The central theme of this podcast episode revolves around the invaluable lessons gleaned from 35 years of experience in the remodeling industry, conveyed through an exploration of the trials and tribulations encountered along this professional journey. I, as your host, delve into the myriad mistakes and unexpected challenges that shaped my career, emphasizing the importance of communication and trust between contractors and homeowners. I reflect upon the notion that had I possessed the knowledge I have acquired over the years at the outset of my career, I might have approached various situations with a different perspective. Furthermore, I aim to equip listeners with practical insights that will enable them to navigate the complexities of home improvement projects more effectively. Join me as we embark on this educational journey, designed to illuminate the path to successful remodeling endeavors. The episode elucidates the extensive insights derived from over three and a half decades of experience in the remodeling industry, wherein the speaker, Steve Dubell, candidly shares the myriad of lessons learned through both triumphs and tribulations. He emphasizes the paramount importance of effective communication and trust-building with clients, underpinning the notion that a contractor must not only possess technical skills but also the ability to convey expertise and reliability to prospective clients. Deubel candidly reflects on his early years, emphasizing the challenges faced and the often steep learning curve that accompanies the transition from a novice handyman to a seasoned contractor. This narrative serves as both an educational tool and a cautionary tale for those embarking on their own home improvement journeys, highlighting common pitfalls and the necessity of thorough preparation and research.

Takeaways:

• The podcast emphasizes that 35 years of remodeling experience imparts invaluable lessons, often learned through challenges and mistakes.
• Effective communication with clients is crucial for instilling trust and ensuring that their visions are realized during home improvement projects.
• It is essential to avoid hiring the lowest bidder, as this can lead to unforeseen costs and complications in the remodeling process.
• Listeners are encouraged to have a realistic budget for their projects, as underestimating costs can result in disappointment and inadequate work.
• Anticipating unexpected surprises during the remodeling process is vital, as these can affect timelines and project costs.
• Understanding the legal requirements for permits is necessary to avoid complications when selling a home after remodeling.

Links referenced in this episode:

• idealhomeimprovement
• stardustbuilding.org
• steveoxcaruniverse.com
• stevedealhomeimprovementaz.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Ideal Home Improvement
• Home Depot
• Stardust Building Supplies
• Arizona Tile
• Mr. Electric

35 Years of remodeling has taught me a lot, and not all of it came easy.

In this episode of Boxcar Universe, I'm sharing the lessons I learned the hard way.

The mistakes, the surprises, the people and the experiences that shaped my career.

If I knew then what I know now, I might have done things a little bit differently.

So hang tight.

Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter shelter themselves from the elements.

Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.

The last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.

Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?

Look no further.

You're about to enter the adventures of container home living.

And now, contractor, radio and TV personality, and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell, host of Boxcar Universe.

And here's what's coming up on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe.

You know, we've had a lot of different guests on here throughout the years.

Now we've been doing Boxcar Universe for five, six years now.

And my old show was the Image Home improvement show.

And we always talked about different types of remodeling, renovations, container homes.

And as you've heard the last few weeks, we've had several different manufacturers on of tiny homes.

Well, as luck would have it, my tiny home guest for this week had to reschedule to September.

So you kind of stuck with me today.

But we're going to be talking about a lot of different renovation stuff, things that I've learned over the last 35 years, and we're talking about all things from being a DIY to a construction contractor, and the things that I learned and try and help the homeowners avoid some pitfalls that I have gotten past and want to share that information with you.

So I want everybody to hang tight because this is your Boxcar Universe episode for you to learn from the educational segment.

So I want everybody to hang tight.

But for those of you who've been thinking of branching out and starting your own home improvement business, you know, if you are skilled in the way of doing any kind of home improvement, carpentry, or possibly tile work, you know, and you've got not just the skills, because the skills is not the only thing that you need to be able to do.

I know a lot of contractors out there that can do a great job.

But when they talk about, you know, well, how's your communication skills with homeowners?

And can you, can you instill the trust in a Prospective client of your skills and what you're doing, they kind of fall short.

So I want everybody to take an assessment of yourself.

Can you actually showcase your skills as well as showcase your talents and instill trust in people that you've done quality work before and now you could continue doing that and you would like to be their contractor of choice or handyman of choice?

It depends.

You know, I don't expect anybody to go out and, you know, be a contractor out of the gate because I know how I learned.

I had skills that I started out as a handyman 35 years ago.

And for those of you who you know, go to YouTube now to find out, well, how should I do this?

And you check out YouTube.

Well, YouTube is okay, but again, you can't trust everything that you see on the Internet because there are a lot of people out there that are trying to get their face on YouTube, but they really have no clue on what they're doing.

So I encourage everybody, if you are doing that now, make sure you look at more than one person doing the same thing and use your head.

My God, there's so many people out there that they see one video and they say, oh my God, I can do this now.

But yet they're going to learn how to do it wrong.

When I started, there wasn't YouTube and really the only thing that you could be able to go out and do and you know, this may date me.

