What To Expect

Remodeling your home is one of the most intensive activities you can be involved in regarding your home. At it's basic level a remodeling project requires many decisions regarding colors, patterns, textures and products styles. These are areas many people are not comfortable wondering into; feeling they do not have the expertise to make such decisions regarding something as important as their home.

Adding to the stress of making such important choices is the selection of the company or companies trusted to complete the work. Many places exist to help you with this selection, giving homeowners basic rules to follow and questions to ask potential contractors. This in itself can be overwhelming because of the volume of information available, some of which is at times conflicting.

Since is was started in 1969 Mr. Remodeler has seen countless companies, ran by skilled and honest individuals, go out of business. The reasons for this are varied, but usually boil down to a couple of basic reasons. The first, and most common, is a lack of business knowledge associated with the cost and financial requirements that need to be met to keep a company in business. The outcome of this is that their customers get a great deal regarding price, but no one is available to back it up if something goes wrong. In the worst cases the customer gets a great price but the project is never finished. Mr. Remodeler is proud to say that we have weathered many a financial storm and market downturn in the nearly 40 years we have been in business.

The other major stumbling block for many remodeling companies is understanding the pitfalls and traps waiting for them behind the walls of older homes. Many remodeling companies are ran by home builders trying to make extra money with what they see are the same skills. Nothing could be further from the truth. The skill of remodeling requires an understanding of what is waiting behind the walls of a home built in 1929 as well as 1983. It requires craftsmen who the technical skills needed to deal with these complexities and the professionalism to never forget they are working in a family's home. This means at the end of the day, those family members have to be able to live there.

With the business and the craft of remodeling in mind Mr. Remodeler is continually working to make the activity of remodeling more efficient for our company with less stress for the homeowner. This dual goal is mutually beneficial and keeps Mr. Remodeler consistently one of the highest ranked business in the Kansas City Better Business Bureau.

The following is the phases of remodeling and what to expect if Mr. Remodeler is the company you select to do your project.

The Phases

There are 5 basic steps to any project after the homeowner as decided what they want done

1. Research companies in your area

Call or log onto the Kansas City Better Business Bureau (www.kansascity.bbb.org)
Call or log onto the Kansas City Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (www.remodelingkc.com)
Talk to family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.

2. Review project with companies selected

3. Select a contractor and review project

4. The Project

Pre-construction:

Review with production manager and project lead
Order materials and confirm delivery date
Communicate status including any delays to customer

Construction

1) Tear-out, remove as needed. Haul away all debris.

2) Prep for installation

During this phase all foundational products and materials are put into place. The following is a list of such activities:

* Wall, floor and ceiling framing
* Subfloor and sheathing (for roofs)
* Enhancing structural strength of existing framing
* Electrical and plumbing rough-in
* Support material for tubs and shower bases
* Backing for grab bars

3) Installation

In general installation of finished materials and products happens in the following order.
1. Walls and Ceiling sheetrocked

* Sheetrock, tape and finish available areas
* Concrete or wonderboard used behind areas that will be tiled

Note: The area is draped off and sealed as much as is possible, but even with these precautions this is usually the messiest phase of construction. Sheetrock dust is hard to contain.

2. Initial installation of fixtures

* Tubs and Showers
* Initial cabinetry: Vanities in bathrooms and base cabinets in kitchens

4. Wall board in remaining areas

* Tub and shower areas get water resistant sheetrock, concrete board or wonderboard depending on the final product in shower area.

5. Flooring installed

* Laminate. wonderboard or concrete board
* Vinyl flooring, ceramic or stone tiles, laminate or hardwood floors

6. Wall covering

* Paint, paper or tile is installed

7. Remaining cabinetry

* Bathroom: Lavatory top, Medicine Cabinets, Toilet toppers, etc
* Kitchens: Upper cabinets.

8. Remaining fixtures

* Sinks, lavatories, faucets, etc

8. Millwork and trim

* Finished woodwork is installed.
** It is usually painted or stained before installation and then touched up afterwards, but there are some circumstances that require it to be painted/stained in place.

9 Finish Electrical

* Lighting fixtures, fans, switch plates, plug-in covers, etc

10. Touch-up and Punchlist

* The project lead or salesman goes through the job with the homeowner before he has done is final touch up. A punchlist is created for the last day of work.

5. Post-Project

After the project is completed to the homeowners satisfaction a final statement and questionnaire is sent to homeowner to fill out and send back to the office. This information is used taken very seriously and is used to better our process.

If you would like a more detailed look at the Mr. Remodeler process you can see the breakout of a complete change out of a bathroom by clicking here.

Greater Kansas City area remodeling covering Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth Counties in Kansas and Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties in Missouri. Free remodeling estimates for bathrooms, kitchens, room additions, general repairs, basement conversions / rec rooms, renovations, decks and patios, ADA / disability accessible alterations, sunrooms and porches, wall removal, windows, doors and siding, water problems, laundry facility relocation, waterlines and drainage replacement, carpet, hardwood, tile and vinyl, and paint, texturing, and wallpaper work in Kansas City, Shawnee, Lenexa, Mission, Overland Park, Olathe, Leawood, Riverside, Gladstone, Claycomo, Liberty, Kearney, Smithville, Independence, Lee's Summit, Grandview & many more areas. Call today for a free estimate or request an estimate online.