Finding A Remodeling Contractor In Portland, OR

Understanding Your Remodeling Needs | Scope, Budget, Timeframe

It’s important to define your project scope, including specific areas of the home to be remodeled before meeting with potential contractors or design build firms. The more detailed you can be about why you are upgrading your homes interior space, the easier it will be to find synergy with the contractor or design build firm you choose for the project.

Ensuring that your project complies with local building codes is crucial to avoid legal issues and should always be considered before starting your project. This can't be stressed enough as ignoring the permitting process can, and will be very costly in the end.

Determining your budget, and including contingency funds for unexpected expenses is critical. Understanding that once you start designing it is easy to push over the defined budget so some sacrifices will need to be made unless your willing to readjust your budget higher. Here are some things we recommend when it comes to budgeting for your project;

• We recommend a 15% contingency fund for all any remodeling project as unforeseen things like additional work due to engineering requirements, or having to rerouting plumbing due to your homes framing can add significantly to the overall scope
• Identifying your must-haves, such as specific materials or design elements to ensure you get the look you’re after
  • This is important for any home renovation as you will likely need to back out some things on your wish list that aren’t “must haves” to make your home renovation happen

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Finding a Trustworthy Remodeling Contractor

Reviews, Rewards, & Accreditations

Conducting online research and reviews, including checking ratings on sites like Google, & Angieslist.com. A great company will have 100's of reviews across multiple platforms giving you the confidence that you are working with one of the best.

Any good contractor should have a minimum of 50 5 star online reviews through Google and other review sites. We have  over 1000 5 Star Reviews across multiple platforms.

Asking for referrals from friends, family, and neighbors who have completed similar remodeling projects from your potential remodeling contractor. Friends and family are a great resource, however it is still imperative to do a deep dive on the remodeling company you're considering.

For any home renovation project it is incredibly important to call your remodeling contractors provided references, and check their background with the Oregon CCB.

Verifying professional associations and certifications, such as NARI or NAHB, for home remodeling contractors is also a great way to vet the company you're looking at

Once again great home renovation contractors will always be members of national and local organizations like the NKBA, BBB & NARI.

Lifetime Remodeling Systems is a member of NARI, the NKBA, and we have won numerous Awards such as the Best Remodeling Contractors in Portland from Expertise.com.  Big 50 Award from Remodeling Magazine, and the Market Leadership Award from Professional Remodeling Magazine.

As Portland's premier  remodeling contractor you can be rest assured your remodeling project is in good hands with us.

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Evaluating Potential Contractors For Your Upcoming Renovation

Contractors Should Have A Complaint Free History and Lots Of Reviews,  References & Awards

Checking licenses and certifications, including verifying with the state licensing board is imperative when hiring a contractor for your renovation.

The Oregon CCB is a great resource for a homeowner to do research on a potential remodeling contractors. The Oregon CCB offers a detailed amount of contractor information including complaint history, whether they've been sued or had their insurance or bond called.

You can access the Oregon CCB's contractor search here. Lifetime Remodeling Systems is a complaint free remodeling company with over 4500 projects completed over 35 years in business & over 1000 5 star reviews across multiple review platforms. We are Portland's premier renovation contractor.

Verifying insurance and bonding, including workers’ compensation and liability insurance.

Most contractors are bonded and insured, but that is not enough. Ensure you're checking their complaint history and online reviews thoroughly before hiring them.

Reviewing their portfolio and experience as a general contractor, including asking for references and examples of previous work they've done locally.

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Effective Communication with Your Remodeling Contractor

Clear & Concise Communication Is The Key To A Successful Remodeling Project

Asking the right questions of a potential remodeling contractor, such as their experience with similar projects, their approach to project management, the types of software they use to manage their remodeling projects are very important at the start of your project.

At Lifetime Remodeling Systems we are committed to educating our homeowners about our process which includes;

• In depth design phase with our interior designer resulting in 3d photo realistic renderings, and a job binder with all of the projects details, including material selections, 3D rendering services of the spaces to be remodeled, and spec sheets for all of the fixtures and appliances
• We offer a downloadable Design/Build Information Packet for our homeowners' to further investigate our remodel processes, and our remodeling team
• We discuss remodeling costs upfront to ensure we can design your home remodeling project within your budget guidelines
• We offer multiple financing options allowing our clients to pay for their renovation project

Establishing a communication plan, including regular meetings and updates is essential for your home renovation to be successful. Your contractor should be providing upfront, what their communication plan looks like and what, and when you can expect to be communicated with throughout your home remodeling.

At Lifetime Remodeling Systems we utilize cutting edge cloud based software such as BuilderTrend which provides our homeowners with a homeowner portal which includes the project schedule, selections, and daily logs from our team outlining the work completed on their project.