However, this is important for people to learn.

Back in the day, the best thing that you could do if you didn't know how to do something is go to Home Depot, get a VHS tape which will show you how to do it.

Watch the tape, and if you're skilled enough to be able to watch and learn and do like I was, things that I did not know I was able to pick up right away because I knew what I was watching was good advice.

So those are things that you need to be able to be able to do.

And check, do that self check first.

And if you've got skills of doing DIY stuff over the years, you know, for maybe you're married, for your home or, or for other people.

You know, I got a lot of my experience way back in the day.

When I was in my 20s and early 30s, I worked for an amusement company back in New York.

And we used to build a lot of the games that you see in the amusement parks.

Like the pitch to you win table where you try and pitch a dime into the middle of the table where the center of the daisy is and you win a stuffed animal.

By the way, I was as big on stuffed animals, you know, got to win a stuffed animal if you're a girlfriend.

I mean, that's, that was the main thing you had to do.

And if you did, then you were a star.

So you not only could do the remodel, but, you know, make points by winning a stuffed animal.

And I haven't met anyone who doesn't like a stuffed animal.

So make sure you do that.

But again, start your business.

Also make sure you find out about.

Well, how do we keep track of it?

I mean, you just can't.

Don't write up contracts on like napkins.

And I'm over exaggerating here.

Write it on, write it down in a notebook, keep track of it.

That's not what you need to give the homeowner.

Those are notes for you to actually write up.

I could sit down there and write notes after I do a consultation with a homeowner and write up everything that they know that, that they want to have done and then go back and review it as I read it along with the pictures that I take so that this way you could put the story together and re familiarize yourself with the pictures that you've taken.

And that's so, so very important.

And it works for me.

It may not work for other people, but, but that's something that I've developed over the years despite there's new technology out there.

And if you want to try that out, by all means, give it a shot.

I just know what works for me.

So this way we sit down and make sure you have a set contract format that looks professional, whether it be a handyman contract or a contract from a general contractor.

And I urge all of you, if you are looking to do a general contractor format contract, make sure you consult an attorney because there's a lot of things that you need in the verbiage of a general contracting permit that possibly are not quite as important in a handyman contract because you're dealing with, with a lot smaller things.

But on the other hand, make sure that that contract is binding, legal, and make sure it covers you in the case of an emergency.

So these are things that you need to make sure that are right and then write it up professionally and present it.

I mean, back in the day I used to go back, once I wrote it up, I used to go back and present it with them in person.

In today's market, you don't have to do that anymore.

I always write it up, make sure and review everything Review the pictures that I have and double check myself to make sure the contract is written up and then email it to that contractor.

I should say email it to the homeowner and then follow it up with a phone call because I'm sure most of, you know, emails get lost.

They fall into a black hole.

They just never go to where they are supposed to go.

And sometimes, like I like to say, electronics are wonderful things when they work.

So make sure that you do that.

Follow up the email with a phone call.

And then if the customer wants to review it, you could always basically go back and have a consultation meeting in person.

You could do a zoom call with them about it or maybe just a regular phone call to answer some questions off the top of my head.

But you should always, always make sure that you have at least one meeting with them so they can put the company with the person.

And later on we're going to talk a little bit about how we get into some of that and instill trust in the homeowner.

Maybe they got a referral from another handyman.

And I've had this happen before where, you know, they may have spoken to another handyman about it and they might have been impressed or they thought their information was valid.

But when you come in with your experience and you know exactly what you're talking about, homeowners recognize that and they don't mind paying a little more if your pricing is higher, because they're not only paying for the work that's gone, that gets done, they're paying for your expertise.

And that's so very important.

You want to make sure that you are valued by the homeowner.

Because like I tell everybody when I speak with them and I do a project, I want to be their contractor for life.

And that's nothing wrong with doing that because you're going to have repeat business from the people that you actually do great work for.

So I want everybody to make sure that they do the right thing.

And the best thing I could tell tell you when you start out is when you're evaluating the job and pricing it out, put yourself in the place of the homeowner and see what they would want to hear and the answers to questions that they are going to have.

Okay.

And if you could do that, you're going to have a much better successful business because there's a lot of people out there, I know, that have told me that, well, the contractor came in and we told him exactly what we wanted.

But the contractor had his own vision.

The best thing that you could do being a contractor is be a good listener.

And that's one thing that you need to be able to do to be successful.

Because it's not about what the, what you as a contractor want to do with their home.

It's what they want you to do to make their dream home a reality or have, or restore their home because they had a catastrophe, maybe water damage or something like that.

And maybe they want to make it look like the original was, but maybe they want to do a slight upgrade.

You need to make sure that you're in sync with the homeowner on whatever they want to do, and you will be valued.

And not to mention, you will get a lot of referrals.

So I want everybody to make sure those are words of wisdom from yours truly.

But we're going to take a short break.

When we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about the cheapest estimate is not always the most expensive one.

So I want everybody to hang tight.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

This is Steve Dubell from Boxcar Universe.

