Tall Guy Woodworking Inc

WORKING WITH THE CREW AT TALL GUY WOODWORKING INC:

Coming up an efficient building process is critical to any construction or renovation project. It means better control over costs and timeliness, and brings transparency so that you know and understand what is happening in your house. During the decade that Tall Guy Woodworking Inc has been doing renovations, we’ve developed an efficient and straightforward approach to every project we do, with the goal of keeping you informed at every step along the way.

Most importantly, we realize that our building project is still your home or workspace, and we make every effort possible to work around your family and staff, and schedule. Our team shows courtesy when working onsite, partitions workspace where necessary, and generally makes the building process as unobtrusive on your lifestyle as possible.

Getting Started:

Initial Site Visit – We schedule a visit to your home (or other job site) to review construction documents, familiarize ourselves with the job site, and learn what you want to accomplish with the project. Ideally we meet with your designer or architect ahead of this visit to review plans.  If you do not have a design professional, we can recommend one that we have worked with before who may suit your project (some in-house design services are available as well).

Return Site Visit – Some projects may require a second site visit from subcontractors, often trades-people such as plumbing, electric, painters, etc. This is so that they can provide estimates for their work scopes accurately.

Preliminary Estimate – This first estimate gives you an approximate idea of the project costs based on your own ideas and/or rough sketches from a design professional. This gives you a better idea of the budget required, as well as prioritizing and modifying if necessary. Producing a preliminary estimate can help bring the scope of the design in line with a budget. If the plans are fully developed, this stage may not be required.

Working Estimate – If the preliminary estimate looks good, we typically take a deposit to get the project going. Once the project design and specifications are finalized, we provide you with very detailed line-item estimate.  Most of our estimates are based on a Time and Materials model. During our nearly decade and a half in business, we have found this model to be fair for both the customer and the contractor, especially when doing renovation work. A large percentage of any given project is comprised of fixed costs because sub-contractors typically comprise at least 70% of the work done on medium or large projects, and the prices we get from vendors are for the most part fixed estimates. Our system is “open book“ meaning that we include copies of proposals from major subcontractors in our estimates and all information down to the smallest invoice is available upon request. Also we have occasionally performed some projects on a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) basis or a Cost Plus type arrangement. We are able to discuss these options

Contract – Once you are ready to proceed with your project, we provide a copy of our standard contract for your review. We are also open to discussing the use of AIA (American Institute of Architecture) contracts, if the client choses. We also require an initial payment when the contract is signed, typically 25-35% of the estimated job cost.

Team Project Manager – Once a contract has been signed, we put together a team of professionals to manage your project. This team will consist of a project manager and owner/supervisior, plus any architects and/or designers working with us on the job. These professionals will work with you and the architect/decorator to help coordinate your project during the entire process.

Permits, Planning and Schedules– Prior to the start of a project, we will hold one or more pre-job planning meetings with you and architect/designer to review the project plans. Preconstruction also includes obtaining necessary permits, determining a schedule for ordering materials, and coordinating timelines with our subcontractors.

Work Commences:

Construction – After procuring permits, the work starts. If the job is a renovation, we start by protecting existing finishes and architectural details and if necessary, we construct dust barriers. If the project is new construction, our team will assess existing conditions and make recommendations about utilities, excavation, fill storage, or fill removal. Throughout construction, the project manager oversees the entire project, directs the crew, checks on quality, interacts with the architect, orders materials, creates schedules, and supervises the entire team. The project manager is there to assist with budgets, schedules and coordination of subcontractors. Regular site meetings are usually scheduled at the site with the owner or owner’s representative and the architect, when needed.

Billing – Invoices are issued every two weeks, complete with a full accounting of our costs including time, materials, subcontractor billing, rentals, permits, and other costs that we have paid for to date. We can provide any level of documentation or copies of trade partner invoices that you require.

Change Orders – Change orders are changes to the scope of the work, possibly up or down. If a job is well defined with a full set of construction documents, there is less of a chance of significant change orders. New construction projects are less likely than renovations to have unforeseen conditions that might lead to change orders. Many change orders are the result of people changing their minds during the construction process. We strive to provide accurate preliminary estimates, but often projects have hidden issues that need to be dealt with during the work.

WRAPPING UP:

Project Completion – As the project nears completion, the project team will compile a punch list of items still to be completed. The Tall Guy team will start work on these items prior to the customers and architect's punch list in order to accelerate project completion.

Post Construction – Tall Guy Woodworking Inc is available to take care of any issues related to the scope of work. We also offer on-going maintenance.

Warranty – Officially, Tall Guy Woodworking Inc offers a one-year warranty on labor and materials, effective on Substantial Completion.  However, depending on the nature of the issue, we usually take care of issues after the warranty period has ended. We are proud of the work we do and stand behind it.