You swing by your custom home under construction and find the carpenter in your kitchen preparing to put in your custom-built pantry. As you survey the room, you realize you want to make pantry six inches wider. So you ask the carpenter to change it.
He does, but then when the new appliances you picked out for your kitchen arrive the following day, they don’t fit. Your new island will also be off center in the room and your electrical, plumbing and ventilation hook ups don’t line up anymore. Home construction changes can be complicated, and if not done right they can also cause delays and major expenses. Properly navigating home construction project changes are an important part of the client-builder relationship.
In working with clients, in the past we’ve seen a certain degree of confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to how to handle these types of changes. Clients sometimes request changes from workers in the field without ever involving the builder.
But even the smallest of changes can cause big problems down the road if they’re not properly vetted, well thought out and planned for. When it comes to construction changes in your custom home design or your home renovation, communication and collaboration with your builder around these types of design changes are key.
Should you request changes from workers in the field?
Take for example one client we had who was on the site of his custom home build on a day the electricians were trimming out the ceiling lights in the house. The client decided that he wanted more lights in the primary bathroom. So he spoke directly with the electricians on site and showed them the spots where he wanted the lights added.
Wanting to please the client, the electricians got to work. When supervisors arrived on site later in the day, there was water flowing from the ceiling of the primary bath. Unaware of the larger design plan for the house and what other contractors had already done, the electricians inadvertently cut through a hot water line in the ceiling.
In the end, the cost to repair the damage done to the home-in-progress and to get the custom build project back on track was close to $15,000. That included plumbing work, engineered flooring, remediation, demo, drywall, paint, trim—for the level below as well. Our client knew that he was responsible. But the project delays and extra work were unnecessary, and avoidable.
In this scenario, the damage could have been avoided if the client had ordered the project change directly through the builder instead of telling a subcontractor. Then, we would have told the electricians not to use the tools they did since there were plumbing lines in that location. The client would have gotten his additional lights at a much smaller price tag—just the minor cost of a change order, which could be a few hundred dollars, versus the $15,000 repair.
But sometimes, even asking the question to someone in the field can lead to delays and mistakes.
Ideally for a custom home build or remodel, you do all of the leg work and the decision-making up front so that change orders, or changes to the construction contract that tweaks the scope of work, aren’t needed. Inevitably, though, most projects will see some types of changes during construction.
As you visit your custom home during the construction process, inspiration may strike and you might decide you want to add crown molding. Or maybe you want to move a light or change a type of tile. Know that, since all parts of a house are linked, changes can create a domino effect. So, for any changes like the above ones, make a note, and then contact your builder right away to talk about your idea.
If the change is doable, your builder can then incorporate it into the design for a reasonable fee. But, whatever you do, don’t involve the subcontractor or craftsmen directly without explicit guidance from your builder or general contractor. Sometimes, even asking the question to someone in the field can lead to delays and mistakes.
For example, a subcontractor might stop working to contact a builder to let him or her know the homeowner asked about a change. With good communication and collaboration these types of issues can be avoided. You’ll end up paying a nominal fee for a change as well as potentially saving yourself the major headache of big project delays.
