Frequently Asked Questions About Home Remodeling in DFW
Dedicated to Providing Peace of Mind on Every Project
Finding the Right Home Remodeling Company for Your Dream Kitchen
or Bathroom or Whole House Project Can be Challenging
You Can Make the Decision Less Stressful…
If You Ask Plenty of Questions and Always Get the Answers in Writing
Anyone can start a home remodeling company in the State of Texas…even someone without experience. There aren’t any licensing or experience requirements.
This can make it a lot more challenging to find a qualified home remodeling contractor for your project.
The questions on this page are the ones that we have been asked most often by our clients and prospective clients.
The best strategy is to ask each contractor that you seriously consider hiring to provide their answers in writing. This will help you to eliminate contractors that might not have the cleanest record or the experience you need for your project.
We are not trying to scare you. Our goal is to help you better understand the home remodeling industry and to provide you with suggested questions to ask every remodeling contractor you meet.
If you are ready to tackle a remodeling project to update your kitchen, add on a master bedroom, transform your bathrooms or you simply want to improve the layout of your home, this information will help you eliminate less-than-desirable companies.
Our clients tell us consistently that our approach takes almost all the stress out of the process. For example:
Kathi provides you with guidance from the initial planning stages to coordinating paint colors and tile choices, cabinets and appliances, plumbing and lighting. She brings samples of most of the main products to your home, including: tile, granite, sold surface materials, paint textures and colors, under cabinet lighting and more.
We look forward to answering your questions. We will be pleased to provide you with a complete copy of our consumer checklist and step-by-step installation processes once we schedule our first meeting.
If you live in Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Keller, Arlington, Mid-Cities, Fort Worth, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Plano, Dallas or the surrounding communities, we welcome the opportunity to transform your home.
Reputation and Stability
Can you tell us about your experience in home remodeling?
Don started remodeling homes and apartments we owned in 2000. Soon friends and family members began asking Don to complete projects for them. At the same time, Kathi joined the business and began honing her design skills. Kathi’s design experience started in college where she studied home design.
Our friends and family members kept encouraging us to make home remodeling our full-time business and we did that beginning in 2006. We incorporated in 2007 and we operate under the name LoneStar Property Solutions.
The experience we have gained in successfully completing over 320 significant remodeling projects like kitchens and bathrooms has helped us establish performance standards that ensure consistent quality projects.
From remodeling your kitchen …replacing your countertop and backsplash…updating your master bath…to adding a deck or patio, installing a French door…or hanging a ceiling fan, replacing a garbage disposal…we give you back your time and enhance your quality of life.
How do I know that you have enough insurance and that it is up to date?
This is a very important question because there aren’t any insurance requirements in Texas for contractors. If there is an accident and the contractor isn’t insured or isn’t properly insured, the homeowner can be held liable.
- We carry $2 Million of General Liability Insurance and our employees are bonded.
- We provide all of our customers with a Certificate of Insurance that lists our insurance coverage and our insurance agent. If you prefer, our insurance agent will send you our Certificate of Insurance directly so that you will have proof that we are insured before we start your project.
- Our subcontractors are insured through LoneStar Property Solutions or maintain their own insurance and we have a system to check on this.
Many companies will use the term “fully insured” to give homeowners the impression that they have adequate insurance.
Legitimate contractors will carry at least $2 Million of Liability Insurance and their employees will all be bonded. It is a smart idea to ask their agent to send you the proof directly. Some companies have dropped their insurance due to the economy. You don’t want to hire them.
Are 3 customer references enough?
Not really. If you really want to find out how consistent a contractor’s work is then ask for at least 10 references and check them out thoroughly by using the questions on our references page.
We also recommend that you ask for bank and supplier references. These references will let you know that the company you are considering is legitimate.
We provide letters of reference from our bank and our key suppliers.
Can you provide a “ball park” estimate over the phone or by email?
We don’t believe in “guesstimates” or “ball park” estimates.
Home remodeling or home improvement contractors that will give you an estimate over the phone or via email without meeting you and listening to all of your needs and desires should be avoided. This is totally unprofessional.
We would love to give you a quick estimate but there are just too many choices to come up with a number that is realistic.
- For example: there are dozens of countertops to choose from. You can spend $1,500 or $5,000 to cover the same area. The same can be said for virtually every component in a remodeling project. That is why some kitchen remodeling projects are $15,000 and some are $80,000.
