The From-Now-On List: A Running Record of What We’ve Learned the Hard Way

Our From-Now-On List: Three Remodeling Policies That Protect Your Project

Every remodeling firm that has been in business long enough has a list like this, but most of them keep it to themselves.

Our list is noticeable in the way we run projects, the conversations we have before a design agreement is signed, and the decisions we no longer make twice.

We call it the “From-Now-On” list: a collection of design-remodeling policies, practices, and specifications created because something unexpected happened, altered the end result, and changed the way we worked. This list is our effort to make the entire remodeling process easier for every client.

The home remodeling policies on this list came into being as a result of homeowner requests and our subsequent experiences when we granted those requests.

Can We Handle Our Own Demolition?

We hear this question regularly, and we understand where it comes from. Demolition can look like the straightforward part of a project. Things are coming out anyway. How complicated can it be? And if homeowners can save themselves money by handling it themselves, then why not?

Here is what we have learned: When we manage demolition, we arrive on day one prepared to protect the house first. We know exactly what needs to come out, what must stay, what order the work should happen in, and where problems could arise. On most projects, demolition is completed within two or three days. Larger projects may require four days. No matter the length of time required for demolition, the work is supervised, intentional, and thorough. Nothing is removed that should remain. Nothing that needs to come out is left behind.

When homeowners handle demolition themselves, the experience has been consistent enough to earn a permanent place on our From-Now-On list. Why?

• The work takes longer than expected — usually much
• More supervision from our team is required, even though supervising a homeowner-led demolition is not the best use of our time.
• The demolition is often incomplete, or it results in unnecessary damage. This means that we’re no longer starting with a clean slate. We’re repairing a problem.

Homeowner demolition can result in the demolition of any anticipated savings before we can get down to business. Demolition is on the From-Now-On list. We handle it.

Can We Use Our Own Painter or Flooring Professional?

This request usually comes from a good place.  A client may have someone they trust. They may have worked with a particular painter or flooring professional before and feel loyal to them. They may simply want to avoid a markup. We understand that. And we have agreed to it more than once. But (you knew it was coming)…

This story is the one I return to most often. We had completed a full-home renovation — a project we were proud of — and the home was scheduled to be part of a tour. When I walked through to prepare for the tour, I started noticing details that were not right: lines that were not clean, overspray on surfaces paint should never have touched, and finishing work our team would not have accepted. The homeowner had not noticed. We had. And the home carried our name.

That experience clarified something we already understood intellectually: Our standard and a homeowner’s standard are not always the same.

That does not mean an outside painter or flooring professional is unskilled. They may be perfectly capable in another setting. But we have spent years defining what “finished” means on a Nip Tuck Remodeling project. We know how each trade’s work needs to integrate with adjacent work. We know which details matter, where mistakes tend to occur, and what we are willing to put our name behind.

When a trade partner we did not vet and do not manage is working within that system, we cannot guarantee the result. There is also a practical concern. Coordinating an outside painter or flooring professional within an active construction schedule is difficult. There is usually a narrow window when the work needs to happen. If the person is unavailable, arrives late, or takes longer than expected, the entire project will be impacted.

And if the finished work does not meet the standard it needs to meet, we are left having a difficult conversation with a client about someone the client personally brought into the project. That conversation is uncomfortable for everyone.

What we are exceptional at doing is managing the project from front to back. We vet every person who works on site. We coordinate the schedule, manage the work, and quality-control the result. The moment an unknown resource is introduced to the process, what we can guarantee changes. From now on, we do not allow outside painters or flooring professionals to work on our projects.

Can We Supply Some of Our Own Materials?

The response to this question requires a little more tact, and our answer reflects that. When a client supplies an item we did not purchase, research, or evaluate, accountability becomes less clear. If something goes wrong with the installation, performance, or warranty, it may not be obvious who is responsible for what. That ambiguity is not good for the client, and it is not good for us; so, what we will always do is take seriously the item a client is interested in seriously.

If a homeowner has found a specific tile, fixture, or material they love, we want to know about it. If they have been thinking about it for months, they should share that with us. We will research it, evaluate its reliability, and determine whether the product is appropriate for the project. If it meets our criteria and we are confident it will not create problems later, we will purchase and install that item for the client.

This approach keeps the item within our system and allows us to stand behind the material, the installation, and the warranty. Most importantly, everyone understands who is accountable for the outcome. The distinction is between a client who has found something they love and wants us to evaluate it and a client who wants to supply materials independently to avoid our purchasing process. The first approach is collaborative; the second introduces risk that can ultimately land on the client if something goes wrong.

What The List Is Really About

These policies are not arbitrary. They are the result of real projects, real situations, and the accountability that comes with putting our name on hundreds of homes over several decades. Every entry on the From-Now-On list exists because we paid attention to something that did not go the way it should have, and we made a decision about how we would handle it going forward.

Nip Tuck Remodeling clients are looking for a full-service partner: a team that controls the purchasing, vets the trade partners, manages the schedule, and remains accountable for the outcome from the first day on site through the final walkthrough. That is what we are built to deliver.

The From-Now-On list is part of how we protect that promise.