the estimate they are providing may not even be close to what you ultimately will need to pay. We take the time and make the effort to do this crucial initial step — and every other step — correctly the first time. That’s true no matter how large or small the project may be and regardless of the scope of the project.

STEP 4 • DO THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

As exciting as a home addition, remodeling, renovation or new custom home project is, we understand that you only want to go through the process once. Whether we’re addressing a repair during a project or are building a custom home, Palmer Custom Builders taps our design-build teams’ collective experience to thoroughly plan your project, accurately address every detail, and to anticipate any challenges before they become issues.

STEP 5 • CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT

Palmer Custom Builders uses detailed Construction Agreements with specific allowances for custom selections. This means that you’ll know the cost of your project upfront (barring any changes or additions you make in the scope of work), based on our comprehensive planning estimate of materials and labor. This gives you the peace of mind of being able to effectively budget for your project.

Occasionally, a potential client will ask us about cost plus pricing. This type of contract does not set a final price but instead obligates the homeowner to pay the actual costs of materials and labor plus a percentage markup. This controversial pricing method is shunned by most true professionals, as it responsible for the vast majority of construction litigation and leaves homeowners vulnerable to cost overruns. (You can learn more about the two pricing methods on our blog.)

STEP 6 • CAREFULLY CRAFTED CONSTRUCTION

After we conduct a final on-site review of the process and timeline with you, we begin deconstruction (for remodeling) or site clearing and foundation work (for new construction). Construction follows, during which time weekly on-site project reviews keep you and our tradesmen up to date on your project’s progression. Palmer Custom Builders is responsive and hands-on from start to finish and does it right the first time

STEP 7 • PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY

All projects are photographed before, during and after completion using HDR digital photography to ensure that you have a record of what’s been done. When appropriate, we supplement those images with drone real estate photography using a DJI Mavic Pro Drone to quickly assess the situation, give you a unique perspective on your project as it unfolds, and effectively oversee construction as it happens. The result is exceptional job oversight and client communication as well as a lasting photographic archive of your project.

STEP 8 • ONGOING SUPPORT

From the final walkthrough to a 90-day follow-up and a one-year warranty. You can rest assured in the knowledge that Palmer Custom Builders will be there to stand behind our work.

STEP 9 • LASTING VALUE

Palmer Custom Builders adds value to every project by providing you with a complete package: a thoroughly analyzed, well-planned process that results in professionally executed and quality built finished result; a successful business operation that is there to provide support; and a company that will stand behind your project for years to come. In fact, Palmer Custom Builders celebrates their 35th Year Anniversary in 2021!

STEP 10 • FEEDBACK

At Palmer Custom Builders, we really do want to hear from you. After every project, we follow up with a client survey to see what we did right and discover any areas where we can improve. We appreciate this valuable feedback as well as the testimonials our homeowners share. Your satisfaction in a job well done is our main priority.

covered porch outdoor living remodel

The Palmer Difference

We do things right the first time.

As exciting as a new home construction, remodeling or renovation project is, we understand that you only want to go through the process once. Whether we’re addressing a minor repair or are building a multi-million dollar custom home, Palmer Custom Builders taps our design-build teams’ collective experience to thoroughly plan your project, accurately address every detail, and to anticipate any challenges before they become issues.

We take a team approach to communication and project management. We ensure that proper techniques are followed, correct materials are used, and that skilled tradespeople are in place to bring your project to completion — on schedule, on budget and done right the first time. In fact, our integrity is the reason most of our clients were referred to us by other satisfied clients. They know we’re trustworthy, creative and flexible, that we’re easy to work with, and that we dependably deliver a top-quality project you’ll be proud of for years to come.

We ensure that proper techniques are followed, correct materials are used, and that skilled tradespeople are in place to bring your project to completion.

How often does something truly turn out better than you expect? Palmer Custom Builders draws from more than three decades of service in every aspect of the remodeling, repair and new home construction fields. We work with clients who have struggled to find a professional who:

  • Understands that their project is unique; builds all types and sizes of projects
  • Has strong referrals
  • Maintains an A+ BBB rating
  • Has the experience and resources to handle every aspect of a project
  • Properly analyzes the project and its challenges from the start
  • Tackles their project in an organized and professional fashion
  • Clearly defines project scope and cost — and stays on budget
  • Simplifies client decisions through planning; employs professional, courteous and skilled craftsmen who produce quality work
  • Maintains a clean and safe job site
  • Arrives as scheduled, accomplishes what homeowners expect, and finishes in the agreed upon timeframe
  • Uses proven construction techniques and quality building materials that avoid future maintenance issues
  • Has the longevity and financial stability to ensure that they will be there to stand behind their work
Palmer Custom Builders book Remodeling and New Construction with No Regrets

Remodeling and New Construction With No Regrets

Our proven process one more way we help you enjoy remodeling and new construction with no regrets — pick up a copy of our book to see tangible ways this process helps homeowners just like you avoid common and frustrating mistakes during custom home construction projects.

The design-build difference

Working with an experienced design-build professional makes all the difference in your results. A full-service, design-build company brings a big-picture vision to your project while also keeping a keenly focused eye on the details. They design, manage and build your project from scratch – taking you from concept to completion. This eliminates the homeowner having to go back and forth between design professionals and contractors, who may be speaking completely different languages. Instead of just building “to plan,” a design-build firm is going to ensure that the plan they design will work on all levels when they build it in the field – structural, aesthetic, functional and budgetary.

kitchen sitting area

Using technology

To keep you informed of where we are in the process – and to provide a lasting record of your project – we invest in HDR digital photography and high quality drone real estate photography.

On the front end of an addition, new construction or repair project, drone real estate photography allows us to quickly and effectively diagnosis issues in difficult to access exterior places. Once construction is underway, it allows us to monitor progress, ensuring the quality of every step and sharing a unique visual perspective with you. At completion, you’ll have a unique photographic record of your project for insurance needs and future reference.

Using technology

To keep you informed of where we are in the process – and to provide a lasting record of your project – we invest in HDR digital photography and high quality drone real estate photography.

On the front end of an addition, new construction or repair project, drone real estate photography allows us to quickly and effectively diagnosis issues in difficult to access exterior places. Once construction is underway, it allows us to monitor progress, ensuring the quality of every step and sharing a unique visual perspective with you. At completion, you’ll have a unique photographic record of your project for insurance needs and future reference.

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