Reno/addition start times (and noise) in the AM?

[Anonymous]

I would also like to know why the one hour difference is a big deal?

I am not a morning person. At all. But early noise is just something you have to live with during construction. If I were a contractor and you tried to dictate my hours like this, I would quickly decide that you’re going to be a PITA about other things, and either decline the job or charge you a significant premium accordingly. The contractor will need to pay his workers for a full day and I think they’d have to pay overtime to keep workers past their usual time (plus the heat issue, as others have mentioned). An hour lost (or overtime paid) a day will add up over the length of the project.

Also agree that subs show up when they show up, and you will not want to send them away when they do (not if you want your construction finished).

Agree with pp that, if you can’t tolerate this, you need to move out during construction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are pretty close to getting started on an addition that will take a few months and that we'll be living in the house during. Our preference is for construction not to start until 8am on a regular basis (although it's OK if there are occasional exceptions), but many of the bullders we've talked to say they typically start at 7 or 7:30. A couple questions:

1) Do you have any sense of how big of a deal it is to ask builders to start later in the morning than they typically do? Have you ever asked for this? Do you think it's a big hassle that they'll be annoyed about/charge us more for/agree to but then actually just arrive at their usual time most of the time anyway? Or might it be more doable than that?

2) In your experience, how much of the time do workers arrive right at/around the "typical start time," versus after (or before)? And do they typically start doing noisy work immediately after arrival, or is there often a lag? Like, if we went with someone who starts at 7:30, how many of the days do you think we might expect loud construction noise to start before vs at vs after 7:30?

You are clearly not cut out for what is about to happen and you really should find another place to live while they are there working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can’t cope with this, you are not going to be able to handle living in the house during the renovation.

+1000 OP, home renovation of any kind is difficult. Get your priorities straight and buckle up for months of substantial inconvenience and discomfort in service of a greater good.

Signed, Homeowner who moved out for a renovation and addition 11 months ago for what was projected to be a 6-month job.

[Anonymous]

I’m a remodeler.

Some trades - especially those tied to new construction - like to work 7:00 - 3:30.

But most of the trades know that during remodels a 7:00 am start time is hard on clients so we often compromise and start at 7:30.

That said one of the carpenters will usually arrive at 7:00 to open the house and ensure someone is there for the other trades.

And then there are other trades that like to come a little later - like the painters - so they have some time in the house without other trades.

So I find if I don’t set work hours the day will expand from 7:00 until 5:30 which is a long day for everyone.

A lot of folks in the trades like the early hours - they beat the traffic - and can be home at 4:00 so you will get some push back but most times guys are willing to compromise and start at 7:30 for owner occupied remodels.

By the way - you living there is going to be BRUTAL for everyone including the crew.

And it will definitely result in a longer construction schedule. Owner occupied remodels are my least desirable jobs. My second least favorable jobs are those that the client moves out for but signs a lease for an overly optimistic schedule thinking that will push my performance. All it does is induce stress and force me to rush through the finishes - which is the part everyone sees. Most favorite jobs - second homes - clients less stressed - not looking over my shoulder every day - counting how many trucks are on the job, etc.

And if you do stay in the house - don’t talk to my guys - they are there to work.

That all said - my best advice - move out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like in Montgomery County they can start anytime after 7.

We are willing to prioritize a later start time over having the project done faster-- but not willing to pay substantially more, and don't want it to make us seem too annoying/demanding to the builder. Does that mean we should only invite builders to bid who are usually on an 8am schedule already?

You can do that, but there are still going to be subs expecting to start at 7:00. I also would not trust the builder to meaningfully stick to any start time: if you compromise on builder to get one who starts at 8 and then he's there at 7 half the time anyway, you're going yo be mad.

Can I ask what the issue is with 7 vs 8? I'm just curious. We lived in the house during our renovation last year and school starts at 8, and it was OK.

Partially getting the kids out of the house in a timely manner without being too distracted by the workers, but mostly because one parent typically sleeps until 8:15-8:30. Totally fine to be woken up at 7 or 7:30 even as much as, like, 30-40% of the time, but if it's almost every day for 3 or 4 months in a row, that's just a lot. Especially when we have found a couple builders who say they do typically start at 8.

(This is a small project and the extra cost of renting a house for 4+ months would increase it pretty substantially.)

[Anonymous]

You understand why they start at 7, many of the crews are commuting and beating traffic.
It is not uncommon if they are starting at 7 - they they are arriving before that time and sitting in their cars.
Some commute with neighbors and are doing different jobs and they will just sit on the sidewalk until the designated time.

Shifting to a 8 AM start might mean you are just paying for them to sit in a local parking lot for an hour.

[Anonymous]

7 am is the norm. I would not ask them to change it. These workers often drive from far away and do not want to sit in traffic on the way home to get back to their families.

Just suck it up for a few months. It’s really not hard.

[Anonymous]

There are plenty of higher end GCs who start work at 730 or 8, so that's not a huge ask, and it's way better on your neighbors. It sucks being next door to framing starting at 7 am.

[Anonymous]

Roughly what fraction of the time for an addition would you say the workers will be doing very noisy work? Like, is it very loud almost all day every day? 75% of the time? 50% of the time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Roughly what fraction of the time for an addition would you say the workers will be doing very noisy work? Like, is it very loud almost all day every day? 75% of the time? 50% of the time?

There’s no way to quantify this. It’s construction. It will be noisy all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Roughly what fraction of the time for an addition would you say the workers will be doing very noisy work? Like, is it very loud almost all day every day? 75% of the time? 50% of the time?

There’s no way to quantify this. It’s construction. It will be noisy all the time.

What are you having done? 4+ months is not a short stretch, so I’m guessing it’s not just a bathroom or two. We are out of our place for a 6 month renovation and I occasionally stop by the house at 730 am to pick up mail, move the trash cans for my neighbor, etc. Sometimes there are a bunch of trucks outside and I can see a lot of workers coming and going. And sometimes it’s completely quiet and no one has showed up yet. So it’s very variable and even though our GC has a schedule for all the subs, it is not always spot on. Sometimes a sub gets pulled away for a time sensitive issue on another project, and sometimes a sub unexpectedly has an open slot and comes in to do work. I think having an owner around is like having your mom at work. Even if she’s trying to be out of the way, you can’t carry on as normal.

[Anonymous]

We are doing a big addition and full renovation and renting the house next door. I think you need to move out. Seriously, asking them to start later is not going to work. As the project goes on, you will have lots of special requests come up. And if you are there with the kids, it sounds like it will be a handful to try to keep the kids from the crew, wasting their time talking to them etc. There are a lot of different people involved and I cannot imagine getting all of them to agree to start later so your spouse can sleep in.

That said, it’s not like it’s super loud every single morning. I’d say maybe 50% of the mornings are really loud, 20% of just sort of loud and then there are days where no one is working at all. Demo, framing, roofing, siding are all loud and they start right away. At our house they typically don’t work Sundays, but often do on Saturdays.

Seriously, if your spouse really needs to sleep later and you’re worried about the kids getting involved with the crews, move out.