And if your home needs a transformation, Ideal Home Improvement is a team you can trust.

From kitchens to bathrooms, room additions, windows, roofing and flooring, even full home renovations, we deliver craftsmanship, communication, integrity, every step of the way.

Licensed, bonded and insured.

ROC 362-349.

Ready to upgrade your home?

Ideal Home Improvement.

We build it better because your home deserves it.

All right, we are back, and you are listening to Boxcar Universe and we are talking about contractor remodeling in your educational segment this week because we've had so many people turn around and, you know, I see it all the time talking about, well, I'm a DIYer and I do this.

And then you wind up talking to them about, you know, what did you do?

And then when I start hearing some of the things they're saying, I, I can understand immediately whether or not they are know what they're doing or if they're not knowing what they're doing.

And it's so, so very important.

But again, let's get into some of this.

This cheapest estimate can be the most expensive one sometimes, because a lot of times, and I'm sure a lot of you out there have gone through this, where we've turned around and you've met with a homeowner and you know that you're not the most.

I should say you're not the first contractor they've spoken to that they're speaking to a multitude of different people.

So whether you're first or maybe you're third, okay?

And they're going to get three estimates, okay?

You have to make sure that you stand out, but you have to find out exactly some of the scope of work that the homeowner wants.

Doesn't necessarily mean that they told the other two contractors exactly the same, because you've got to make sure they're comparing apples with apples because a lot of times things get lost in the explanation, and that's why it's always important.

I always ask the homeowner, once we sat down and we talk about.

And they say, well, you know, we may want to remodel our kitchen.

And I want to make sure I make a laundry list of things and points that they bring up.

They may have a list.

A lot of times homeowners will make a list, they'll make copies, and they'll give you a list and say, well, this is things that I want to do.

So you've got a roadmap already.

However, again, the cheapest estimate is not usually the best, or it can be the most expensive because a lot of people have gotten burned this way, where they are so focused on how inexpensive this contractor was over the other ones.

And then they look at the scopes of work.

Well, they look the same, but they're really different.

Because a lot of times the least expensive could be.

They just could have created that bid to be able to secure the job.

And lo and behold, by the time you're all done, you could have change orders, you know, a stack of them, because things that you thought were included were not.

Now, the least expensive project, or should say least expensive contractor is now going to be the most expensive contractor because he has a whole bunch of change orders and.

And he just gave you a low bid to secure the job.

This is why people tell you get three bids.

Some people even get more than three bids.

But three bids are a good choice because you're going to wind up with a different range of pricing from low, medium and high.

And usually you can tell a really low bid that seems to be questionable is when it's really lower than the other two.

And if there's going to be difference in one.

But when one's extremely low, for the most part, let's just take, take my advice, just throw it away because that's not the bid that you want.

Other reputable contractors are usually not that far apart.

And if they are apart, but yet they're pricing is competitive.

You need to be able to turn around and ask, ask the homeowner, well, did you.

Is that scope of work identical to what I'm doing?

And then if they say yes, well, get into some of the products.

Because if we're talking about a kitchen remodel, okay, you could spend $50,000 on a kitchen remodel, Sometimes even more.

You could spend $35,000 on a remodel for a kitchen.

It depends, okay.

On a lot of different things.

Let's talk about that for a minute.

You've got kitchen cabinets, okay.

There's a wide variety of manufacturers out there and installers that are going to be able to give you some pricing from the low range to the high range.

Lower range cabinets are usually particle board boxes.

Okay.

Whereas a higher grade cabinet are made with plywood boxes and real, real wood doors in a multitude of different stain colors.

Some of the other lower grade cabinets are.

They look really great, but they're foiled.

Okay.

And when they said, when I say foil, it's like they take this material and they shrink the wood in foil and it looks really good.

Like some of the shaker door cabinets, they that are out there, they look really good, but they don't last.

I mean, I know some of the apartments and stuff I've been in, you could tell these cabinets have been up there for a while.

Excuse me.

That they're starting to.

The foil is starting to do strange things like shrink.

And then all of a sudden you see, you know, like creases in them and they start to look unattractive.

So the type of cabinets are important and are going to reflect exactly what your kitchen cost is going to be.

Let's talk about countertops.

You know, everybody's into quartz now.

Quartz is a great, great product, but the difference in quartz prices vary depending on the type of veins that are inside and the different suppliers.

I know I get a lot of my stuff from Arizona tile and which they have a great supply of.

Variety of different types of quartzes.

They have granite, if you still like to do granite.

You could do granite.

Other manufacturers, like if you go to some of the big, big box stores, they don't get into that.

They use man made products which don't look bad on a typical average home.

That maybe is a track home that just needs a facelift, but they don't want to spend a lot of money on.

So those are things that you need to consider which go along with your budget.

Talk about the plumbing fixtures that you have, sinks, faucets, whether you want an RO system under your sink.

And that carries over into the other things that you want to talk about.

Other appliances.

Appliances.

