Home Improvement Articles

Nobody likes surprises! In this article, we're going to give you the inside scope that you can mentally prepare your expectations for the general daily schedule and get a sense for what this could look like when our crews roll up to start work on your home.

 

 

 

What time do you start work?

 

Generally speaking, our work day starts between 7:30 and 8 AM with our teams arriving at our client’s homes between 8 and 8:30 AM… or possibly later if they need to stop at a supply house in the morning on the way or are traveling to the edges of our service area. Our administrative team will provide you with an approximate time window, and generally speaking, will call to update you, if our field staff runs into any snags. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to give us a call or send us a Facebook message with any questions.

 

Our office staff will let you know who is scheduled to start on your project, and what time they will be there. Our employees all have logo'd company appeal, and generally, one of our fully branded vehicles are on-site at most jobs. At some point after we receive your contract and deposit, but prior to the start of your project, we may place a company sign in your front yard, in accordance with the terms of the home improvement agreement.

 

When our teams arrive, they’ll lay flooring protection where appropriate or use shoe covers when needed. Depending on the size and scope of the project, your Project Consultant may meet the team on-site to make some introductions and walk through the project. This is not necessary on smaller projects. Our team will prepare for the work day, adjusting furniture, draping plastic sheeting and taking other measures to cordon off the work area, and control dust as needed. We may use tarps or outdoor mesh nets to catch debris as appropriate and when we’re done, most of our clients remark that we left their homes cleaner than we found them.

 

Communication is a huge part of a Five-Star experience and our office staff works diligently to help ensure that our clients understand the process, and the schedule, and the sequencing of the work. AND, ultimately, what our field staff determine during the process of renovating your home, may over-ride the best-laid plans of our Project Consulting team. We rely heavily on the expertise of our field staff, and generally speaking, if there is an observation made by our field staff that contradicts what our administrative team had put together, we go with the recommendation of our experienced field staff.

 

---

 

If a change in the scope of work is requested, or becomes necessary due to an unforeseen discovery during the course of the work, we will follow the change order methodology selected in the home improvement agreement. This typically involves a member of our field staff completing a change order form. They will review this form with you, including what they found, why it is a concern, their recommended course of action, and the associated cost or savings due to the change.

 

---

What happens in the afternoon?

Our team will typically stop for a brief lunch break, but some of our staff simply work straight through the day, snacking as they go. Around 3 PM, our field staff will call into the office to update our administrative team on progress for the day, and to discuss the plan for tomorrow. Most days, a member of our field staff will update you on what to expect tomorrow, before leaving at the end of the day, unless you are on a phone call or otherwise seem unavailable.

 

Occasionally, a customer will ask for the cell phone number of a member of our team. Our company policy is to politely decline these requests and funnel all communications through our dedicated office staff who we have hired specifically to ensure timely communication with all of our clients, and the reason is very simple. If you hire us to work on your project, and we’re there working on your project, you probably would be a little put out, if our phones were constantly ringing, and we were talking to other clients about other projects, instead of giving your renovation and repair 100% of our energy and attention. Task switching and distraction has a HUGE cost. It slows down production, and it delays projects and it often leads to unnecessary mistakes. Our team works diligently to protect each other’s trains of thought and saving un-related questions for appropriate moments in time, and batching requests so as to minimize unnecessary distractions. If one of our team’s cell phones rings during the day, it’s typically either their spouse, their kids, or a member of our office staff. We don’t give out the cell phone numbers of our team, so that you can be assured that when we’re working on your project, our minds are focused on your project, without the distraction of 50 other clients calling. We have an amazing office staff whose full time job is to help keep you in the loop of what’s going on with your project. They are here to help handle your requests.

 

---

Why does this contract specify a thermostat setting?

You may notice in our contract a section about maintaining a consistent temperature in your home during the course of the project. There are various types of renovation projects that require consistency in humidity and temperature. Maintaining climate controlled room temperatures between 68 to 74 degrees throughout the project helps ensure dimensional stability of the various products being used and helps facilitate rapid curing of various adhesives, joint compound, and paint.

 

---

How do payments work?

We typically ask for a 1/3rd deposit on most contracts, in accordance with PA Consumer Protection Laws.  When you review the payment terms of your contract, you’ll notice in most cases, that in addition to your deposit and your final payment, that there are 1 or more progress payments scheduled at various different major milestones in the scope of work from the specifications section. Our goal is to select clearly identifiable points in the projects for each scheduled draw. We appreciate your prompt payment as we reach these milestones. These progress payments are especially important on larger renovation projects.

 

If you need to shuffle money from a savings or investment account over to your checking account, make sure you put reminders in your calendar to do that. Missing a progress payment, or using an online bill pay service that will take two weeks to generate and mail a check could cause delays in the completion of your project. Progress payments are due in a timely manner as milestones are reached and failure to have payment ready could result in a stoppage of work, and moving our crews onto the next job until after your delayed payment clears and we reach a stopping point on the new project.

 

---

What is Renovation Fatigue and do you think I'll experience it?

In step 12, we mentioned the concept of Renovation Fatigue or Project Fatigue… We don’t want you to worry about it… but we do want you to be aware of it. It’s a normal thing. It can happen to anyone. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. It can be a little unsettling to see your home ripped apart in mid-renovation. Project Fatigue affects everyone differently. If you start hearing yourself ask the question, “is this ever going to be finished?” Please start a conversation with a member of our field staff or with your Project Consultant so that we can update you on our progress, and discuss steps to mitigate the stressors. Perhaps it’s as simple as setting up a temporary sink or a wire for a stove… or maybe we need to move some tools to the other side of the room. Don’t be ashamed if this comes up. Let’s discuss it, so that we can help you have a Five-Star Experience with our team.

 

Occasionally a customer will ask if any one particular team member is going to be on their job. Generally speaking, we don’t make any guarantees about which members of our staff will be handling a specific project. Each of our team members are talented in their own unique way and you can be assured that we’re putting an individual or a team on your project that we feel are going to help us provide you with the Outstanding Customer Service Experience we’ve become locally famous for. Tracey and Drew have worked diligently and prayerfully to recruit, support, and train a cohesive team of the highest character who can uphold our company core values and provide an outstanding experience for our clients.

 

When it comes right down to it, Drew knows what he knows, but we have other craftsmen on our team who have two decades more experience than Drew does, and we know enough to know when to get out of the way and rely on their expertise. Drew is not on every job and he doesn't get to meet every client. But even if he doesn't manage to swing by to take some photos, or help with a project, or record a quick video for YouTube, we can assure you that Tracey and Drew’s fingerprints are sprinkled throughout every part of the process and that our team fully embraces the five core values that have helped us create our Five-Star Reputation… When we’re finished with it, you’ll be proud to say, It’s not just done… it was CopeBUILT…. But we're getting ahead of ourselves... Lets talk about what happens in the Big Reveal… that’s Next, in step 14!

 

 

Let's continue the journey with Step 14: "The Big Reveal"