Split Level House Renovations

Split Level renovations have been growing in the last few years.  It is a fast and convenient way to add more space to the unfinished or partly-finished areas of the home.  Some ideas are opening up the main floor, updating the kitchen, adding bathrooms and formal living rooms. 

Many people want to create more openness in the main floor of a split level, which usually consists of living room, dining room, kitchen and possibly a bedroom. Openness can certainly be achieved by removing some of the walls between rooms. You will need to be sure you know which walls are load-bearing walls. For example, you might want more openness between the kitchen and the dining room. Either removing the wall or replacing the wall with a counter will open up the area and feel more spacious. Removing the wall between the living room and dining room can also open up the area and make it more conducive to entertaining.

It is not uncommon for split level homes with four levels to have an unfinished bottom level. Finishing this area is really no different from finishing any basement. It will be important, however, to check on ceiling height early in the planning stages of the project. A number of split level homes have lower ceilings on the bottom floor.

The desire to add a bathroom to any home is quite common. Split levels often offer two important opportunities for bathroom additions. First, most split level homes were not built with a bathroom on the main (formal living area) floor. Many homeowners would like to add at least a half-bath or powder room on the main floor for the comfort and convenience of guests or for elderly or disabled family members. Determining the location of the new bathroom is a challenge in most split levels. Logic and cost-consciousness would suggest locating the new bathroom near (next to, above or below) existing plumbing. This allows you to use existing supply and removal pipes. Depending on the floor plan, however, this might not be workable. Location of pipes to a new bathroom on the main floor will also require some attention to the ceiling height of the floor below (if there is one). If the lower level has typically lower ceilings, placement of plumbing might depend upon where you can run pipes without making the lower level unusable.

The Hard Part! Comparing Bids!

This may be the hardest part of the entire process but it is also the one that has the biggest rewards.  After you have received all the information from different home remodeling contractors you are ready to find the one that is best for you!

This is where your initial homework starts to pay off. Each estimate your receive needs to be in writing and it should have a specific scope of work that mirrors the information that you provided them. And in most cases the estimate will have more detail. If the Contractor's estimate is vague and lacking specific details relating to the work, this is a Contractor that you may want to pass on. If you accept an estimate that does not specifically describe the work that the Contractor is proposing to complete, you are leaving yourself open to costly "Change Orders" at the discretion of the Contractor. It's not a good position for you, as a homeowner, to put yourself in. So keep in mind, it's your responsibility as a homeowner to make sure the Contractor has a complete understanding of the work you want completed and it must be conveyed in writing on the estimate.

Once you have established that each estimate is for the same scope of work, let's now look at each price. When it comes to remodeling, the saying "You get what you pay for" is a good guideline but it definitely doesn't mean that a more expensive bid is your best choice. For example, you could have (2) bids that are somewhat higher than your budget and a lower bid that may be a little less than your budget. Most of us would automatically consider the lowest estimate initially but we have to figure out why that Contractor's bid is much lower than the other two. Below are some questions you need to ask each bidder.

- Did the Contractor omit a portion of the scope of work? If so, have them revise the estimate.
- Does the Estimate include having the Contractor prepare architectural drawings, if necessary?
- Are they using lesser quality materials (paint, cabinets, tile, etc.)?
- How long will it take to complete the work?
- Are they insured with a General Liability policy?
- Can they provide a minimum of 5 to 10 references from previous projects?
- Are permits necessary and if so, is the cost included in the estimate?
- Is the Contractor willing to let you visit several of their jobs?
- What type of Warranty does the Contractor provide?

Organizing Your Ideas for Your Contractor

Step 1 - Organize your Ideas

The first and probably the most important step is to do a little research yourself to find out how much the work you want could cost.  There are many resources available, such as:  the internet, library, or other family and/or friends who have had similar work done.  Doing this helps start the project off on the right foot.

Your goal is to get several estimates or bids that are all based on the same scope of work; apples to apples if you will. You have to be able to provide the remodeling Contractor with enough information so they can prepare an estimate that meets your goals and you must provide each Contractor with the same scope of work. If not, the pricing that you get from each Contractor will be very difficult to interpret which could slow you down and ultimately cost you more money. The last thing you want is a home remodeling Contractor that is going to "Change Order" you until your pocket book has dried up. So, try to finalize as many of the details as possible.

This means that you, the Homeowner, must put all of your ideas and scope on paper including photocopies of pictures, any layouts, designs, sketches, etc. And never give your originals away because you may not see them again.

Talk to Several Contractors, Not Just One!

It's be really easy to just find one contractor that you like to do your home project.  It's even easier to get several bids and just pick the lowest priced one.  However, this is a serious mistake and gets your home project off on a terrible start.  You need to shop around for home remodeling contractors and find one that provides quality and affordability.

Look for Contractors affiliated with the Better Business Bureau, National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) or any other local building or remodeling association. Look at each Contractors website to see what type of work they perform. What are their specialties? And if they do not have a website, you should be cautious if you decide to contract with them.

The most organized Homeowners form a typed copy of a basic scope of work with copies of any pictures, layouts, designs, sketches, etc. And it's easy for the home remodeling contractor because they know exactly what you want!

During your meetings with each Contractor, hand over your information that you compiled and walk the job with each of them. Be prepared to answer numerous questions. Some will be easy to answer and others may need some additional research on your part. Either way, try to stick with your initial scope of work and do not deviate. You want the bids to be apples to apples and changing the scope during your meeting with the Contractor will only make it more difficult for you to interpret the figures on each bid. You can always adjust the scope after the estimates are gathered and you have narrowed down the potential Contractors.

Ask each Contractor how long it will take them to prepare the estimate and make sure they honor those dates. If they don't, that should be a red flag.