How to Prepare for a Remodeling Contractor Home Visit
September 27th, 2022 | 3 min read
By Brian Taylor
How to prepare for a remodeling contractor home visit
An in-home consultation, (or “Consult A” as we call it at Custom Built) is a standard part of the remodeling process that we use to gain an understanding of the size and scope of your project.
As a home remodeling contractor who has these types of conversations every day, we understand the fears and anxieties that a homeowner might have when we show up. We’re going to give some tips to help prepare you for these meetings.
By the end of this article, you will learn what the in-home consultation is and the best 4 tips to be prepared for the meeting.
What is an in-home consultation?
An in-home consultation, or consult A, is one of the most common steps a remodeling contractor takes before any home remodeling project. It allows the contractor to ask questions about your project and home, as well as see the space in person.
The contractor will ask you questions about your project, your home, your budget, and your timeline, among many other questions. This gives them a good idea if your project is a good fit for them and what remodeling services they offer.
It will also give you time to find out if they will be a good fit for you and your family. As half of the remodeling equation, you can ask questions to see if the contractor and you will work together well.
Here is an article if you wish to learn about how to vet a potential contractor and questions to ask.
Knowing what questions they will ask and how to prepare for the in-home consultation, will be extremely helpful.
How to prepare for an in-home consultation (4 Tips before the contractor arrives)
Following these tips will best prepare you for an in-home consultation with a remodeling contractor.
Having answers ready for these questions, setting the right expectations, and asking the right questions will give you the best chance of a successful meeting.
1. Know the existing condition of your home
The contractor could ask questions about your home which include,
- The age it was built
- Previous work done on it
- The condition of the space to be remodeled
- History of water leaks or water damage
- Condition of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC
These will give the contractor valuable information about your home and how well the remodel will tie into the existing home.
Every detail you provide will help the contractor get more accurate in determining their budget range and timeline.
2. Inspiration pictures
In most cases, you want to remodel your home after seeing it somewhere else.
It may have been at a friend’s house, on HGTV, on Instagram, or in a magazine. Showing these to the contractor will help give them more visual details of what you envision.
It will also inform the contractor of the style you want to achieve with the remodel.
Whether it be modern, contemporary, rustic, or minimalist, it will help the contractor bring in other design elements that will tie in well to that style.
3. Know what you want to change
By reaching out to a designer & remodeling contractor, you are telling us that there is something about your home you don’t like or want to change.
Knowing specifically what it is you want to change (or don’t like) will inform the contractor if he is the best fit for you.
This will allow a contractor to know what you want to change your home into, and more importantly, what not to change.
4. Clean and clear the space to be remodeled
While visiting, the contractor will likely take pictures and measurements of the space.
Cleaning the space and moving furniture out of the way before arrival will reduce the time they spend taking measurements so you can have your house back to yourself and carry on with your day.
Cleaning the space will also make it easier for the contractor to detect any potential problems that may arise during the course of a remodel which will be helpful to know about before a single hammer is swung.
Next steps after an in-home consultation
In this article, you learned about what the in-home consultation process consists of, and how best to prepare for it.
As a quick summary:
- An in-home consultation helps the project development advisor better understand the scope and scale of your project
- Make sure to prepare these 4 things
- Understand the condition and age of your home
- Have inspiration pictures ready
- Be able to explain what you want to change
- Clean up the space that you want to be remodeled
After an in-home visit, the next step is to meet at our showroom to go over a more defined budget range and sign an agreement to begin the design process.
To learn more about the design-build process, here is an article providing an overview of the entire design and remodeling process. Have questions? Our sales staff would be happy to discuss those with you! Fill out a contact form and we will reach out to you.
If you’re not yet ready to fill out a contact form, you may be interested in:
Brian brings 20+ years of experience in the home remodeling industry to the table. He’s worked with families in all areas of whole home performance (science-backed solutions for home health, safety, comfort, and efficiency), residential renewable energy, conservation, foundation, and hydrostatic issues and solutions.