The good news is that all those choices give us great flexibility to meet your budget.
If you’re worried about the cost of your project and getting the most for your money, our design services and thorough upfront planning practically eliminates the most common reasons many projects wind up costing a lot more than the initial bid.
- Kathi is Certified in Universal Design and brings a perspective to the project details that many contractors don’t want to deal with….
- Kathi really understands the needs and perspective of our clients…especially the women. In her experience, women make more of the everyday decisions and choices in a remodeling project and she makes those choices a lot less stressful.
Kathi takes the time to listen to your needs and desires and then designs your project. She makes your job easier by providing specific recommendations on products and materials.
She provides you with guidance from the initial planning stages to coordinating paint colors and tile choices, cabinets and appliances, plumbing and lighting. She brings samples of most of the main products to your home, including: tile, granite, sold surface materials, paint textures and colors, under cabinet lighting and more.
Remodeling can be stressful. Our clients tell us consistently that our approach takes almost all the stress out of the process.
One more point – estimates that are written on the back of a business card are worthless – because all you will know is the price. That is like buying a car without knowing what features or options are included.
Is membership in a professional association of home remodeling companies important?
We believe that it is.
We are proud members of the National Association of The Remodeling Industry (NARI) and we abide by their strict Code of Ethics.
Trade associations are designed to establish standards for the industry. Specific standards established for the home remodeling industry include:
- Guidelines for References
- Compliance with Insurance & Regulatory Issues
- Safety Program Requirements
- Increasing Trade Knowledge
- Administration of Certification Examinations
We are a member of NARI because we believe it helps us to maintain high standards and quality service.
The NARI website is www.NARI.org if you would like to contact them.
Are professional designations like Universal Design Certified Remodeler (UDCR) really that important?
We believe they are. You can learn all the details of Universal Design by clicking here.
- Simply put: Universal Design means that a child, the elderly, a physically-challenged individual, a short or a tall person can use the product and room and be comfortable and safe within the environment.
- The goal of universal design is to make your home “user friendly” for all people. This is done with creative design… not by making your home look like an institution.
- The home remodeling industry is fast becoming very high tech, eco-friendly and more efficient. Methods and materials that were industry norms just a few years ago have now been replaced with more effective alternatives and your contractor should be well educated in them.
There will always be challenges in individual projects. All of the training and experience we have gained in successfully completing over 320 home remodeling projects in the last 5+ years helps us understand how to overcome those challenges.
Less experienced remodeling companies will be getting on-the-job training at your expense and that can lead to a bad experience.
If you live in Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Keller, Arlington, Mid-Cities, Fort Worth, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Plano, Dallas or the surrounding communities, we welcome the opportunity to transform your home.
Have you ever declared bankruptcy for this or any other home improvement or home remodeling company in which you owned an interest?
This is a very important question for Texas homeowners.
Anyone can start a home remodeling company in the State of Texas…even someone without experience. There aren’t any licensing or experience requirements.
Two surveys conducted in 2007 and in 2011 by a consulting firm for the contracting industry found that 35% of home remodeling, home improvement and design build companies that advertise in directories were out of business within 5 years.
Unfortunately some owners will close up one business when they run into quality or credit problems and then open up another company with a similar name.
It is a smart idea to ask each contractor to provide the following information.
- Please provide the name of each corporation, LLC (limited liability company), partnership, sole proprietorship or other legal entity, which is or has been a home improvement contractor, home remodeling contractor, design build contractor or a new home construction contractor, in which any of the owners are or have been a shareholder, member, partner, or owner during the previous five years.
We have a clean record in this area and will provide the details to the above question at our first meeting.
Agreements, Experience, Service and Follow-Through
How many home remodeling and handyman projects have you successfully completed in the past 5 years?
In the last 5 years we have successfully completed over 320 significant remodeling projects for our clients.
We have also helped our clients with hundreds of handyman projects of every shape and size.
Click here to see a list of the handyman services we offer. Many of our competitors are unwilling to tackle smaller jobs. Our clients tell us that our handyman services are a welcome part of the services we offer.
The experience we have gained in successfully completing over 320 significant remodeling projects like kitchens and bathrooms has helped us establish performance standards that ensure consistent quality projects.
