Home Renovations with Edwin Alexandro of Alexandro Design Group
Everyone has at least one design flaw in their home, a design choice that the previous homeowner thought was chic, but makes you cringe every time you see it. We interviewed a local designer and contractor to answer our clients’ top asked questions! We don't know about you, but we find a world of renovations and upgrading your home to be intimidating. We often have more questions than answers about these projects and are very excited to have an expert in the field to give some insight from what to look for when hiring a contractor to renovation red flags.
Today we’re getting advice from Edwin Alexandro, who specializes in niche renovations from kitchens to bathrooms, and everything in between. He’s been in the construction world from infancy as his father served south Texas as a master craftsman. Edwin has degrees in Interior Design and Architectural Drafting from the Art Institute of Houston and approaches each project as a creative artist with an eye for perfection. We feel as though he’s an awesome resource for our Where We Live community! Let’s get right into it…
Edwin’s Role(s) in the Renovation Process
“I wear a multitude of hats! After doing a client consultation we start the architectural planning and from there I put together a detailed quote so they can narrow down what is important to them and their budget. From that point on, I put on my construction hat and it moves into the actual development aspect where we go through the permitting process and then we'll kind of break ground. After that we'll start the production after we go through the planning process. Typically, what my day in, day out looks like is I'll be on the job site with my trades and sometimes we just have to be creative on the field. There's going to be some things that we're just not able to see before we get into the production. There may be like a gas line hidden in the wall or some dedicated circuits in the attic that might need to be relocated that we didn't know were there until we pulled off the drywall.
Typically for me, I'll be on the field and I'll be making calls as we go and as the project unfolds. If I'm not troubleshooting in the field with my subcontractors I’m drafting for another client, visiting vendors, picking out finished materials, or speaking with other vendors as production is unfolding.”
What should you look for when interviewing and selecting a contractor?
“The best way to vet a contractor is, one, have them give you a reference list. Give you some phone numbers so that you can call some previous clients they’ve worked with so that you can find out what their process looks like. Were they on time? Did they stick with the budget? Were there any surprises? Did you communicate well? These are all very important factors.
Secondly, you want to know what their process looks like ahead of time. What is/isn’t included in their quote? For example if they give you a quote for a bathroom renovation, is the tile, plumbing, and countertop included in that? That is a very important thing to ask and a seasoned contractor is going to be able to answer those questions for you.”
What do you wish people knew about hiring a professional to help with their home renovation project?
“Everyone's going to have a different vision. What you want is to find someone that's going to bring out the design that you're looking for. You don't want an interior designer or an architect that's going to come to you and try to sell you on what their vision is. What I personally love doing with my clients is collaborating with them! I want them to feel involved in the process of bringing their space to life.
It shouldn't be like if you go on to their website, that every project that they take on is exactly the same, because that makes them more of a salesman than someone that’s going to elevate and execute your vision.”
What are some important things to look for when shopping for a contractor?
“Transparency is key. You want to make sure that this contractor isn’t afraid to tell you, “Hey, that's not realistic.” And if it's not realistic, here are some options to solve your budget concerns. That helps some clients just realize, what is/isn’t possible and why the planning process is so vital.
Once you get a thorough quote that reflects everything that is on your list of plans, you'll be able to collaborate with your contractor, your interior designer, on how to eliminate some wish list items that you don't need. And it'll also help you focus on the things that you do need, like those higher impact investments that you're looking for on your production. You can get through the process of elimination and just get rid of all the items that really don't matter, don't make that much of a difference.”
What should people be wary of when working with a contractor?
“If the contractor comes back with, ‘Hey, it's going to be $45,000 to renovate your bathroom,’ in one lump sum, be wary of that. You want to know what you're getting and you want full transparency of what's costing what, because you want to have the option to eliminate some things that you do not need. If the contract is coming back with one large lump sum number and everything is not broken down for you, I would caution you on proceeding with that contractor, because you're going to get some surprises.”
Big thanks to Edwin for sharing his expertise with us!
We hope this conversation gave you confidence to begin to tackle some projects that are far beyond your DIY abilities. For more information on what mistakes you should avoid while making home improvements, go back and listen to our thoughts in Episode 4 of the Where We Live Podcast. Thank you, again, to Edwin for giving us some valuable insight when it comes to hiring and working with contractors!
Until next time!
Keelie + Brianna