Phase 1 is complete!
To catch up on the time that has passed, my family embarked on a renovation of our home. The project is a very large project, so we decided to break it into two phases. Phase one was to prepare the lot and build a freestanding guest house that we could live in while we finish the second phase.
I am happy to share some of the photos of a beautiful three (technically 2 and a large closet for one of my sons) bedroom, two bath, laundry, kitchen and garage (temporary office) guest house! As a bonus, we have a pool, spa, outdoor living space with television, heaters and a large table to gather. IN addition, we have fully landscaped 60% of our lot, installed a new septic system, new gas system, underground power, irrigation and drainage that is tested by the two rainy seasons we’ve had here in Atlanta. This is a huge accomplishment; however, we still have our existing home to tear down and renovate. It is a bit overwhelming to consider that we have over a year left in actual construction and the emotional roller coaster that comes along with it.
As you know, at ESD Homes, I advise clients to embark on large projects. We always ask you to move out and to do it all at once. Well, I went against my own advice and phased my project…..I have officially received a HEALTHY dose of my own medicine.
Phasing projects costs more, exhausts the client and all kinds of complications that are often unforeseen until you are in the project…. let’s explore.
PHASING PROJECTS COSTS MORE.
Phasing means you often have to construction something temporary that may never be used in the final phases. In our example, we had to connect our garage to the existing main home. In our zone within the City of Atlanta, we could not have a freestanding separate guest house. So, we build a temporary breezeway to connect the two structures. This will be demolished and rebuilt.
We also had a huge price increase in materials during the course of phase 1 that will not drop down. I often imagine that we COULD have been done by now if we simply moved out and did the entire project at once AND it would have been less money in the long run.
The costs are not all financial; our time is costly; we are doubling the amount of stress we are going through and selections with our interior designer may have to be redone if items are no longer available.
PHASING IS EXHAUSTING;
When the final dumpster is pulled and the inspections are all passed, you then realize it’s about to start All.Over.Again. Again! I can report that I’m exhausted, but know that the end is going to be worth it, so I’m ready to start up the next phase. My husband is NOT, LOL. It is important to consider this when planning for multi-phased projects. You may need to talk yourself off a few ledges of panic. And with how long the first phase ended up taking, no wonder why we are a bit apprehensive.
UNKNOWN COMPLICATIONS
We had to purchase materials for some areas for the final house in this phase. For example, the tile in our entryway in the guest house will flow into the laundry/mudroom in the main house. WE now have 500 square feet of tile to store. We also had an overorder of the cedar shake we used for roofing. There was a huge restocking fee to send it back, so we now own a large pile of this product that has to be protected from elements aka unsightly in the yard.
The pool was quickly added into phase 1. We rushed to make decisions where I could have taken more time…and a few mistakes were made as we rushed our design team.
Finally, I was constantly referring to the final phase of the project to answer questions on how slabs will connect to future spaces, elevations of footings are challenging when you don’t have all the answers of the final finished plans in construction documentation format.
For all these reasons, I do not recommend ever phasing a project. However, if it MUST be done, I will have the ability to be a resource for you. Our company is offering some additional services where I can be helpful to anyone in the country completing a renovation as a resource. Check out our website for more information.
Meanwhile, we will be planning our next get together in the pavilion and swim in the pool. It’s amazing to see how the new spaces in our home bring so much peace to our lives.
Click the images below for links to products we used and are LOVING.
