Chestnut Hill Renovations LLC
Our Process For Working With You
Design
All remodeling and construction projects, large and small, start with a desire or need, and design.
Project design and specification are probably the most important elements of any project. It’s the preparation and planning where your vision is worked out, when the materials are chosen and what helps makes your project go as smoothly as possible.With proper planning, you can also keep your project on schedule and on budget.
For a list of some things to consider even before an initial meeting with us, see our Project Consideration Checklist. By considering these factors, even if you decide to do your project in phases over time, your contractor will be able to help you work from a unified plan and you will be better prepared for each phase when you’re ready.
Getting To Know Each Other
At our initial meeting, we can get to know each other and see if we’re going to be a good fit for working together.
We know from past experience that a successful project is the mutual responsibility of everyone involved, including our clients, so we’ll discuss and clarify each of our roles and responsibilities.
We’ll sit down and discuss your project in depth to find out why you want to do it, what your desired outcomes are and how we can both be confident they will be achieved.
We’ll also talk about what you’re looking for in a renovation company and how you are going to choose the company you’ll partner with.
Deciding How We Will Work Together
As part of our initial meeting, we’ll also determine where you are in your planning and renovation process. Options for how we can work together will depend on where you are in the process now, as well as what needs to be accomplished so you can confidently move forward with construction.
Option 1: You have professionally completed plans and specifications.
If you already have complete plans and specifications for your project, as well as a realistic budget, and are ready to choose the company to work with, we would be happy to discuss your project with you. If we both agree it makes sense to prepare a fixed proposal for your project, we will schedule a time to return so we can present and discuss the proposal we prepare for you.At that time, you can move forward with CHR by signing the proposal and providing the specified deposit to secure a spot in our schedule. If you choose not move forward with the proposal at this time, it will remain the property of CHR.
Option 2: You need help with the design and specification phase.
If you do not already have completed plans and specifications for your project, we would be happy to discuss our pre construction services and agreement.These services are designed to help us work together to determine your project’s work scope, identify appropriate materials and specifications, create a realistic project timeline, develop a design concept and determine a realistic budget.
This process does not include any of the professional blueprints required for actual construction or permit application. In most cases, we can provide fixed pricing for your project from our concept drawings developed during this process. The creation of a final set of plans for construction and permit application can be included in our fixed price proposal to you , and will be created after you commit to the project.
With our process, the design of your project won’t exceed your budget unless you choose to do so.
Note: Because we consider these services an integral part of our construction process, if you choose to work with us, the cost of pre construction services will be applied towards the construction contract. If you choose not to go forward with our company, the plans, specifications and proposal will remain the property of Chestnut Hill Renovations LLC.
Option 3: You’re not even sure if this is a viable project for you at this time
If you are not sure what your options are, or if your project is actually feasible for you at this time, we can offer you a Feasibility Study.
This process can help both of us determine the feasibility and practicality of your project.This will require some initial discussion and appropriate investigation to identify the project considerations, in order to determine a realistic budget range for your project.
Depending on the scope of work to achieve this, there may be a fee for this study. If you choose to move on to the designing and specifying phase of the project, any fees incurred would be applied towards the Pre Construction Agreement
Developing Project Design and Specifications
We know that the process of building can be a messy, disruptive experience for some homeowners. By using clear communications, establishing a good working relationship and developing a concise plan of action, we can make the experience enjoyable and rewarding for all involved.
Once committed to work together for the initial pre construction phase, we’ll establish a realistic budget and begin to develop the design and specifications, while keeping that budget in mind.
During the design/specification phase, our trade partners and vendors become involved to complement the process with their knowledge and expertise, helping to establish work specification as well as material and product selection.
This also the time, before any work on your home even begins, to address your considerations or concerns about the construction process.
Some examples of things other clients have asked us about include:
• Can they live in the home during construction
• Are there any health or security concerns related to the work or materials to be included
• What items in the home need to be moved, reused or protected
• How long will the project take
• What needs to be selected before the project begins and what can wait
• What will happen if we both discover surprises at your home during construction that we could not anticipate
Committing To Construction
By the end of the pre construction process you’ll have enough info and confidence about the project’s design and specifications to move forward and make a final decision about working with CHR.
When you decide to move forward, we will provide a Construction Agreement which will include:
• A detailed description of the scope of work and specifications
•Clarification about what is included and what’s not included
•The total project cost and a milestone based progress payment schedule
•The anticipated project timeline and completion date
Creation of any necessary project blueprints would begin after your acceptance of our proposal and contract.
Project Planning and Pre Staging
Once a construction agreement and contract has been finalized, we will begin the process of pre staging your project.
