Remodel Starr

What Is A Home Remodel Contract?

  • May 11, 2022
  • 6 min read

Home remodel contracts are a huge part of your remodeling project. However, they often come after you’ve been through design, selection, bidding, and revisions. So what happens is when you get to the contract signing, you are tired as hell, and you want to get the project over with! Don’t rush! Remember, a contract LEGALLY binds you to your contractor, like a marriage certificate binds you to your spouse. Getting out of either one is messy and expensive. The best advice I can give you is to hire an attorney to review it with you. You guys, legalese is HARD to understand. A couple of hundred dollars spent understanding what you are signing is cheap to help you know what a home remodel contract is all about.

What Is A Home Remodel Contract?

A home remodel contract is an essential part of the remodeling process. The contract sets the tone for the project. Therefore a good contract sets a good tone, whereas a bad contract can have disastrous consequences.

First, there is the legal document itself that outlines things like:

  • the total cost of the project
  • how and when payments should be made
  • what will happen if you don’t pay on time 
  • what will happen if the contractor doesn’t perform
  • things the contractor can’t be held responsible for
  • how the warranty works

Many contractors stop with legal documents. But to have a good contract that will yield a good remodel, it should also include:

  • scope of work
  • drawings
  • specifications

Why Is A Home Remodel Contract So Important?

Home remodel contracts are very important because they outline how you and the contractor are legally bound to each other during the project, scope of work, drawings, and specifications.

Examples Of A Home Remodel Contract

Scope of work for a bathroom remodel
  1. bathroom remodel for _______________ at __(location)____:
  2. Demolition of the existing bathroom.
  3. Make changes to existing plumbing to accommodate the new layout
  4. Make changes to the existing electricity according to the new electric layout
  5. Furnish and install a new bath fan and new vent to the home’s exterior.  
  6. Repair or replace any exterior wall insulation disturbed during the demo. 
  7. Furnish and Installation of the new wallboard where necessary. Repair existing wallboard where able.
  8. Install the shower waterproofing system.
  9. Tile for bathroom floor, shower floor, and shower walls.
  10. Custom-made bathroom vanity.
  11. Custom vanity countertop with two sinks.
  12. Final plumbing fixtures.
  13. Install custom shower doors.
  14. Paint on the ceiling, walls, and trim.
  15. Install bath accessories.  
  16. Furnish and install final electric fixtures.  
  17. Cleaning. 
Drawings for a bathroom remodel:
Specifications based on the scope of work:
  • Make and model of bath fan and what type of venting and what type of cap on the exterior.  
  • The brand of waterproofing system will be used on the shower walls.
  • Specs will tell you everything about the tile:
    • Manufacturer
    • Name
    • Color
    • Size and Thickness
    • Grout line size and grout color
    • Type of edging that will be used.
    • The thickness of thin-set
  • The bathroom vanity specs should include drawings of the finished piece, but the specs will also include things like wood species, height, length, door type, hinge type, drawer slides used, and the knobs and pulls used.
  • The countertop specs should detail the manufacturer, name, color, size, thickness, edge profile, and the type of sinks attached to it.
  • The final plumbing fixtures should include manufacturer, model numbers, and finish. 
  • The custom shower door should include the type of hinges, handle, glass thickness and color, whether there will be any metal frame, etc.
  • The paint should include the brand, paint line, color, and sheen for the ceiling, walls, and trim. 
  • The bath accessories should detail how many of each, what they are, the manufacturer, the name, and the finish.
  • The electric fixtures should include the manufacturer, name/model number, finish, number, and type of bulbs. 
  • Cleaning should outline how often. 

Tips And Reminders

Suppose you want to get bids on a bathroom remodeling project from multiple contractors. The scope of work, plans, and specs need to be uniform among the contractors to have prices you can compare.

If every bid you receive is based on a slightly different scope of work and specifications, you’ll have a confusing mess to wade through. That is not a good way to make a sound decision.

I highly recommend you prepare the scope of work, drawings, and specs yourself or hire a designer to help you. Let’s unpack this just a little bit.

You know what needs to be done in your bathroom because you live there. You know your bathroom better than anyone else, so you should do the scope of work.

The drawings take a little skill, but they can also be very basic and still do the job. If you are planning to change the layout, you may need help with that aspect, and a designer will help with revised drawings for a new layout.

The specifications are what you want in your space. I would argue that you should pick all of those items out yourself. Then you can control what price point you want to be at and get exactly what you want in your bathroom. It is okay if you aren’t good at picking out design things! Have a designer help you with that part too!

With the scope of work, plans, and specs written up, you can ask multiple contractors for bids and be confident that you’ll be comparing pricing on like products and finishes when you receive the bids—allowing you to make the best decision possible.

Closing

A remodel contract consists of four significant parts: the legal document, scope of work, drawings, and specifications. When you ask for bathroom remodel bids from multiple contractors, the scope of work, drawings, and specs should be the same to get prices that are easy to compare. Creating the scope of work, drawings, and specs can be done by either yourself or a designer, but no remodel project should commence without all three.

For more free information on home remodeling, visit my blog. I want you to remodel your home without fear of being ripped off, going massively over budget, or having your home torn up for months.

If you are already working on a home remodel and need some friendly, honest advice on what to do next, sign up for my 1-on-1 coaching! For 30 minutes, I will answer any question about home remodeling and work as hard as possible to get you over whatever is hanging you up.