At Below Construction, we have been building and remodeling for more than twenty years. In those twenty years, one thing has remained constant. People tell us time and time again that they do not have the slightest idea how to proceed when considering a building project. What should they do first? Who should they hire first? And how can they avoid the problems which seem to be so intricately intertwined with construction work?

Building does seem to have more than its share of difficulties. Suppose someone said to you, "We have a new product to test. It has never been produced before. It's quite large and will take two or three months to complete. There is a good chance that it will be very messy and disruptive. Oh, and, by the way, we are going to build it right here, in your living room."

How would you respond to such a person? A normal response would be to show him or her to the door. Yet every year homeowners actually invite people into their homes -- and pay them -- to conduct this exact experiment.

With periodically high interest rates and the high price of homes, many people have been unable or unwilling to move. Others have decided they do not want to lead the nomadic life and would rather stay put. They like their home, their neighborhood, and the nearby schools. At the same time, the old place does need a face lift and perhaps an additional room or two.

The obvious solution to all of this is remodeling. Indeed this is exactly what is being done. Economists tell us home improvement is potentially a 100 billion dollar a year industry. Why not add on or renovate -- or both? What could be more exciting and satifying than finally bringing that old kitchen into this century, or creating a master suite with an elegant bedroom and adjoining bath?

This sounds like a lot of fun and it can and should be enjoyable. However, we have all heard what sometimes goes wrong in a remodeling project. Some of us have experienced these horrors first hand.

Do these comments sound familiar to you?

"The project ran way over budget." -- "After our remodel was completed, it looked a different from what I had envisioned, but then it was too late and too costly to make changes." -- "The workmanship was shoddy." -- "We were told the project would take six weeks, but it actually took fourteen." -- "The workers were messy, rude, and not very house broken." -- "The contract was vague and inadequate and we got burned." -- "We never knew about written change orders, and the builder hit us with thousands of dollars in extras." -- "The sub-contractors never showed up when they said they would."

The stories go on and on. One wonders why construction, and in particular residential remodeling, seems to have more than its share of nightmares. Must this be so?

Absolutely not! To avoid these problems and to help assure a successful construction project, there are ten essential steps you need to take before you break ground:

The Ten Essential Preliminary Steps
to a Successful Project

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