From remodeling your kitchen …replacing your countertop and backsplash…updating your master bath…to adding a deck or patio, installing a French door…or hanging a ceiling fan, replacing a garbage disposal…we give you back your time and enhance your quality of life.
- The diversity of our experience is something that very few of our competitors can match. Many remodeling contractors struggle to complete 25 projects a year. Our systematic approach and thorough upfront planning allow us to efficiently complete projects in the time promised.
- We provide over 25 recent references and we invite you to call as many as you like.
- Kathi is Certified in Universal Design and brings a perspective to the project details that many contractors don’t want to deal with.
- Kathi really understands the needs and perspective of our clients…especially the women. In her experience, women make more of the everyday decisions and choices in a remodeling project and she makes those choices a lot less stressful.
You can also view a sample of our projects in our gallery.
How do you price your projects?
We provide a fixed price quote with a price guarantee for the work specified once your design is approved and all material selections are made. Any contingencies are clearly spelled out and we will take the time to explain them to you. All of our agreements include a Right of Rescission and approximate start and finish dates.
- If you’re worried about the cost of your project and getting the most for your money, our design services and thorough upfront planning practically eliminates the most common reasons many projects wind up costing a lot more than the initial bid.
- Kathi meets with you and she takes the time to listen to your needs and desires and then designs your project. She makes your job easier by providing specific recommendations on products and materials.
- She provides you with guidance from the initial planning stages to coordinating paint colors and tile choices, cabinets and appliances, plumbing and lighting. She brings samples of most of the main products to your home, including: tile, granite, sold surface materials, paint textures and colors, under cabinet lighting and more.
Can you explain why some quotes are so much lower than others?
If a contractor provides a quote that is 10% or more below the next lowest bid, it isn’t the same job. It can’t be because there isn’t that much profit in a typical home remodeling project and no one works for free. An 8 to 10% profit is the goal of legitimate home remodeling contractors. If you accept a bid that is “unrealistically low”, you will either end up with quality issues or paying more in the end than the original quote.
- Many contractors in DFW don’t expect to work for you again. We refer to them as “Chuck in a Truck” or “hit and run” contractors.
- It is not uncommon for some of these contractors to leave out required costs or to include totally unrealistic allowances for key items. With low allowances, homeowners will be forced to upgrade and end up spending much more than expected.
- They will then ask for more money once the demolition is started. At this point they have you “over a barrel” and you will be forced to fire them and start over or pay them the additional money.
- In many cases the homeowner ends up with a lower quality job that will probably last until the warranty runs out and then it will begin to fall apart.
If this is your dream project, don’t take the risk of hiring a contractor that is offering a “dream price”.
If a price seems “too good to pass up” don’t accept it. We all buy our materials from the same suppliers and if they are paying their employees and subcontractor a fair wage then their bid should be in line.
Who will supervise my project?
This is a great question. This is especially important if you are considering a larger company. You want the most experienced team and not the team that is getting “on-the-job training” at your expense.
Don Fleck supervises our projects on a day-to-day basis. He is a hands-on guy and is known to pitch in and help his clients in any way he can.
It is a smart idea to ask very specific questions about the experience of the supervisor that will be in charge of your project.
- Ask to interview the supervisor that will be in charge of your project. Ask the supervisor to explain the challenges they have dealt with on projects like yours .You might even ask them what they like about the home remodeling business to make sure they really like what they do.
If you live in Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Keller, Arlington, Mid-Cities, Fort Worth, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Plano, Dallas or the surrounding communities, we welcome the opportunity to transform your home.
How do you screen your employees and subcontractors?
Don started remodeling homes, apartments and rental units we owned in 2000. That experience quickly taught Don what to look for and what to look out for in the hiring of trades people.
He has used his experience to screen our subcontractors and employees.
We are proud to say that our key subcontractors have been with us for 3 years on average.
They like working for us because we pay them fairly and promptly. This ensures their loyalty and we get priority scheduling from them.
- We have a written policy that prohibits smoking or drug and alcohol use on the job.
- We also have trained our crews to act like guests in your home. Again we encourage you to ask our references about this.
How do you keep your projects on schedule?
We use a pre-construction checklist, a formal scheduling system and we conduct weekly project updates with you for larger projects to keep your project on time and to keep you in the loop.
- We put so much emphasis on planning – we know all the places that will be frustrating for you and our planning helps to minimize the hassle that occurs when your regular routine is disrupted.