Pre staging includes: getting you, your project and your home ready for construction. Our experience has proven that pre staging helps to eliminate any delays or unexpected surprises that might hinder getting the project started or completed on time.
Depending on the nature of project, some of the following typical activities might be included during the pre staging process:
•Building Permit Application
•Project critical path and schedule are created
•Confirming and pre ordering of custom or special order materials
• Confirming scheduling and other important commitments from our trade partners
•An onsite pre construction meeting where we will meet with you for a final review of everything, before construction begins
Project Construction
This is where all the planning and designing pays off and your project comes to life!
At CHR, we are always looking to refine our systems.We debrief every project at completion so we can learn from each experience. Doing so allows us to start every project better prepared so we can focus on the quality of your experience, the craftsmanship of our work and attention to detail.
The benefits of the planning stage will quickly become apparent as you witness the smooth progression of the various stages of construction.
For any unexpected situations that may arise, such as from hidden conditions in a wall or floor, or a request for a change to the design from you, we have a change order system. This system includes a written description of the changes with the associated costs. Because we do pre planning and pre staging, all change orders will also include any costs related to revising the project schedule as well as any costs related to the impact your requested change will have on other details of your project. With our system, all changes are agreed upon and signed off before beginning any associated work.
Many of our clients appreciate that we use the same group of trade partners on all our projects. From those relationships, developed over the years, they know how we work and fit into our processes almost seamlessly. It also allows us a level of trust and confidence of knowing everyone we invite into your home.
Project Completion
Your project is almost finished!
Throughout the project, we keep a checklist of any small details that need to be completed or adjusted. Then, in advance of completing your project, we’ll create a final list and schedule a meeting with you to go over all the last details required to wrap things up for you.
At this meeting, we’ll go over everything on our list and add anything else you may point out to us.
By using our project completion process, you will get your home back as soon as possible, and won’t have to worry about creating a punch list after we leave and have to bring us back.
At this meeting, we will also provide you with a project financial history statement and identify the final balance due on completion, so you can confirm our accounting matches yours.
Upon completion of the list we created and confirmed together, we’ll both be in agreement that your project is complete and it’s time for you to enjoy it.
Our one year warranty on labor on materials will begin at this point and final payment is expected.
We will also ask if you would grace us with your referrals to others, so that we may serve them as well.
Our Process For Working With You
Design
All remodeling and construction projects, large and small, start with a desire or need, and design.
Project design and specification are probably the most important elements of any project. It’s the preparation and planning where your vision is worked out, when the materials are chosen and what helps makes your project go as smoothly as possible.With proper planning, you can also keep your project on schedule and on budget.
For a list of some things to consider even before an initial meeting with us, see our Project Consideration Checklist. By considering these factors, even if you decide to do your project in phases over time, your contractor will be able to help you work from a unified plan and you will be better prepared for each phase when you’re ready.
Getting To Know Each Other
At our initial meeting, we can get to know each other and see if we’re going to be a good fit for working together.
We know from past experience that a successful project is the mutual responsibility of everyone involved, including our clients, so we’ll discuss and clarify each of our roles and responsibilities.
We’ll sit down and discuss your project in depth to find out why you want to do it, what your desired outcomes are and how we can both be confident they will be achieved.
We’ll also talk about what you’re looking for in a renovation company and how you are going to choose the company you’ll partner with.
Deciding How We Will Work Together
As part of our initial meeting, we’ll also determine where you are in your planning and renovation process. Options for how we can work together will depend on where you are in the process now, as well as what needs to be accomplished so you can confidently move forward with construction.
Option 1: You have professionally completed plans and specifications.
If you already have complete plans and specifications for your project, as well as a realistic budget, and are ready to choose the company to work with, we would be happy to discuss your project with you. If we both agree it makes sense to prepare a fixed proposal for your project, we will schedule a time to return so we can present and discuss the proposal we prepare for you.At that time, you can move forward with CHR by signing the proposal and providing the specified deposit to secure a spot in our schedule. If you choose not move forward with the proposal at this time, it will remain the property of CHR.
Option 2: You need help with the design and specification phase.
If you do not already have completed plans and specifications for your project, we would be happy to discuss our pre construction services and agreement.These services are designed to help us work together to determine your project’s work scope, identify appropriate materials and specifications, create a realistic project timeline, develop a design concept and determine a realistic budget.
This process does not include any of the professional blueprints required for actual construction or permit application. In most cases, we can provide fixed pricing for your project from our concept drawings developed during this process. The creation of a final set of plans for construction and permit application can be included in our fixed price proposal to you , and will be created after you commit to the project.
