Importance of a Project Manager for Home Renovations
Home Renovations can be tricky for a variety of reasons—budget, unforeseen circumstances, and how a project is managed. When you choose a home renovation team to be part of your home renovation process, you need to make sure that there is a system in place for time management, accountability and the overall process.
That’s why clients choose the Canadian Home and Renovation Team to complete their projects. For each project we take on, we have a project manager assigned to see the home renovation through from start to finish. Here’s how our Project Managers make a difference when clients need a home renovation.
Clients Don’t Have Oodles of Free Time
When you break down what it takes to complete a home renovation project, there are a lot of time-consuming steps. From the basics of picking out lighting to the more complicated steps of getting building permits or city approval, home renovations require time devoted to each detail along the way. Homeowners typically don’t have ample amounts of time to dedicate to each step of the home renovation process. More importantly, homeowners likely don’t have the same level of experience when it comes to the details of home renovations and may miss a major part of the planning and renovation process.
Project Managers for home renovations take the time to plan out the entire home renovation process, ensuring that each step along the way is accounted for. A project manager’s main goal is to find the right people for the home renovation job, plan out the major and minor details, and manage how long each part of the home renovation process will take. For example, a Project Manager will scout out which tradespeople are the best for your particular home renovation.
A mistake homeowners make is finding the “all-in-one” tradespeople that maybe don’t have the same expertise as those selected by a Project Manager who has seen their work and has used them for previous projects. The consultants and tradespeople selected by a Project Manager are people that are appropriately skilled for the home renovation project and have proven their abilities previously.
Taking Down the Risk Level
A Project Manager will also know the ins and outs of project risks and project problems. Say, for example, a homeowner wants an extension built on their home. If a homeowner chooses to do this on their own, they may run into trouble with building permits, gas and pipelines, or basic structural problems. This can cause homeowners extra time spent on the home renovation, or worse, extra money put into the home renovation.
A Project Manager, on the other hand, has the experience and insight into these risks and problems, posing a better solution and a way to solve the issues that arise. Typically because Project Managers have experience with home renovations in the region, they have an idea of what city codes are, how to handle any structural problems and how to solve any gas and pipeline problems from collaborating with appropriate consultants. This takes out the extra headaches for homeowners and enables home renovations to be completed in a smoother and more efficient manner.
Defining Differences Between Expectations and Reality
A major mistake homeowners make, is creating unrealistic expectations for their home renovation from the get-go. We’ve all heard of homeowners who have grand ideas for their home renovation, get midway through it, and then realize that part of their plan won’t work based on cost, restrictions, or logistics.
Project Managers have the experience to weed out the unrealistic expectations from the realistic outcomes of a home renovation. When a Project Manager meets with a client, they are able to discuss the client’s wish list and help them understand what is doable and what is perhaps an unrealistic wish. This helps clients gain a better sense of what is possible in their budget, the structure of their home and the city rules and they can spend their time and money more appropriately. This also helps clients revise their home renovation wish list and find alternatives.
The Ability To Manage A Team and Finish In A Timely, Cost-Effective Manner
Naturally, Project Managers are leaders and have the skills and ability to manage a large team of people. As many people know, as numbers get larger, the accountability trickles down from one person to a group of people. Because a Project Manager oversees the entire project, they know exactly who to talk to and who is accountable for each part of the home renovation process. This is a contrast to homeowners that hire a few different tradespeople to complete a project. When there are various people involved in the project whose timelines and standards may be different from one another, homeowners cannot pinpoint accountability.
If there are any hiccoughs during the home renovation process, the Project Manager assigned will respond to the matter in an efficient manner. Another great advantage is that the Project Manager will also communicate the problem to the client so there is transparency in process and communication. This ensures that the client knows what is going on in their home and if anything else is affected by the problem.
Despite any problems that arise, it is also part of the Project Manager’s job to ensure that timelines are met and budgets are regimented. This may mean that they call on extra tradespeople to complete your home renovation according to the schedule so there is no additional disruption to your renovation time, and so that you stay within the budget agreed upon. Without a Project Manager, homeowners may go out of budget and over the schedule to appease their tradespeople.
If you are looking for a home renovation in Cambridge, Kitchener or Waterloo, trust in the Canadian Home and Renovation Team to provide you with the best home renovation service in the tri-cities. Homeowners trust us because we have the ability to complete projects on time, on budget, and on par, if not surpassing, project goals. Our Project Managers are happy to answer any of your questions concerning your next home renovation project and are always helpful with any major decisions you need to make.
