Wednesday, August 6, 2008
WHERE TO START A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT?
Getting started always seems to be the hardest step but it’s really easier than it seems. Take these steps and you’ll be on your way;
1) Decide exactly what you want to include in your project and decide how much you want to spend.
2) Decide how involved you want to be in the project. If you want to be very involved be sure that you have plenty of time to commit to the process. Most construction projects aren’t complicated but they are complex and will require a significant amount of time to manage and organized especially in the early stages.
3) If you’re going to manage your project yourself, visit our “HOMEOWNERS RESOURCES” page to find helpful forms like Building Permits and Project Management forms for estimating the project costs and hiring contractors. You will want to contact your County Building Codes & Enforcement department for guidance and regulations; many offices are listed here for you. They’ll ask you questions about your projects size and scope and direct you as to what paperwork and inspections will be necessary. In most cases you will need to visit the county or town building to pick up the paper work although they will occasionally consent to mail it to you if you are persistant that they do so. You will want to take advantage of this opportunity to let them know that you are eager to comply with the codes and appreciate any assistance and guidance they can offer you.
4) If you decide that you’d rather have your project managed by a General Contractor or Project Manager you can find them in the listings for Contractors. You will want to pick at least three who serve your geographic area and then use our “HELPFUL FORMS” to obtain and check recent references and then conduct an interview of your choices in order to choose the contractor who best suits you. Most General Contractors and Project Managers will handle all of the permits and planning for you although they will need to gather some information from you in order to do so.
5) Pick up a binder and keep all of the information from your project in tabbed sections so that you have everything in one place and organized. This will save you lots of time and energy later. Even for small project, paperwork and receipts pile up quickly. Having a binder is the best way to ward of the stress of lost information and miscommunications. I keep several blank forms in mine in order to remind me to document everything!
6) Permits take time, plan accordingly! Whether you are managing the project yourself or using the services of a General Contractor, you need to be aware that completing, submitting and getting approval of your Building Permits takes a good chuck of time. Even a small project can take up to three weeks to get Permit Approval and a complicated project or anything with engineering can take triple that time (or more!) See “HOW TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT A BUILDING PERMIT” for more information.
1) Decide exactly what you want to include in your project and decide how much you want to spend.
2) Decide how involved you want to be in the project. If you want to be very involved be sure that you have plenty of time to commit to the process. Most construction projects aren’t complicated but they are complex and will require a significant amount of time to manage and organized especially in the early stages.
3) If you’re going to manage your project yourself, visit our “HOMEOWNERS RESOURCES” page to find helpful forms like Building Permits and Project Management forms for estimating the project costs and hiring contractors. You will want to contact your County Building Codes & Enforcement department for guidance and regulations; many offices are listed here for you. They’ll ask you questions about your projects size and scope and direct you as to what paperwork and inspections will be necessary. In most cases you will need to visit the county or town building to pick up the paper work although they will occasionally consent to mail it to you if you are persistant that they do so. You will want to take advantage of this opportunity to let them know that you are eager to comply with the codes and appreciate any assistance and guidance they can offer you.
4) If you decide that you’d rather have your project managed by a General Contractor or Project Manager you can find them in the listings for Contractors. You will want to pick at least three who serve your geographic area and then use our “HELPFUL FORMS” to obtain and check recent references and then conduct an interview of your choices in order to choose the contractor who best suits you. Most General Contractors and Project Managers will handle all of the permits and planning for you although they will need to gather some information from you in order to do so.
5) Pick up a binder and keep all of the information from your project in tabbed sections so that you have everything in one place and organized. This will save you lots of time and energy later. Even for small project, paperwork and receipts pile up quickly. Having a binder is the best way to ward of the stress of lost information and miscommunications. I keep several blank forms in mine in order to remind me to document everything!
6) Permits take time, plan accordingly! Whether you are managing the project yourself or using the services of a General Contractor, you need to be aware that completing, submitting and getting approval of your Building Permits takes a good chuck of time. Even a small project can take up to three weeks to get Permit Approval and a complicated project or anything with engineering can take triple that time (or more!) See “HOW TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT A BUILDING PERMIT” for more information.
# posted by GC Network : 11:28 AM
