Renewal School | Renewal Construction

PHASE 1: Pre-Construction

First Phone Call
When you first contact our office, we will help you evaluate whether Renewal Construction is the right company to meet your needs. Then, if you decide that Renewal may be the right contractor for your project, we will schedule a home visit.

First Home Visit
During the home visit, we will assess the feasibility of your project and explain in further detail how we can best serve you. This visit is an opportunity to get acquainted and to establish a working relationship based on trust and respect.

Retainer Agreement
When you are ready to move forward with essential pre-construction planning, we will offer you our Construction Retainer Agreement. At this point, we will require a partially refundable deposit, based upon the size of your project. The deposit will be applied toward your first payment on the project once the construction phase is underway.

This approach makes it possible for you to “test drive” Renewal before signing a major construction contract. It gives you a chance to spend time with our firm, see how we work, and establish a high level of confidence before we pick up the first hammer. We are one of only a few contractors that offer this opportunity.

Pre-Construction Phase
Once you have signed the Construction Retainer Agreement, Renewal is committed to working with you during the pre-construction phase in all of the following areas that are appropriate to your project:

Set a specific and realistic commencement date for your project.
Show you a realistic duration time frame for your project.
Analyze the financial realities of your project.
Provide a desktop appraisal from a licensed real estate appraiser of what your home might be worth upon completion of the renovation and/or addition.
Guide you, with our extensive experience and knowledge, as we go with you to visit showrooms to help you select windows, doors, hardware, bathroom fixtures, countertops, etc.
Offer suggestions of products that meet your budgetary and aesthetic requirements.
Meet with you and your architect to help ensure that the project is designed to fit your budget.
Provide detailed pricing of the entire construction package, written out in language that you can understand.
Offer solutions for where to make cuts if the scope or specifications exceed the budget.

Building a Team
Next we build a team, which usually consists of the client (you), an architect/designer, a structural engineer (if required), and Renewal as your general contractor. Each member of the team must be fully committed to moving the project steadily toward a successful completion.

Choosing an Architect
You may already have an architect and a design plan. Or you may prefer that we recommend a source for these services. Renewal has developed very strong working relationships with several award-winning residential architectural firms in the Atlanta area. As we get to know you and the scope of your project, we will gladly direct you to the firm we think will best serve your needs and work well with our team. Once the architectural firm has been hired, Renewal will work with you and the design team to help evaluate the feasibility and cost implications of the design.

Preliminary Cost Analysis
Each project is unique, and each type of space to be renovated or added has its own range of square-foot pricing. A kitchen’s range of square-foot pricing is vastly different from a screened-porch-addition’s range of square-foot pricing, or even an attic renovation or second floor addition. We can show you historical pricing for the type of work you have in mind. We will give you a unique one-page report, called the Preliminary Cost Analysis, which specifies the type(s) of square footage and the mid-range and upscale costs. This analysis will be the basis for refining the overall budget for your project.

Construction Contract
Once the plans have been finalized, we will go through the pricing once again, or as many times as needed, to arrive at your final investment for the project. This figure will be part of the Construction Contract, which will outline the specifics of your project. We take a great deal of time writing in the full scope and products selected, so that you can clearly see what you are paying for and know what is included and what is not.

The contract will also have a payment schedule. Payment will be due during the course of the project. Each payment, however, is pegged to a specific phase of the project that is visible and concrete. For example, a payment may be due when we begin hanging the sheetrock. You will be able to see for yourself that, yes indeed, the sheetrock is being installed.

PHASE 2: Construction

Steps in the Process
Most residential renovations or additions are managed through a process involving these steps:

Step 1 – Permitting, demolition, site work, foundation work/footings.

Step 2 – Framing, installation of windows and roofing.

Step 3 – The rough-in: installation of HVAC ductwork/system; plumbing drains and water lines; electrical wiring. Rough inspections: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and framing.

Step 4 – Exterior siding, trim, and exterior painting.

Step 5 – Insulation, sheetrock, and interior primer coats.

Step 6 – Hardwoods, interior trim and doors, tile, cabinets, countertops.

Step 7 – Interior paint.

Step 8 – Floor finishing, carpet. Final inspections: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and building.

Step 9 – Final cleanup, punch list.

Rollercoaster Effect
Homeowners undergoing renovations generally find themselves riding the proverbial emotional rollercoaster, with moments of great joy, surprise, anger, frustration, shock, disbelief, jubilation. Renewal understands this and will strive to make the transformation of your home a pleasant and positive experience from the first step to the last.

Our goal will be the same as yours: to fulfill your improvement dreams and make your home a place you can look at and live in with pride. To get there, we will guide you through the uncertainties, keep you well informed, and maintain your trust and confidence with our attitude, capabilities and teamwork.

PHASE 3: Post-Construction

Project Completion Book
While we are busy working on your home, we will also be busy in our office compiling a thorough and complete binder for you, which we call your Project Completion Book. In the binder you will find:

All of the essential manufacturers manuals and warrantees that came with your products.
A detailed list of all the paints, roof shingles, etc., used throughout your home.
A copy of your contract and final Certificate of Occupancy (if applicable) from the city or county of jurisdiction.
Lien releases from all major subcontractors who worked on your home. (This assures you that Renewal has paid all of its subcontractors in full for the work performed, and that no one can ever place a lien on your property for unpaid bills related to this project.)

Follow-Up Visits
We are committed to you long after the final dumpster has been pulled away. If there is a door that needs adjusting or a faucet that is dripping, we will be there to take care of it. Three months after your job has passed the city’s (or county’s) final inspection, we will automatically schedule a follow-up visit. We’ll schedule another follow-up visit at the 12-month anniversary. And of course, we look forward to being of service to you for any and all of your home improvement needs in the future.

How’d We Do?
We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to provide superior quality, service, and craftsmanship. Your feedback plays a crucial part in helping us constantly improve our performance. Within 30 days of completing your project, we will send you a customer satisfaction survey. We request that you take 10 minutes to fill it out. As a “thank you” for your feedback, you will receive a special gift that you and your family can enjoy.