With our process, the design of your project won’t exceed your budget unless you choose to do so.
Note: Because we consider these services an integral part of our construction process, if you choose to work with us, the cost of pre construction services will be applied towards the construction contract. If you choose not to go forward with our company, the plans, specifications and proposal will remain the property of Chestnut Hill Renovations LLC.
Option 3: You’re not even sure if this is a viable project for you at this time
If you are not sure what your options are, or if your project is actually feasible for you at this time, we can offer you a Feasibility Study.
This process can help both of us determine the feasibility and practicality of your project.This will require some initial discussion and appropriate investigation to identify the project considerations, in order to determine a realistic budget range for your project.
Depending on the scope of work to achieve this, there may be a fee for this study. If you choose to move on to the designing and specifying phase of the project, any fees incurred would be applied towards the Pre Construction Agreement
Developing Project Design and Specifications
We know that the process of building can be a messy, disruptive experience for some homeowners. By using clear communications, establishing a good working relationship and developing a concise plan of action, we can make the experience enjoyable and rewarding for all involved.
Once committed to work together for the initial pre construction phase, we’ll establish a realistic budget and begin to develop the design and specifications, while keeping that budget in mind.
During the design/specification phase, our trade partners and vendors become involved to complement the process with their knowledge and expertise, helping to establish work specification as well as material and product selection.
This also the time, before any work on your home even begins, to address your considerations or concerns about the construction process.
Some examples of things other clients have asked us about include:
• Can they live in the home during construction
• Are there any health or security concerns related to the work or materials to be included
• What items in the home need to be moved, reused or protected
• How long will the project take
• What needs to be selected before the project begins and what can wait
• What will happen if we both discover surprises at your home during construction that we could not anticipate
Committing To Construction
By the end of the pre construction process you’ll have enough info and confidence about the project’s design and specifications to move forward and make a final decision about working with CHR.
When you decide to move forward, we will provide a Construction Agreement which will include:
• A detailed description of the scope of work and specifications
•Clarification about what is included and what’s not included
•The total project cost and a milestone based progress payment schedule
•The anticipated project timeline and completion date
Creation of any necessary project blueprints would begin after your acceptance of our proposal and contract.
Project Planning and Pre Staging
Once a construction agreement and contract has been finalized, we will begin the process of pre staging your project.
Pre staging includes: getting you, your project and your home ready for construction. Our experience has proven that pre staging helps to eliminate any delays or unexpected surprises that might hinder getting the project started or completed on time.
Depending on the nature of project, some of the following typical activities might be included during the pre staging process:
•Building Permit Application
•Project critical path and schedule are created
•Confirming and pre ordering of custom or special order materials
• Confirming scheduling and other important commitments from our trade partners
•An onsite pre construction meeting where we will meet with you for a final review of everything, before construction begins
Project Construction
This is where all the planning and designing pays off and your project comes to life!
At CHR, we are always looking to refine our systems.We debrief every project at completion so we can learn from each experience. Doing so allows us to start every project better prepared so we can focus on the quality of your experience, the craftsmanship of our work and attention to detail.
The benefits of the planning stage will quickly become apparent as you witness the smooth progression of the various stages of construction.
For any unexpected situations that may arise, such as from hidden conditions in a wall or floor, or a request for a change to the design from you, we have a change order system. This system includes a written description of the changes with the associated costs. Because we do pre planning and pre staging, all change orders will also include any costs related to revising the project schedule as well as any costs related to the impact your requested change will have on other details of your project. With our system, all changes are agreed upon and signed off before beginning any associated work.
Many of our clients appreciate that we use the same group of trade partners on all our projects. From those relationships, developed over the years, they know how we work and fit into our processes almost seamlessly. It also allows us a level of trust and confidence of knowing everyone we invite into your home.
Project Completion
Your project is almost finished!
Throughout the project, we keep a checklist of any small details that need to be completed or adjusted. Then, in advance of completing your project, we’ll create a final list and schedule a meeting with you to go over all the last details required to wrap things up for you.
At this meeting, we’ll go over everything on our list and add anything else you may point out to us.
By using our project completion process, you will get your home back as soon as possible, and won’t have to worry about creating a punch list after we leave and have to bring us back.
At this meeting, we will also provide you with a project financial history statement and identify the final balance due on completion, so you can confirm our accounting matches yours.
Upon completion of the list we created and confirmed together, we’ll both be in agreement that your project is complete and it’s time for you to enjoy it.
Our one year warranty on labor on materials will begin at this point and final payment is expected.
We will also ask if you would grace us with your referrals to others, so that we may serve them as well.