Renovation Dilemma
I’m a first time homeowner; we just bought a wood frame house in a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn. I need to renovate a full bath, convert a half bath to a full, renovate the kitchen, install a new furnace, add an interior wall, upgrade electrical. The house in general is in good shape and the…
I’m a first time homeowner; we just bought a wood frame house in a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn. I need to renovate a full bath, convert a half bath to a full, renovate the kitchen, install a new furnace, add an interior wall, upgrade electrical. The house in general is in good shape and the exterior is fine. I have an architect and a contractor, both of whom eye each other like vagrant cats in an alley. I really believe that my best path lies in the middle of the two, and though I have considered going alone with the contractor, I do believe the architect has a real value to the project.
The architect wants to stay by the book, get all the permits, move in after doing all the jobs. The contractor – who is licensed, insured, and knows what he’s doing – is more laid back. He says move in, start, set the permit in motion for the kitchen, but get going on the rest in the meantime. His route saves us money, but puts us at risk. I think he’s overall more realistic about my budget.
However, I’ve never renovated before so I’m not sure how to assess the risk vs. the cost of renting while renovating. I have friends that have gone both routes in the boom, but now that things are slowing down, someone warned me that the DOB has more time on its hands to issue violations. I would like to go with the contractor’s gut, but I don’t want to end up a cautionary tale. Any advice?
Your architect is correct. Am always leary of contractors that want to wing it, not a good sign. good builders, like good architects, know how to work as a team and do things legally and professionally. Any first time renovator that doubts the value of an architect in these situations usually comes out on the other side behind schedule, over budget, and with a less than stellar finished project.
2 things: If your architect and contractor don’t get along, you have the wrong team. I don’t agree that conflict between them is helpful.A collaborative team is better.Who will you believe if they are constantly disagreeing. Consider changing one or the other.
You cannot “let the architect go” after he/she files plans, as he/she needs to file for a letter of completion or your job remains open w/ the DOB. Legal problem when you go to sell.
Not sure that I can add much to what’s been said. Note that much of what you are doing can be done without pulling a full Alt 2 permit. I guess the new wall and the 1/2 bath to full bath are the two areas where you’d be opening yourself up to a stope work order (minimum fine now is $5000). An electrician can pull a permit on his own for the electrical as can a plumber for the furnace, without involving and architect. If you stage things right, you could probably live through this, as long as you are cool with being without a kitchen for a week or so. Note also that if you are going to force certain trades to come in more times than they otherwise would have had to, because of staging the job with your living there, you might incur a greater cost.
Our firm happens to offer design/build services where we only typically use an architect if we need his/her drawings and stamp in order to file plans and pull permits. In reference to the above post, I think if you are hiring a contractor that needs the oversight of an architect on the kind of work you are proposing, then you’ve hired the wrong contractor! The way you describe your project, it sounds rather straight forward and something on which an architect will bring limited value, unless you are looking at creative, high-end design and finishes. If you want to talk further, feel free to shoot me an email at mvinocur@buildingequitynyc.com.
There are several steep learning curves for first-time homeowners, and though your renovation may go well, your post strikes me as filled with potential, unspoken pitfalls. As to living on-site during renovations: make absolutely sure you’re able to live without a kitchen and/or bathroom, because your list makes it clear that you’ll need to do each of those at some point, for several weeks or even months. Similarly, if choosing to live on-site, make sure you’re comfortable with accommodating an instantly large, noisy, extended family for weeks on end, because that’s the nature of renovations and workcrew, starting early each morning. As to the gap between “laid back†contractor and “by the books†architect: I would find that cause for concern. Is it just *this* architect, or does your contractor feel similarly about all architects?
Ask yourself why you or anyone else would prefer to do work without permits, or face potential fines (a homeowner’s responsibility, not a contractor’s). Ask yourself whether you have enough knowledge and experience to judge the quality of the contractor’s work? Will your contractor remain “laid back†once all other knowledgeable professionals are off-site or out of picture? Has he given you a true copy of his own insurance, naming you as additionally insured (or is he laid back about that, too)? With an architect out of the picture, what pressure can you bring to bear if your contractor turns out to be laid back about meeting your standards and/or deadlines? Did you get a bid from other contractors, including the architect’s contractor, yet select this contractor above all others? Have you seen this contractor’s work in person elsewhere, and spoken with the homeowners about his workstyle and standards, and how they dealt with architect/contractor issue?
Work with the architect on detailed plans, pay hiim for his services, then let him go and work with the contractor. This is what we did. It wasn’t easy, but the contractor said it was actually a lot smoother without the architect around. And our finished product is absolutely awesome.
I would say keep both, and work with the contractor to phase the work so you can live there, if that represents a significant cost savings. Make sure the both know your budget and needs (short term and long). You certainly want to have permits in place, for all the reasons noted. You also want the architect for his/her aesthetic eye but also for consideration of things like layout, etc. (But listen to the contractor on this as well – the contractor is likely to have more practical experience on some issues).
>Complaints deemed outright false, continous, and nuisance should then go back to the person filing and minimally fine them for wasting everyone’s time and money< This would be problematic for example afterhours construction complaints rarely result in a violation because the inspectors don’t show up for days/weeks even though the complaint was legitimate at the time it was made.
My neighbors and I recently received THIRTY 311 DOB Buildings related complaints against our properties in a single day. The funny thing is that we are not doing ANY construction.
Thanks so much everyone, this is just the kind of broad but constructive insight I was hoping for.
The house is a one family. The value, pigthree, of the architect is that he brings an aesthetic that is in line with my own, and the things that I have described to him that I would like to see he has come back with clearer, more efficient, practical versions of my amateur visions. The contractor has a practical skill set that refines those ideas furthers, but without the architect I am missing a design element that I am willing to pay for.
Also time to change your username. Welcome to the club!