Home renovations are complex and clear communication is a must in order to have a successful renovation. Quality contractors understand, and communicate the psychology of a kitchen, bathroom or full home project to their clients and help them work through the highs, and the lows of their home renovation.

At Lifetime Remodeling Systems we offer weekly communication on our projects, with a cloud based online schedule that our clients always have access to ensuring they always know where we are at in their home remodeling project. When we change the schedule it is updated immediately for our clients, and they can access it from anywhere in the world as it is based in the cloud.

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Home Renovation Timelines | What To Expect

Scheduling From Your Remodeling Contractor

Clarifying expectations and timelines, including establishing a clear project schedule, when deposits are due and in what amount, and challenges that the client can expect throughout the renovation process.

Top quality  remodeling contractors always provide scheduling up front for their homeowners. This leads to less stress throughout the remodeling projects duration allowing a homeowner to plan ahead for any disruptions that will occur while their home renovation is occurring.

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Red Flags to Watch Out For When Hiring  Remodeling Contractors

Contractor Warning Signs

• Unrealistic estimates or timelines, including being wary of contractors who promise unusually fast or cheap workers
  • Contractors or full home remodelers that are selling you on fast, should be avoided as renovation projects take time, and tremendous amounts of planning  to do right  
• Lack of transparency or communication, including being hesitant to provide references or examples of previous work
  • Quality renovation contractors will always be happy to provide references, and pictures of the remodeling projects that they have completed
• Unwillingness to provide references, including being suspicious of contractors who refuse to provide contact information for previous clients
  • Any red flag you see up front with a potential renovation contractor should mean walking away from hiring that contractor

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Questions To Ask Your Contractor Before Hiring

It's important that you do the research up front on what you should be asking of your potential contractor including;

• How many years have they been in business and how many projects have they completed over that time frame
• Do they provide budget guidelines up front & what happens if the project goes outside of the budget's scope
• Do their company offer design services, or do they sub contract the design services out (or offer none at all)
  • In house design services are always preferred as the design and construction team is under one roof allowing them to solve any issues directly
• Do they provide digital rendering services so that you can see what your project is going to look like before construction starts
• Who is the project manager going to be, and how much experience do they have managing a construction project

Creating a Contract and Payment Terms For Your Upcoming Remodeling Projects

The Devil Is In The Details

Outlining the scope of work and timeline, including specific details on what is included and excluded

• At Lifetime Remodeling Systems we provide a multi page, detailed remodeling contract that spells out the entire scope of the remodel including a detailed description of the work to be completed, the remodeling costs, options to pay including itemized cost for any "wants", and detailed terms  

Establishing a payment schedule and terms, including milestones and deadlines for payment. A payment schedule should always be clear and concise, with easy to understand terms laid out.

Make sure that it is clear when payments are due through the remodeling process , if their are any cash discounts or fees for using financing options for your renovation project.

Including a warranty or guarantee, including specifying the length of time and what is covered in clear and concise language.

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Finalizing Your Decision

Comparing bids and proposals from multiple remodeling contractors, including evaluating the pros and cons of each. Focus on the in person interaction that you had with each contractor as that tells you a lot about how they will be once the project starts. Focus on the following things;

• Was their communication clear and concise and did they arrive on time?
• Do they utilize technology for estimating and project management?
• How did they dress, and conduct themselves at the initial meeting?
• Were they able to answer your questions in a detailed, and honest way?

In Conclusion

Trusting your instincts , and focusing on factors beyond just cost will help you tremendously with the  choosing from a group  of home remodeling contractors.  Preparing for a successful remodeling experience takes a lot of leg work by you up front but will pay huge dividends once the project actually starts. You'll know a great home remodeling contractor when you meet one as they will educate you on their processes, provide you with many references of their projects, show you pictures of the projects they've done and typically overwhelm you with quality information, and quality content of their work. Great contractors have an easy time selling their services to you because they've done amazing work, documented it , and are able to show it off to you.

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Lifetime Remodeling Systems | Portland's Premier Remodeling Contractor

Portland's  Remodeling Leader For Over 25 Years

Lifetime Remodeling Systems has an extensive remodeling portfolio including kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels and full home remodeling projects. As Portland's Award Winning home remodeling contractor our design build team will determine an initial budget, assign you an award winning interior designer, and a project manager with at least 10 years experience in home remodeling and renovations.

Visit our website to see more on our award winning design build & remodeling team, & the projects that we've completed over the last 25 years, as well as an in depth view of our design build process. See Our Reviews to read about our 1000+ happy homeowners over the last 25 years.

When it comes to taking care of your home, we are the only company in Portland who has an award winning exterior division, as well as an award winning design build division allowing us to take care of all of your homes needs from the outside in.

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