RENOVATIONS: Four step breakdown for a renovation job

All through my career as a contractor, I've had to explain to my clients, in detail, the time breakdown of the job. And that's a good thing - your contractor should be able to account for how long a job takes, and how much it's going to cost. And for some strange reason, it always seems homeowners question the price of a small job more than they do a big renovation. Maybe because they think the small job is something they could do themselves, if they had the time.

Homeowners often have a hard time understanding how long it takes to do a job because they aren't professionals with experience. As a result, they're surprised when the contractor gives them a quote. They think it's way too high. "Are you kidding? I've priced X at the building supply store! It doesn't take that long to install it!" (And, often they end up doing it themselves - for better or for worse.)

Wrapping your head around how all the time is spent on a basic task can be broken down in four main steps. To understand these steps, let's use an example of replacing a broken spindle in a stair railing - a "small job" that shouldn't take too much time. The average homeowner may think it will take an hour. Let's look at the job step-by-step and see.

Preparation The broken spindle must be removed without damaging the surrounding wood finish, carpet or rest of the railing. If the spindle isn't a stock item, a second undamaged spindle may also need to be removed, in order to use as an example to duplicate a new piece. Let's say the spindle is a stock item (the best-case scenario) and the least expensive. The contractor still has to source the right piece. We're already at the homeowner's estimate of one hour.

Transportation The contractor has to go to the building supply store, pick up the part and return. Hopefully, the local supplier has the part. If it is something more specialized, there may be cross-town travel required. Even if the spindle can be picked up around the block at a big-box lumber store, you will still need to spend time finding the part and standing in line with everyone else while more time is ticking away. Add another hour.

Installation Finally some "real work" gets done - the spindle gets replaced. It might be an easy operation, or there may be complications due to the original construction method. Either way, it is precision work, to make sure the new piece sits in perfect alignment and that it is strong and safe. That brings us to the end of hour three.

And we're finished right? Wrong. The most time-consuming step is still to go, and it's the one that the client is going to scrutinize more than anything else -the finishing.

Finishing The new spindle has to match all the others, and, direct from the store, it comes as a piece of unfinished wood. The contractor has to match the stain or primer and paint and may have to add a coat of Varathane or other wood finish to make sure that not only the colour is right, but the sheen also matches the sheen of the existing woodwork. If this step is rushed, the replacement piece will stick out like a sore thumb, and the homeowner will not be happy. All the small parts of this step - like detail sanding, taping off surrounding areas, and preparing paints or stains - take up precious time. There, you've spent another hour, and we didn't even account for drying time between the various coatings.

There you have it, a grand total of four hours, as a best-case scenario. In the end, the homeowner doesn't notice any difference between the repaired spindle and the others around it, and that is exactly the desired result. The repair blends in with the rest of the staircase railing as close as humanly possible. All the time needed to achieve this seamless look will never be fully understood by the client or anyone who wasn't there to witness it moment by moment. Tasks requiring skill and effort always take longer than imagined.

We all know it takes longer to do a job if you don't know what you are doing, just as it costs more to do it again when it's not done right the first time. Hiring a contractor with experience will shave some time off a project, but in the end, time does add up. That's the reality of a good renovation or repair.


("My year-end breakdown" prepared by Mike Holmes/National Post/Dec 18,2009)