You've got low, medium and high range appliances.

A lot of different manufacturers, a lot of people like to use lg, which is, is a good product.

I've never had anybody tell me that their LG products were, you know, inferior or bad for them.

You can get into, you know, higher end, you know, refrigerators in products like sub zero.

Those are more expensive than that.

So that's going to affect your pricing.

Flooring.

Flooring is important.

If you're going to do a whole kitchen remodel, you're going to have to do different types of flooring.

So a lot of people like to use the luxury LVP vinyl.

Other types use like tile.

Wood grain look flooring which I seem to be gravitated towards because it gives you the wood grain look but it's done in tile where with 16 inch grout spaces.

So grout is not really an issue for cleaning because it is so small.

But you gotta be able to look at all those different things that go into making a kitchen.

Talking about lighting, lighting, maybe you added an island, maybe you want to change the lighting over your island.

Right now those are things that you need to be able to, to go back and review and see exactly what the other contractors quoted versus what you're going to quote.

The one major thing to find out, always, always and don't feel bashful about this, to be able to go back out and do is ask the homeowner what their budget range is.

Because you need to know that when you start putting their budget together, if their budget is medium or low, you're not going to put high end appliances in or high end quartz or cabinets in.

You're going to have to use your experience and judgment as a contractor to go back and decide which products fit their budget.

And if the homeowner comes back in and gets a little standoffish about it and well, I don't really know and this and that, you need to Explain to them, look, I just trying to get a budget range so that I don't.

I personally tell them I don't like to give anybody sticker shock.

You want to be able to come out with a viable competitive quote to be able to know and go back and do these things so that they know that you gave it your best shot.

Okay.

I don't like.

You know, sometimes homeowners get a little standoffish because they don't want to reveal what their budget is because they're afraid.

Oh, my God, I got burned by a contractor years ago and I told them my budget was.

And then he gave me a proposal that was equal to my budget.

No, I mean, that may happen, but on the other hand, that's not why I want to be able to use it.

And you shouldn't be able to want to do that either.

You always want to give the homeowner the best value for their buck because like I tell them, look, I work as hard just like you do, and I try and spend your money like it's my money.

So I want everybody to understand that and convey that to the homeowner because that's so very important.

They may ask you about your subcontractors, you know, what's going on with your subcontractors.

Explain to them that they are qualified, licensed, bonded and insured to make sure that you can give them peace of mind and that they aren't just some people that you know.

This is.

Joe's friend came and he did a good job.

And you're going to put your name on something with.

Based on that in somebody's home?

I don't think so.

Okay.

You need to know, let them know that your infrastructure is just as good as your word and your credibility because they represent your subcontractors, represent you.

And you better make sure that they know exactly what they're doing, because that's so, so important.

Let them know that you're going to get back to them in just a few days because that's being timely is so very important.

I mean, if you're out there and you know and you've spoken to people and you have a business, you know that timing is very important because there's always somebody else coming in behind you that is more timely, has better communication skills than you have.

Maybe they connect with the homeowner better than you did.

So your timing in getting that proposal over to them, if you tell them that you're going to be there and you get it back to them in three days, two Days, whatever that day.

In fact, make sure you follow through on those items because you need to make sure that you're as good as your word, and that's so very important.

Again, quality of work and your communication skills on how you deal with a homeowner go hand in hand.

Don't.

If you're lacking in one of those two areas, you need to make sure that you work on that area and get it up to speed as fast as you can.

All right?

The timer tells me I need to take a break, so make sure you hang tight.

We'll be right back with more Boxcar Universe and your remodeling and construction education.

Don't go away.

Stardust Building Supplies is your home improvement thrift store.

Find salvage and gently used cabinetry, doors, windows, appliances, lighting, plumbing, and much more.

Save money, be green, and support the community.

Shop and donate at Star Building Supplies Valley locations.

For more info, visit stardustbuilding.org Got this little fixer upper house I bought about 5 years ago, and I haven't done anything to it, like, in five years, you know, so now it's like a little knocker downer house.

I mean, even if I had the time, I'm not good with the tools.

You know Bob Vila, remember that show, this Old House?

That guy could fix anything.

I would watch that and go, oh, my God.

You know, he's great.

Now, if I had a show, if I had a show, it'd be called this fat Check.

Hi, welcome to the show.

I'll be writing out a big fat check to my contractor.

All right, we are back, and you are listening to Boxcar Universe.

And this is your educational time for remodeling, construction, and DIY work.

You know, we're coming up here really fast on Labor Day.

And a lot of times we used to do, back in the day, we used to talk about, you know, training camp for your home.

People used to turn around to me and say, well, what is that?

Training camp for your home?

Well, it's exactly what we're doing now.

We're actually helping you get the information you need to be able to start doing their remodeling projects.

Because, you know, we get to September now.

We're, we're.

We're in football season.

Thank God it's time again for football.

And.

But it's, it's a time where you start thinking about, are there things that you'd like to get done before the holidays?

