Completion

Now that all issues are settled and your contractor is on site every day managing your subcontractors your dream begins turning into reality.  Day by day you see a finished roof going on followed by windows and doors. 

Simultaneously the electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors are working in concert to install their systems and you can finally see an end in sight.  You pick your kitchen cabinets, countertops, finish flooring, and bathroom fixtures.  Then your exterior porches are finished. 

As the days progress stay away from making “small” changes by switching a room from carpet to wood and vinyl to stone.  The cost of an individual change may be small, but they add up in the end and can cause your target budget to move upward.  Stick as close as possible to what you agreed upon with your contractor.  This way you can avoid surprises at the end of the project that might grab hold of your emergency budget.

You can now begin to plan that first Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas morning, or your fireplace’s first fire on a crisp fall evening following summer’s end.