WORKING WITH THE CREW AT TALL GUY BUILDERS INC:

 

Coming up an efficient building process is critical to any construction or renovation project. It means better control over costs and timeliness, and brings transparency so that you know and understand what is happening in your house. During the decade that Tall Guy Builders Inc has been doing renovations, we’ve developed an efficient and straightforward approach to every project we do, with the goal of keeping you informed at every step along the way.

 

Most importantly, we realize that our building project is still your home or workspace, and we make every effort possible to work around your family and staff, and schedule. Our team shows courtesy when working onsite, partitions workspace where necessary, and generally makes the building process as unobtrusive on your lifestyle as possible.

 

Getting Started with Pre-Construction Planning:

 

We don’t typically do free estimates for most projects, because unfortunately, due to the extremely varied nature of residential construction, each situation is SO unique that it really does require an in-depth estimating process to nail down costs effectively. What we do offer we call our Pre-Construction Planning service. Once you have decided that TGB is most likely your desired contractor, we take a deposit, usually $3-5,000 depending on the size of the project. We then setup meeting with you, your designer / architect team and then also subcontractors to do a deep dive into the work. Below is a rundown of how that process typically goes.

Initial Site Visit – We schedule a visit to your home (or other job site) to review construction documents, familiarize ourselves with the job site, and learn what you want to accomplish with the project. Ideally we meet with your designer or architect ahead of this visit to review plans.  If you do not have a design professional, we can recommend one that we have worked with before who may suit your project (some in-house design services are available as well).

 

Return Site Visit – Most projects may require a second site meeting, where we bring in our subcontractors, trades-people such as plumbers, electricians, painters, insulation subs, tile installers, etc. This is so that they can see the site, discuss the work and provide detailed estimates for their work scopes accurately.

 

 Working Estimate – Once the project design and specifications are finalized and meetings are completed, we provide you with our Pre-Con Planning estimate.  While almost all of our subcontractors give fixed line item bids, the In-Houe portion of our estimates are based on a Time and Materials model. During our nearly decade and a half in business, we have found this model to be fair for both the customer and the contractor, especially when doing renovation work. A large percentage of any given project is comprised of fixed costs because sub-contractors typically comprise at least 70% of the work done on medium or large projects, and the prices we get from vendors are for the most part fixed estimates.

 

Contract – Once you are ready to proceed with your project, we provide a copy of our standard contract for your review. A 10% deposit will book the work and then we ask for an initial payment when the work begins typically 30% of the estimated job cost.

 

Team Project Manager – Once a contract has been signed, we put together a team of professionals to manage your project. This team will consist of a project manager and owner/supervisior, plus any architects and/or designers working with us on the job. These professionals will work with you and the architect/decorator to help coordinate your project during the entire process.

 

Permits, Planning and Schedules– Prior to the start of a project, we will hold one or more pre-job planning meetings with you and architect/designer to review the project plans. Preconstruction also includes obtaining necessary permits, determining a schedule for ordering materials, and coordinating timelines with our subcontractors.

 

Work Commences:

 

Construction – After procuring permits, the work starts. If the job is a renovation, we start by protecting existing finishes and architectural details and if necessary, we construct dust barriers. If the project is new construction, our team will assess existing conditions and make recommendations about utilities, excavation, fill storage, or fill removal. Throughout construction, the project manager oversees the entire project, directs the crew, checks on quality, interacts with the architect, orders materials, creates schedules, and supervises the entire team. The project manager is there to assist with budgets, schedules and coordination of subcontractors. Regular site meetings are usually scheduled at the site with the owner or owner’s representative and the architect, when needed.

 

Billing – Invoices are issued every two weeks, complete with a full accounting of our costs including time, materials, subcontractor billing, rentals, permits, and other costs that we have paid for to date. We can provide any level of documentation or copies of trade partner invoices that you require.

 

Change Orders – Change orders are changes to the scope of the work, possibly up or down. If a job is well defined with a full set of construction documents, there is less of a chance of significant change orders. New construction projects are less likely than renovations to have unforeseen conditions that might lead to change orders. Many change orders are the result of people changing their minds during the construction process. We strive to provide accurate preliminary estimates, but often projects have hidden issues that need to be dealt with during the work.

 

WRAPPING UP:

 

Project Completion – As the project nears completion, the project team will compile a punch list of items still to be completed. The Tall Guy team will start work on these items prior to the customers and architect's punch list in order to accelerate project completion.

 

Post Construction – Tall Guy Builders Inc is available to take care of any issues related to the scope of work. We also offer on-going maintenance.

 

Warranty – Officially, Tall Guy Builders Inc offers a one-year warranty on labor and materials, effective on Substantial Completion.  However, depending on the nature of the issue, we usually take care of issues after the warranty period has ended. We are proud of the work we do and stand behind it.

 

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