Remodeling in Bay Village—why to hire a pro

Hire a qualified contractor and save some headaches

If you’ve been dreaming about remodeling your house – a new kitchen, an extra bathroom, a makeover of your basement, or as basic as a new coat of paint, you’ll want to ask yourself a preliminary question: can you do the work yourself or should you hire a professional?

While your skill level and time available will play a part in answering that question, hiring a professional contractor will be the better option in most cases.

Keep in mind that the vast majority of remodeling in Bay Village occurs in older homes—and older homes increase the likelihood of running into problems that age or poor workmanship may have brought about. Let’s take a closer look at some common projects.

Installing a hardwood floor. If you have been admiring the look a hardwood floor would bring to your dining room, living room, or even both, you might be lured by videos online or at your neighborhood home improvement store showing how to do it yourself. That’s beneficial to learn how it is done.

But insert a mistake or two in installation and your cost increases. You may spend a lot more time than you estimated getting floorboards to line up with baseboards, doorways and corners, not to mention the cost of waste due to mistakes.

Professionals have the skill and experience to make the hardwood floor project go smoothly and to your satisfaction.

Installing a ceramic tile, hardwood or vinyl floor. There are similar concerns with floor installations. For instance, a level subfloor is critical and hills or valleys will cause difficulties for an inexperienced installer. Corners can be complicated, since some involve delicate cutting and fitting.

Installing a bathtub/shower. Many homeowners have been tempted to replace a bathtub and shower themselves—and many find that hiring a professional was a bargain in the long run. It is not unusual to find how unknown tiny water leaks have deteriorated walls and floorboards over the years. If that has occurred, it’s a major pain you would want a professional to handle.

There likely could be plumbing and tub-surround issues a professional contractor can address as well. Many contractors may have seen similar problems in previous projects and know the solutions. For example, the cast iron drain or sewer pipes used in older homes don’t last forever; 30-50 years is a good average. A professional can assess if your cast iron pipe is a candidate for replacement.

Installing window replacements. As was mentioned earlier, older homes are often top candidates for remodeling and replacing outdated fixtures. And depending on their age, older homes may have various window sizes—none may be the standard sizes in use today. This may involve custom-fitting the window by reframing the window space, a tedious process.

By hiring a contractor to install replacement windows, the extra cost versus doing it yourself is often offset by the energy savings the new windows will bring.

While there are many more remodeling projects than those mentioned earlier, these illustrate some of the advantages a professional contractor can bring at the construction level. But there are also many intangible benefits to consider.

One major advantage is the safety factor. If you are remodeling your kitchen, updating your bathroom, or whatever project, there are multiple safety issues. If you are demolishing parts of your kitchen and relocating plumbing, you run the risk of damaging existing electrical lines and pipes. That’s not considering if you have enough electrical outlets or adequate wiring to service them in your new design. Overloading your existing electrical system is a serious hazard.

Professional contractors will be able to assess your plumbing and electrical needs quickly since they work with building code regulations every day. They also need to be licensed to work in the city where you live, which adds another level of security that you will get from a qualified contractor when you hire a professional.

It’s a good idea to obtain estimates from more than one contractor so you may choose the best route to take.

Finally, there are many stories of a homeowner starting a project only to find a problem that is over his head and that requires a professional to intercede. That delays the project and adds to the cost. It’s a lesson learned time and time again—many people don’t understand how difficult remodeling projects can become and how simple it would have been to have hired a professional from the start.

When it comes to remodeling in Bay Village, you can depend on Sciarappa Construction. We have teams of qualified designers, architects and construction professionals. You will be presented multiple design-build and remodel solutions, and you can rest assured that Sciarappa Construction complete the project on time, with no surprises, and to your satisfaction.

Sciarappa Construction is a family-owned construction contractor with more than 40 years of combined experience.  Located at 32961 Pin Oak Pkwy., Avon Lake, OH 44012, you can contact Sciarappa Construction at (440) 930-2882 or by email at info@sciarappaconstruction.com

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