That projects that you want to get done well, and if, again, it's the educational value, it's it's that training camp to be able to get yourself into gear, know what you want, get your tools and do your research on.

If you're going to do those projects yourself, that's fine.

But again, if you're not and you're going to be hiring a contractor, it's so important to let the homeowners know exactly what you're doing, how you're doing it, how long it's going to take.

Because the last time, the last thing you want the homeowner to understand or think about, I should say is, is like, well, when is it going to be finished?

Okay?

And that leads me to another thing that I want to bring up.

A lot of people, viewers of television that watch all those HGTV type shows, okay?

They present a lot of great remodel work, however, because you're only watching maybe a half hour or an hour program, okay?

And all of a sudden they go in and they go in and do, like, what I like to call demolition and discovery, where you go in and you're going to demo some walls, or you're going to demo kitchen, or maybe you're doing a whole house remodeling, you're stripping the house and you're starting over from scratch.

That demolition discovery time, then the rebuild time, and then maybe a little segment where the homeowner goes out with the designer and picks out some products and stuff like that.

All that gets done.

And then they, all of a sudden the contractors are putting all this together and then the big reveal at the end, all of a sudden the hour's over and you see all this and you think, my, wow, this is really cool.

However, I think the average person knows that it's not going to take an hour to do this.

But.

But the show gives them a misconception about how long something like the project that you're doing is going to take.

And that's the thing that I always try and let people know about.

You know, that it's going to take this long.

And they say, well, how come I watched it on hgtv?

It didn't take that long.

Well, probably the segments that are on the cutting room floor are part of the timeline.

That's why it takes so long.

You don't see all that stuff.

You know, a lot of times, you know, we'll be demoing a wall or something like that.

And I tell people, you know, I've been doing this for like 35 years.

I've never.

I've demoed walls.

I've never found money, never found Gold bars.

Somebody hiding gold bars in a wall somewhere where the house is maybe passed on to, you know, the siblings, you know, and maybe, maybe one of the historical homes.

No, no money, no gold bars.

Just empty Coke cans.

You know, some of those old classic Coke bottles that you see that they sell in the store now that cost an arm and a leg, but they're in the wall.

So an old Tab can from people who doesn't remember the old, the old soft beverage called tab.

But those are things that you find old wiring.

You know, sometimes you find old wiring that had been abandoned in walls.

So you just never know what you're going to find.

And you also find old structural problems of things that old contractors have done or maybe they did things differently back in the day that, you know, that you have to update.

You have to update them because they are not going to be acceptable.

And when new stuff gets timed out in the way of doing a new project, okay, so those are things that need to be considered along the way, again, we get into the new construction.

Demolition and discovery are so important.

A lot of homeowners, they.

They want to do the demolition themselves, you know, which they're trying to save money.

It will save them some money.

But on the other hand, too, there are things that an actual construction company doing demolition might be aware of that the homeowner isn't aware of.

And they sometimes do damage to what they think they're doing more than if they would have let the construction company do it.

Like where are their wires, where are their, you know, plumbing lines?

You know, they'll start cutting into walls and they, they don't know what's in the wall and where.

I could either check if there is anything in the wall, whether it be plumbing wires, maybe a gas line or something.

They don't want to hit a gas line.

So it's important to be able to be able to know what you're doing when you do demolition.

Getting into permits, okay, some of the homeowners, and I've seen them do this, they think they can do a patio addition.

They draw it out on a piece of paper, eight and a half by 11 paper, and they take it down to the city and they expect to get a permit from this.

It's not the best thing to do.

Not to mention you're probably not going to get the permit because they know that you just sketched it out.

You may as well even sketched it out on a napkin because it's not going to get you anywhere.

When you go to the city with this, you need someone to actually draw the plans out so that you can get the permits.

And you actually like with what we do, along with my architect, Kevin Fulkerson from Cornerstone Design, we go back in and he is the advocate when these things are drawn out and they're brought into the city.

If the city has anything that needs to be done, or what they call red lines, he can actually go back in and take care of those things so that you can successfully get a permit.

And that's one of the things that you need to be able to be able to have in your corner, which is so I can't tell you how valuable, having someone to work with like Kevin, to be able to go back in and be that advocate, that in between person from the city to the homeowner and the contractor, meaning me, to be able to do that.

That's just so, so very important.

Remember, when you have permits, you're going to have inspections.

Inspections are very valuable because if you're doing a major remodel and you're documenting all of this and.

And you're going to have pictures and inspections where you've passed those inspections.

If you go to sell your house, the prospective buyer is actually going to want to see this, to be able to go back and know that whatever the remodel work was done was done by a quality construction license, bond and insured company.

One of the habits that I see investors do, sometimes they use.

They don't.

Well, they don't use licensed contractors all the time for everything.

And sometimes they use unlicensed people, and there's no way to verify what they did.

You know, a lot of times I'd walk in with an investor and I'd see work that was done before and they want to upgrade.

I'm like, okay, well, who did this before?

