Renovation and Design Services

FAQ

How do I schedule a consultation?

Fill out the form on our website here and we will reach out to you within 1 business day to set up the appointment. We are looking forward to talking with you.

What do I need for my initial consultation?

You will need to send in any plans and inspiration photos to best prepare our team to discuss your project. It is also recommended that you watch the videos we send to you to prepare you for the call.

How long does the planning and development process take?

This depends. If you have design plans finalized and all materials selected, our process can take 1-2 months of planning and development before kicking off construction. This includes the on site visits with our vendor teams, preliminary estimates and budgeting, ordering of any builder supplied materials (windows, doors, countertop slabs, and cabinets). We can start working with you at any phase of the design process, and our preference is to work with you as soon as you start working with a designer or architect in order to weigh in with construction budgets and building considerations. Reach out to our team to see if we have availability in our schedule for your project.

How soon can you start construction?

1-2 months depending on readiness of your project and our availability. Reach out to our team to see if we have availability in our schedule for your project.

Will my home value increase?

It’s best to talk to your Realtor about this as they are the expert in this area. We do read industry stats and understand which rooms have the highest ROI, what can impact your ROI, and a general knowledge that we can share.

What partners do I work with on the planning of my remodel?

You will work with an interior designer to design your space, decide on final layout and make your material selections. You will work with an architect if you are doing major structural changes or working on an addition. We will bring in a structural engineer (or the architect will if they are involved) when moving any walls. You will need a surveyor if your survey is not up to date and you are permitting a particular remodel that changes the exterior of the home.

What are the first steps?

Fill out our website form. That will kick start the process of us reviewing the information about your home. We will reach out to schedule an initial consultation to discuss your vision, plans, permits, budget, and more! That will lead us into our next step of hosting a Review Call to go over our preliminary estimate and commitment contract process.

What is the frequency of your communication with me?

When you are in the planning and development phase working with Sales, we will update you at least once a week via email. You will see us at your home several times and will have multiple virtual meetings with us throughout this phase. Once you transition into the construction phase, we will be meeting with you in person (or virtual if you are traveling) at your weekly meeting, and you will see a daily update from us each weekday while work is taking place.

Are you licensed and insured?

We are insured. We do not have a General Contractor’s license as that is not a requirement in the State of Texas.

Can I trust you in my home?

Absolutely! We care about your home and know this is your sacred space. We hope to prove that to you in how we clean up during construction, communicate and carry out the project.

What is your warranty?

We have a one year warranty for our labor.

How do you vet your vendors?

All of our vendors go through a heavy vetting process. If someone is recommended to us, we will visit with them, conduct interviews, see their work in person and collect all their information before trusting them with one of our projects.

What type of projects do you do?

Remodels and Additions: Kitchens, Bathrooms, Full Homes, Individual Rooms, Exterior Patios and Additions.

Can we change the scope of work after the contract has been signed?

It is not ideal to change a design after we have started work. If it is important to you, we will pause work, asses the change that is requested and how it impacts the full scope of work, make the changes to all team members, discuss costs and then proceed with work. We will talk you through this process when you request to make a change before canceling work that has been scheduled. If you are adding an item that does not impact the overall scope of work, we usually do not need to stop work, and we will send the appropriate costs over for approval on our project management website.

What items come up that would be a change order during construction?

The unexpected items that surprise us after demo and during the rough in process is when you are most likely to hear about the possibility of a change order. Once the walls have opened up we can see things that we could not see previously like termite damage to the framing, mold, questionable electrical wiring, a small plumbing leak, etc. It’s important to us that we point these items out to the homeowner and provide options to move forward. The likelihood of a change order coming up on the rest of the projects dramatically decreases after this phase of work.

Can we live in our home while work is taking place?

Yes! We will discuss this during our planning and development meetings with you in the initial stages. We will help you figure out what is best for you with all the variables of the remodel project. Some projects are easier than others to live through, and it will always be an invasive, inconvenient process. There will be people who you consider to be strangers, initially, in your home, coming in and out, and there will be noises, as well as dust. We do have a plan in how to mitigate this for any homeowners living through a remodel, and it is still a construction site.

How do I select materials?

You will partner with a designer to select the materials. They will take you through a process that will end with you having all your selections made. Be sure to share your vision with your designer!

Do I need permits?

Any work that is more than cosmetic work usually requires a permit. Anything as little as a drywall patch or changing plumbing fixtures requires a permit. There are different types of permits that we will share more about in the planning and development process.

What is pricing for my project?

Talk to a member of our team to understand an average cost for a project like yours, a home of your square footage, and range of customization to the space. There are many variables and we can provide you with this average range based on our past projects.

Are you a general contractor?

Yes. We focus on the construction and implementation of the design and architectural plans. We bring all the materials together with the scope of work to determine the best process and vendors to execute the work.

Do you include design services?

We do not include design services. We work with a variety of wonderful designers around Austin, TX that we would be pleased to connect you with after our initial consultation.

What is the payment process?

After clients go through the initial consultation and reviews with our team and they are ready to move forward they will pay a commitment installment. This is a non refundable deposit towards the preliminary estimate that is calculated on average to be about 5% of the preliminary estimate. This kicks off the project planning for our team. The next payment will be due upon ordering any materials with Simply Home such as windows, doors, cabinets and countertops. Once construction kicks off, an invoice will be sent on Friday at the end of the first week for the work completed that week, and every Friday after that. There will be a payment due date of the following week.

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Our Proven 5-Step Process

1 | PREPARE

2 | PLAN

3 | EXECUTE

4 | POLISH

5 | CELEBRATE