Blueprint Remodeling

Blueprint Remodeling was founded to help Homeowners Maintain and Improve their homes in what is a very fragmented and often misleading  industry.  Below are the reasoning and philosophy that guide our business.

The home improvement and remodeling industry has more than enough companies with high pressure sales tactics.  To be the biggest, make the most profit, or push someone to do something that may or may not be in their best interest is not our goal.

• • Helping Homeowners get what they paid for is what is important

  • All jobs are Bid by the owner; we do not have a sales force

  • Most jobs come from referrals (very little advertising)

  • Assuring all of the pros and cons of project choices are understood

By bidding every job and not pushing a sales team to reach a number, you will not be treated as a number.  We also only take on what we can handle well, so if we cannot perform to a homeowners need, we will not take the job.  In the end, helping you and assuring you are happy with the project is most important.  A side effect of this is your willingness to refer Blueprint Remodeling to your closest friends and Family; yet you will never be pressured to do so ever.

Even the largest retailers using subcontractors on Home Improvement Projects know there is a loophole in the system that opens up the use of undocumented labor.  A Contractor is responsible for the job.  A Contractor is not responsible for a Subcontractor’s Business practices.  When a Subcontractor uses illegal labor, many Contractors know but still use them.

The truth is, the cost on the bid does not assure only Documented Workers will be on your property.  Documented Workers do cost more than Undocumented Workers, but you could take the highest bid and still have Undocumented Workers, or take the lowest bid and have documented workers.

The key is to trust the company you choose.  Yet a three bid system is flawed.  Everyone knows how to sell around this or that issue.  You may get three great contractors, three unscrupulous contractors, or a combination.  My advice is get as many bids as you need to find the RIGHT contractor.  This can be as few as one or as many as it takes.  Remember, this is your home and if a project costs more tomorrow if you don’t buy today, this is just a sales closing tactic.

It is also very easy to hide the types of workers that will be on your property.  There are good and bad sales people out there.  Unfortunately, you may not be able to identify the differences or they may not fully understand their companies.  As a Homeowner, you may not care if a worker has the legal right to work or not; in the end, you just need to know if they are so YOU can make that choice.  If they are not Documented and you are okay with that, ask for a lower price.

Please Note:  Blueprint Remodeling is not condoning the use of undocumented workers and will not use them.

There are many products out there.  When someone goes on and on about how their product is the best out there, ask what other products they offer.  If they cannot offer you a selection and say, they get better prices by using one Manufacturer, this should be a red flag.

For example, I once heard a Vinyl Window Consultant say his product was better than fiberglass windows and doors because his were fusion welded and fiberglass used manual fasteners.  Fusion welding is not better than Manual fasteners; this point was irrelevant, but it got them the job at a huge premium; the customer wanted Fiberglass but settled because of this recommendation.  The customer also did not want white windows, but still went with Vinyl because of what the rep said (Painting Vinyl is possible but it voids most window warranties especially if you use a dark color, plus it will not last as long as painted Fiberglass that was meant for painting and came in many colors factory painted.)

What the Homeowner should have been told is, Vinyl is plastic and is popular because the price to make them is much less than fiberglass or wood windows.  You cannot melt fiberglass or wood together (Fusion Welding) just like vinyl windows do not hold screws (Manual Fasteners) well because they are hollow.  Since you want to paint your windows dark grey, wood, fiberglass or even aluminum windows would be better for that application.

As a Product’s Quality can be oversold, so too can the skill of the labor.  Do your research and do not make a choice until you have all the options.

By the way, better prices because of volume discounts or lower overhead do not actually change the job’s cost by much.  Also, vinyl windows will almost always cost a contractor less than fiberglass, wood, or aluminum clad windows, and have a faster lead time once ordered.  This gets them paid faster.

It looked so easy on the Home Improvement Show, but the thinset  is drying way faster than you thought, the tile isn’t laying flat or sticking to the wall, and  your house is torn apart.  The project quickly became overwhelming.

I have been there many times with my father colorfully expressing his unhappiness of a product’s quality or usefulness.  It was almost never the product, it was the applicator.

I grew up in a household where move every 3-5 years was the norm.  My parents would buy a fixer upper, use child labor to fix it up, and then sell it for a larger house.  When they (by they, I mean mainly me) were not working on their house, they loaned me out to my uncle that did the same things, as well as friends.  Installing a roof near Lake Mead in Arizona in mid August was not very fun.  We got that roof done fast so we could get into the lake.  I have been seeing people get overwhelmed on projects my whole life.

I have also seen the poor work done by “House Flippers” more than I care to remember.  SANDING asbestos popcorn ceiling.  When it was banned in California in 1977, there was still a supply of this and was used well into the 1980’s, however, if you are sanding a 1960’s house with a Popcorn Ceiling, STOP.  Many do not know Asbestos is in popcorn.  When I bought a home in 2005, the owner was adamant that the Popcorn Ceilings was not Asbestos.  He was half right.  The layer he sprayed over the original layer was not Asbestos; buyer beware, test if not sure.  Asbestos is in a lot of things people are not aware of.  The most disturbing thing I see on the Home Improvement Shows is the “Demo Day.”

Crashing through the Drywall or Plaster making the biggest mess possible; looks like a lot of fun, until it’s time to clean it up.  Asbestos is in many Joint Compounds (the paste used to hide the seams in drywall) and there is a lot of lead paint as well (also used well past 1978, the year it was banned).  Both should be handled a specific way.

There is no way for all DIYers to know all the risks before they start a project, but when they do need help, I am happy to step in and help.  If that involves advice on how to finish, or taking over the project, we will do whatever is possible to help.