Well, I don't know.

Or the prospective buyer or even the original homeowner.

Well, who did this flip before for you?

Well, I don't know.

You know, I mean, the investor got the contractors.

That's pretty much the routine that I usually hear people say.

So that doesn't instill a lot of confidence in the prospective buyer.

So I want everybody to know that those things are so, so very important.

And if contractors come up and they talk about, you know, unexpected problems, these are the things that set certain contractors aside from other contractors because it's.

It's how well you as a contractor can handle a prospective problem that comes up.

And if, for most of, you know, contracting, you have to be flexible because these unexpected things are going to come up, it's going to delay the timeline that you've maybe set down.

And with the homeowner and those issues, how you deal with them is going to give you the mark of a great contractor.

And the homeowner is going to know that they made the right choice originally.

So those unexpected problems are so very important to be able to handle.

Now, If people say contractors tell you that they're going to open up a wall or something else like that, or do that, if you are a good contractor with experience, you know that there you sometimes can anticipate some of the things like for instance, taking out soffits where maybe above your kitchen cabinets, as long as there's not any ductwork in there for the air conditioning unit.

And they just did it from an architectural standpoint.

But maybe you want to put kitchen cabinets in with that are 42 inches high, not 30, and that's going to require you to take that out.

Well, the most important thing that I know that the most frequent thing that I find is that when the house was built, the electricians didn't know that you were going to take these soffits out eventually.

So when they run lines up from the walls and across to another area, they just cut through the soffit.

Well, when you take the soffits out, you got to refinish it like it's a finished wall.

Well, the electric lines are going to be in a way.

So these are things that you need to make sure that you convey to the homeowner so that they understand exactly what's going on and those things are going to pop up.

It's a question of, well, where are these lines going?

And these things are going to be have to be inspected and estimated by a qualified electrician.

And those costs are going to be have to be communicated to the homeowner so that they understand exactly what is involved and at additional cost and let them know.

As soon as you know and as soon as you take the soffit out, you'll be able to know.

Again, a good contractor will anticipate the framing that's involved because you need to do some additional framing to be able to hang the drywall on based on when the soffit was there, some of the old framing from the soffit is going to have to come out.

So it's an evaluation, but a good contractor has done enough of those to be able to know what they need to do.

And going forward, but we're going to take a short break.

But when we come back now, if you're thinking about remodeling, I want everybody to listen to this because we're going to give you the 10 rules of remodeling.

So I want everybody to hang tight.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

Hi, I'm Erica Thompson, the dominating designer, a hard working artist with a sense of humor.

What is the dominating designer process?

It's just like what you see on tv.

We discuss your wants and needs about your project, go over your ideas, then I provide you creative, one of a kind options that fit your budget with respect to your home's value.

When we finish your project, you are set to enjoy your new space.

I would love to help you with your upcoming project.

Please reach out to me on Instagram thedominatingdesigner.

Hi, I'm Sean with Mr. Electric and I have a tip to help make your life better.

One important reminder is to call a qualified electrician when you have frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers.

When a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows, it's indicating that you have a problem with some other part of the circuit.

If your breaker trips more than once, you should have a qualified electrician come out and take a look at it.

Contrary to what may be acceptable, you really shouldn't try to continuously try to reset the breaker because there may be a problem somewhere else down the circuit and you could be causing a fire hazard.

There could be a loose connection or some other form of problem on the circuit and every time you reset the circuit breaker, it could be causing a spark at the other end.

We recommend having a qualified electrician come out and check on the condition of the circuit and make sure that the circuit does not have any problems and it could just be a bad breaker also, but you definitely want to have a qualified electrician check that out.

To have someone come out from our team may only take a portion of a day, but it could potentially save you a lot of money for your life.

And that's, that's just another way Mr. Electric has the power to make your.

Life better govern the future of sustainable lifestyle living.

With Boxcar Universe your go to source for cutting edge container home and container pool information.

Want a dream container home or pool?

We can build it for you.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell from Boxcar Universe.

For the latest in container innovation and expert insights, tune in to our weekly podcast Boxcar Universe.

Ready to start your project?

Remember Boxcar Universe, where your container dreams come to life.

Listen, learn, and build with us.

All right, we are back, and you are listening to Boxcar Universe.

And we are talking about DIY and remodeling today because it's so important.

You're going to be able to.

To learn so much.

And I hope for all the things that I've covered so far, it has been something that's going to be able to help you in everything that you do.

But we're going to talk a little bit about the 10 rules of remodeling.

One of the things that we want to talk about again, we talked about this in an earlier segment.

Have a realistic budget.

Okay.

I remember.

God, I was going back and I had gone to see a client that wanted to do a guest bathroom remodel, and she basically wanted to redo everything.

Shower faucets, vanity, everything, flooring, the whole nine yards.

And she turned around and she said, this is all I want.

I said, well, let me ask you a question again.

What is your budget range?

Like I had said earlier, and she happened to say, like, $6,000.