- Our pre-construction checklist starts your project off right. We cover everything you need to know to keep your family and pets safe during the project.
- Our formal scheduling system keeps us in control. Our tool is simple to understand and easy to set up for your project. It quickly allows us to see if we are on track so we can make corrections. To attempt to do even a bathroom remodel without a project planning tool is a recipe for disaster.
All of our planning and controls are essential elements of keeping your project on schedule.
From remodeling your kitchen …replacing your countertop and backsplash…updating your master bath…to adding a deck or patio, installing a French door…or hanging a ceiling fan, replacing a garbage disposal…we give you back your time and enhance your quality of life.
When you start a job, do you stay on it every day until it’s done?
That is always our goal because that is the only way we get paid! Unless there are circumstances that prevent us from working like: weather, delayed inspections or curing time, we will be there each day.
- In any significant project there will be some “gap” days due to issues just listed.
- Our customers know that we are always working on their project – coordinating material deliveries, setting up building inspections, coordinating specialty trades and more.
Our ongoing communication keeps you informed so you won’t be left wondering.
How do I know that you will finish the “punch list”?
Kathi designs your project and then we use a pre-construction checklist, a formal scheduling system and weekly project updates to keep your project on time.
- We invite you to ask questions during your project. If you want to make a change to the original plan, it is much easier to make the change before we start the task than after we have finished it.
- During each phase of the project, we ask you to review the job and provide any questions and punch-list items so they can be corrected immediately.
- At the end of your project we will conduct a final walk-through with you to ensure your satisfaction. We conduct this after we have gone through our internal quality review and before final payment.
After successfully completing over 320 home remodeling projects in the last 5 years we are comfortable that we have the systems in place to complete your project as designed. We encourage you to ask our references about this.
Can you explain your warranty?
We provide a 1-year warranty for the labor and installation on all home remodeling and home improvement projects.
You will receive the manufacturer warranty for products, such as carpet, cabinets and appliances. If you have any questions on the consumer product warranties, just contact our office and we will help schedule the appointment with the manufacturer.
If an installation or workmanship issue comes up after the warranty expires, we will take care of it. This has only happened a few times and considering the number of projects that we have completed this should make you feel comfortable that we value our reputation and your satisfaction.
From remodeling your kitchen …replacing your countertop and backsplash…updating your master bath…to adding a deck or patio, installing a French door…or hanging a ceiling fan, replacing a garbage disposal…we give you back your time and enhance your quality of life.
Do I need to be home when you’re working?
No. We do review this and many other items in our pre-construction meeting before we start your project.
We may need to contact you during the day to answer your questions or to get your input on other items.
What do you do each day to insure my home is “livable” during my project?
Every construction project will have its share of dirt and dust.
- We will ask for access to a sink that we can use for cleanup but will make other arrangements if that isn’t possible.
- We have a written daily cleanup checklist that we follow. Our goal is to make sure the site is secure and safe for your children and pets at the end of each workday.
Do you work with Home Owner’s Associations?
Yes. We will provide the appropriate information to your HOA.
One Very Important Question if Your Home was Built Prior to 1978
Can you explain the importance of the new EPA law on lead paint hazards?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed a new law that became effective in April of 2010. The law is designed to protect homeowners, their families and contractors that work on their home from the risks of lead hazards.
The use of lead based paint was discontinued after 1977 but if your home was built before 1978 there is a good chance that it contains lead based paint.
Most home remodeling projects have sanding, cutting and demolition of existing parts of your home. Any of these construction activities can create a health risk for your family by disturbing lead-based paints.
We support this law because it helps protect homeowners and their families from this risk.
Lead-based paint can cause some very nasty health issues.
LoneStar Property Solutions and Don Fleck are certified under the new law.
Unfortunately, some remodeling contractors are still not certified. The best advice we can give you is to cross them off of your list. If you do hire them you could be exposing your family and your children to lead poisoning.
Take the simple step of asking for proof of their certification before you meet with them.
We are providing this information so that you can make the best decision possible when you hire a home remodeling contractor to complete your project.
If you are ready to: remodel your kitchen …replace your countertop or backsplash…update your master bath…add a deck or patio or any other remodeling project you have been dreaming about, let our experience take the risk out of your hiring decision.
Serving:
Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Keller, Arlington, Mid-Cities, Fort Worth, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Plano, Dallas and the Surrounding Communities
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