11  A signed contract and a very tentative schedule

May 2024

We drove out to Grafton and signed our initial contract with Gilmore Building. I was impressed by the contract’s comprehensiveness. Even though we haven’t started the exploratory phase, it’s already 25 pages and will expand as we add appendices A and B which will define the details of our remodel.

One clause in the contract I found particularly interesting.

 Notes Concerning the Design Phase:
A. During the Design Phase, the Builder shall be guided by one of the selected
instructions listed below. (Indicate Selection with Signature Initials)
□ _______Primary design considerations are to be determined first by
budget, then scope.
□ _______Primary design considerations are to be determined first by
scope, then budget.

I thought this was extremely important because it provides priorities when making decisions.

For example, we are planning to have a nice wide 3-panel Andersen sliding glass door in our new shed dormer off our primary bedroom that leads out into a wider balcony. It’s entirely conceivable that that one feature might cause the shed dormer to exceed our budget.

If we were to check off the option that says, “design considerations to be determined first by budget, then scope,” then Gilmore might modify the detailed design to specify a 2-panel door and a smaller balcony.

On the other hand, if we check off the option that says “design considerations to be determined first by scope, then budget”, then Gilmore’s detailed design would include the original 3-panel door design and they’d note the increased cost for our approval.

At this point, we’ve decided to prioritize scope over budget and see where the numbers come out when the detailed design is complete. We have some flexibility with how we’re going to finance this project, and after all, we’re considering this our last renovation of our lives.

The good news is that by employing this exploration approach, we will be making these trade offs when it’s all just on paper. The plan is to work together until we have both a design and more-or-less fixed price that we all think makes sense.

Another feature of the contract is that we are starting to get a timeline for the work! Here’s what the exploration phase laid out in the contract looks like, assuming they actually start on June 1; however, the actual start date is listed as TBD:

One final aspect of the contract that made me feel good was Appendix E: Limited Warranty. I won’t quote it here, but it says that our renovation will be free of substantial defects in materials or workmanship for one year from when we occupy the house. While Massachusetts has an implied warranty law, it’s very comforting to see this spelled out in the contract. It’s one more reason that I think choosing Gilmore Building was a good decision.