The answer is yes, yes and yes!  In the olden days a handy man or carpenter would come in and renovate a house, add an addition or the like.  Most times drawings were not used, electrical was much simpler, plumbing was basic and in general to renovate a house it was just plain and simple compared to today. 

To do a renovation without plans today would wreak havoc.  At Upward Construction & Renovation Ltd we will not do a job without a permit. The reason being if you contract someone to do a job without proper information it leaves a lot of grey areas and many questions that can cost the customer lots of extra time & dollars that you could put to better use.

To do a great renovation even if it’s small you need to start with proper drawings, this is one of the most important steps to be taken seriously before your building begins.   You as the homeowner must be informed always as to what’s happening, and by having plans and studying them before hand with your contractor you will have a chance to ask questions, solve problems and therefore feel more confident in moving forward.  While in the process of renovating often the plans will be revised for different reasons.  It could be that you the homeowner will make a revision because you thought of something that you would like after the original plans were processed or sometimes the engineer has to make changes. (As a side note it’s good to be clear of what you want because revisions can be costly.)

Cost is a concern when it comes to drawings.  When budgeting for your renovation or new home build you have to factor in the cost of the base work, the drawings.  Price of drawings can be expensive but they can save you a ton of money if they are done by a qualified architect or designer. Do the revisions on paper not on the job site. Have the job quoted from the drawing not on the run. Sub-trades need drawings to quote their portion of the project, as well as wholesalers and the list goes on, Without these steps in place you could cause yourself a lot of frustration in time and money.

Needing more information on this topic? Give us a call and ask for Michael.  He will be happy to answer any of your concerns.

Next week’s topic: Architects and designers, what they do, what’s the difference and do you really need one.  

Until next time…

Tammy

This will be the first of several submissions, keeping  you in the loop with what our company is doing, as well as product updates on plumbing ,to the 2×4’s that provide the framework for your beautiful project.  There are many exciting things happening in the building industry and my goal is to keep you informed so check back often.

Let me tell you a little about our company.  Michael Upward started his  construction business buying delaptated homes and later selling them.  People were so impressed that he decided to start a company of his own. Ten years  later we are a company of 20 employees including one full time accountant, office administer, project manager, me (the wife) and of course Michael.

We are blessed with fantastic employees.  These guys are top notch, all are certified and most of the labourers are in the apprenticeship program.  To acknowledge the work they do we take them away for a “surprise trip” every year.   Only the guys, they have lots of fun, lots of stories and let’s put it this way: what happens on the road, stays on the road!  We also have an annual Christmas party that includes the wives.  This year we had forty five people!!  I heard wind that one of the guys on our crew is planning a “family” summer picnic, should be fun! Soon I will be putting pictures on our website of some of our company events.

We are also blessed with great clients.  They are the most interesting people, of all different backgrounds and we have made long-lasting relationships with most of them.  We at Upward take our responsibilities seriously to ensure that our clients get exactly what they want and more. 

Well, that’s enough blogging for today.  I feel I’m getting the hang of it!  Until next time…

Tammy Upward

First time blogger!