And I'm like, I mean, this is a long time ago, and Even back then, $6,000 was not enough to redo this bathroom.

I said, you know, it's going to be more like 12.

I said, how did you arrive at that figure that you thought the bathroom is going to be, like $6,000?

And she said, well, it was what I got from the tax refund.

I'm like, so you based your remodel on what you think you got back from your tax refund?

Which doesn't make sense at all.

I mean, it's just you have to be realistic about what you're actually talking about.

You have to be.

So make sure your budget's realistic.

Know exactly again, what's included in it, your dollars in what you're getting.

Make sure that, like, again, comparing apples with apples, make sure you know exactly what.

What's included.

Okay?

Don't hire number three.

Don't hire the lowest bidder.

I mean, again, he might be.

He might be good.

I'm not going to put a blanket determination on that because there are so many people out there.

He may give you a low bid, but he may have great references.

And that's one thing I didn't touch on earlier.

Make sure that you ask for references.

That if you are hiring a contractor or even a handyman, make sure you get references.

And don't just get names and phone numbers.

Make phone calls, Call them.

And Ask those references, hey, I want to use this guy.

Tell me about your experience with him or her, you know, because there are plenty of women out there doing that are contractors that doing handyman work as well, and they're just disqualified.

So make sure you check out those references.

But again, I would recommend, don't take the lowest bidder.

Get all your ducks in a row, as they say, and ask the right questions and then make the decision.

And if you are married or living with a significant other, however the case may be, okay, make sure that you're both in sync with your choice.

Don't let one person make the decision if you are strongly opposed to that because it's only going to cause a problem for the contractor.

I always want to make sure that both parties are in sync and they are agreeable and they know exactly what they want because then we have a common goal.

And I can identify with that and I could work with them to help create their dream.

Again, you don't, you know, when you, when you decide on what you want and you go through all your, your wants as far as your materials and everything, okay, try and make those decisions early.

Don't make them halfway through the project because it could affect the outcome of what's going on.

It's so important to be able to get that done early.

Not to say that you can't make changes, but make sure your initial changes or initial choices are, are done early.

And if you do have to make a change halfway through the project, it's.

You're probably going to get a change order from the contractor.

So do yourself a favor, be in sync, do your due diligence, and be invested in the project.

So many people, they want to do certain things and then, you know, I come in and they, I want to explain them.

I want them to be invested in what I'm doing so that they are up to speed on it.

Because some people, they won't be.

And then all of a sudden one day they get invested and they turn around like, well, I didn't know that was going to happen or I didn't know you're going to use this.

They need to be invested in the project to make it happen.

And it's me, if I was a homeowner, I would want to be invested.

I would want to know what they're doing because then I know I have peace of mind and that's so, so very important.

I want number five, expect surprises.

Things are going to happen.

You know, like they say, life happens and it does.

Remodeling happens and things pop up that you maybe didn't expect.

Maybe you're doing a remodel and there's certain codes you have to go by that are new that you didn't anticipate.

These are things you need to expect.

Don't get frustrated.

Just let your contractor deal with them because he's experienced in it.

He should be conveying these things to you when they pop up, because he's the one that's going to see them first before you do.

So make sure that you, you know, you're, you're, you can, you're ready to expect those surprises.

And being able to deal with them through the communication of your contractor is so very important.

Number six, make sure you ask questions.

Ask the questions that maybe you don't know the answers to and maybe you thought you did, but because of the project and you're not a contractor, you're a homeowner.

To be able to make sure that you know exactly what's going on.

But ask the right questions.

Anything that does pop up in the way of surprises that need to be dealt with a change order, make sure that they're all in writing.

You know, years ago, back in the day before I became a general contractor, I used to work for a transportation company.

And we always had a saying back in a transportation company when we were doing administrative work and, and verifying if patch packages were delivered correctly, undamaged, everything.

If it's not in writing, it never happened.

And if you treat your contracting business just like that, it's going to be the same.

It's going to be the same and you're not going to get into trouble.

So make sure that your contractor documents everything and emails are good way to convey your wants and needs.

Because I know, I always make sure that it is in writing, whether it be in an email, a document maybe you write up.

A change order should be a specific document, not just a change order in an email.

Make sure it's a specific document that you're in agreement with and the contractor's in agreement with.

Again, hiring a contractor, the question should be asked, well, who's doing the work?

Well, you know, if it's a small contractor, he may be doing a lot of work himself, which is fine as long as he's licensed for that particular work.

If me, for instance, being a general contractor, there are certain areas of remodeling that fall under my jurisdiction, but I have to have subcontractors do that work.

That is license, bonded and insured.

Okay?

For the homeowner's.

Protection.

For my protection.

I don't want anybody not doing any work on my projects that is not licensed, bonded or insured because it's going to create a problem down the road.

People get into trouble.

Contractors get into trouble when they used or use unlicensed contracting work.

And you could be reported for it by your neighbor.

Maybe, you know, if they find out that you have an unlicensed contractor doing work at your house, then they can be reported.

