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Section 2: Designing Your Dream to Fit Your Budget - Build in ways to save money from the get-go!
5 Lessons-
Start2.1 Clarifying your dream, and why you need a backup dream.
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Start2.2 Can You Do It? How to investigate legal restrictions on your property.
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Start2.3 How Remodeling Projects get Built: Apparent Convenience can cost you bigtime!
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Start2.4 Getting the Help You Need with a Preliminary Design
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Start2.5 First Checkpoint: Before you move ahead
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Section 3: Documenting Your Dream
4 Lessons -
Section 4: Building Your Dream
11 Lessons-
Start4.1 Finding the Perfect Contractor for You!
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Start4.2 Getting Bids without Getting Burned
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Start4.3 An Alternative to Competitive Bids: The Negotiated Contract
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Start4.4 What to do when the price is higher than expected.
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Start4.5 Building Permits - Save Money at the Permit Counter
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Start4.6 Protecting Your Nest Egg with Insurance and Bonds
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Start4.7 Change Orders: How to deal with Surprises or Opportunities, and keeping them under control.
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Start4.8 How to Pay Your Contractor without Risks
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Start4.9 Keeping the Project On Track
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Start4.10 Defusing Conflicts during Construction
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Start4.11 Closing out the Construction - How to End Happy!
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Why I developed this course.
During a career of over 40 years as an architect and interior designer, I've seen many homeowners spend FAR too much of their hard-earned money on their remodeling projects, sometimes spending many tens of thousands of dollars more than they should have. I've listened to them complain about contractors not showing up, and even contractors running off with large upfront deposits. I've participated in Facebook Groups about home improvements, where the quality of construction was obviously horrible (and often with photos), but the homeowners had no idea what to do about it. Even worse, the contractor already had most of their money!
This is all so unnecessary! (And fortunately, none of my own clients have had to deal with any of this, except for the few who ignored my advice...) The solutions to avoiding these problems often aren't obvious, and your contractor certainly isn't going to tell you.
But I will. And there really hasn't been any good place to get this essential information, so I certainly can't blame homeowners for not knowing these solutions.
Now that I'm retired, I've put this video course together to give you the practical insider advice I've been teaching in live classes for decades.
What You'll Learn in this course.
This course will walk you through the entire process of home remodeling, tell you where projects typically go off track, and give you strategies, forms, and other tools for keeping your own project on track. You'll also get numerous tips and tricks to save money, save time, and maybe even protect your life savings! You will end up being more confident about managing your own project! The course includes:
- Ways to save time and money, while ensuring you get the quality you’re looking for.
- How to avoid costly mistakes.
- How to find and hire reputable contractors. (Including my secret source!)
- How to develop a realistic budget for your project.
- How to safely get bids and have some assurance that everything is included. (Do you know the difference between a bid and an estimate?)
- What professionals you might need along the way, and when to bring these into the project
- Typical pitfalls along the way, and how to avoid them. (Like the contractor running off with a hefty deposit, which happens more frequently than you may think.)
- Different structures for your contract with the contractor, and how to figure out what is best for you. (Do you know the difference between a Time & Materials contract and a Cost Plus contract? You’ll find out!)
- How to prevent liens on your home from subcontractors and material suppliers.
- How to build in ways to make your life easier during construction, and reduce stress. (This might save your relationship with your spouse!)
With the current cost of construction, avoiding even a SINGLE mistake will pay for this course many times over!
After you take this course, your Contractor will LOVE you!
Well, the good ones will.... You will be able to treat them far more professionally and fairly than most of their customers do, and you'll be able to make their lives much easier during construction. They will have to make fewer assumptions and decisions on their own, so construction can move along faster without the typical delays.
The bad contractors, not so much... They will not be able to get away with large surprise "change orders" after construction starts, and may be unhappy that they are now being held accountable for actual construction standards!
However, a couple of cautions...
This course is not for those who are mostly looking for design ideas. You aren't going to get training in how to do floor plans, kitchen layouts, or select paint colors. (Although it's certainly about how to IMPLEMENT those ideas!) It's for homeowners who are NOT wearing the toolbelt themselves!
You will feel more in control of your project than ever before, after taking this class. But, there are still some times that you need to call in an expert. You will learn when those times are, and when it costs you money to try to do it yourself!
Detailed Course Curriculum
This online Course is undergoing revisions and will launch in Early 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to take this course?
You may watch the videos as many times and for as long as you wish. Your enrollment in this course does not expire. You also will get to enjoy any new videos, handouts, or upgrades to the course.
Can I cancel my enrollment if I decide the course isn't for me?
You have 15 days to decide if this course is for you. If you decide to cancel your enrollment before that time, you will get a "no questions asked" refund.
Can I ask questions?
This course comes with an online community, and by enrolling in our course, you will have the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals who are also interested in home remodeling, as well as the instructor, who can provide you with valuable insights, and support.
Enroll NOW in Remodel Successfully! and make your project a success!
Take charge of your remodeling project by learning professional techniques for controlling cost, time, and quality!
Remodel Successfully! Online Video Course
$187 USD
- Online Video Course
- Forms and tools
- Online Course Community