So it's for everybody's protection.

Just make sure you know who is doing the work.

Again, when it comes down to permits number nine, make sure you know who is obviously doing your.

Your drawings and stuff.

That's.

That goes without saying.

But again, if you're thinking, well, maybe I can do this patio addition and I don't need a permit.

Wrong, you need a permit to do a patio.

It's something that's attached to the structure and it has to be approved by the city.

And if you're looking to save maybe a drawing fee or $500 in permit fees, it's not worth it because I know from a fact, from experience, homeowners have called me into work for their project that got.

They maybe went in to sell their house and Citi came back and said, hey, this is, you know, this was never an approved structure.

And you have two choices.

You can either go back and go through the hassle of trying to get the different phases permitted and approved, or you might have to rip it down.

And if you paid good money for it, you don't want to rip it down.

So I encourage all of you, make sure that you use the money that you have wisely get the permit.

Yes, it's an extra step, but it's going to save you a lot of aggravation down the road and, you know, you don't need any other more brain damage.

So I make sure that you get that taken care of.

And again, number 10, trust.

You need to make sure that you're working with somebody that you trust.

And that goes again with the due diligence of the homeowner.

You want to make sure that they have gotten and done all the work in the past, similar to what you want to do.

And it's not.

I mean, and I've seen people do due diligence like this and all of a sudden the contractor goes off the rail.

Those things you can't anticipate.

But for the most part, if you do your due diligence, then you're going to be able to be have some kind of Peace of mind that the, you know, the contractor that you chose knows what he's doing.

I personally always like to make sure that the homeowner knows that when I get done, it's good enough for my home, it's going to be good enough for your home.

And I always try to look like whatever remodeling work we do, that it never happened in the first place, then I want people to walk into the home and maybe we did a room addition or a kitchen remodel or a whole house remodel, and being able to know that they can't spot the old house from the new house and that it's going to sell so much better, and especially it's going to be easier for a realtor to sell.

Hey, you know, we did this remodel work, and here's the documentation for the remodel work.

And they're going to look at it and they just going to be very, very impressed.

And it's also good.

Again, impressed.

Remodeling sells homes, and it's going to make your realtor a happy camper.

So I want everybody to make sure that they be able to do this.

And it comes down again as if you're the homeowner.

Use your common sense.

Be vested in what you're doing, okay, to make sure that.

I mean, you're going to spend that money to be able to.

Do you want to make sure it's spent wisely on the best products possible for your budget and to be able to know that the people that you've entrusted your home and are going to treat them as if it was their home.

And that's how I always treat all the remodeling work that I do.

And we've got the 35 years of experience to prove it.

They were wasting their money.

Then they had to have somebody like me come in and actually fix everything, and it's a waste of time and money.

Make sure you make your choices wisely from the person that you use, the products that you choose.

Maybe you want to also, and I encourage all of you, if you're going to do a major remodel project, you may want to hire an interior designer to be able to come in and give you the latest version about what's going on with the market at the time.

So those are good things.

And again, looking up different products and things that you may like.

You know, we used to say go to magazines and tear out pictures of things that you like.

Well, now it's easier, you just go to, you know, sites like Pinterest to be able to go back and remodel and pick out things that you like to include a remodel and share those with that interior designer because that's so important to be able to go back and do so.

It's going to make her job a lot easier.

It's going to make your job a lot easier to know this is what's in now.

This is what I want to be able to do and find a happy medium between them.

So I hope all of that information has helped you today.

Talking about remodeling, I know we talk about a lot of different things.

We've got a lot of great shows coming up.

More with container homes and container pools and tiny homes.

We got a lot of big stuff going to be happening with tiny homes.

Also.

Stay tuned.

As I said in our previous shows, we're going to be start doing a home improvement segment right here in Phoenix on 3tv called your life Arizona, Arizona's family.

So we want to make sure that these things that we're going to be sharing with you, we're going to be sharing products with you.

We're going to be showcasing a lot of different, you know, on site work that gets done with some of the great sponsors that we're going to be showcasing.

So I want everybody to stay tuned with that.

I will let you know on the show as well as through social media when that all that's going to happen and we're going to debut that.

But again, thanks for listening to Boxcar Universe because we are your source and cutting information for container homes, container pools, tiny homes.

But make sure if you are considering doing a remodel contact [email protected] you could always contact me through my remodeling site, stevedealhomeimprovementaz.com and we'll be able to get back to you and schedule a consultation and if you have any questions at all about a DIY project, we are here.

Your resource doesn't you know, we we consult customers and and prospective remodelers all the time so we can help you with that in any way possible to make the right choice in doing it, and I love people getting involved in doing DIY projects.

So if maybe that's on the horizon for your Labor Day, make sure you reach out.

If you need us, we'll be around.

And always remember, you could find Boxcar Universe on any podcast player and let us remodel and renovate your world.

Have a great weekend.

We'll see you soon.

You're a great American.

I love you.

Sa.