Contractor Ad On’s

Contractors often have complaints at the end of the project about additional costs that were charged during the project.   Here are some reasons why additional costs may incur:

·         The customer decides to change materials after project inception.  This may cause new materials to be torn out increasing cost and/or may trigger a restocking fee by the distributer.

·         The project scope increases.  The customer decides they want to add new things that were outside of the original scope.  Things that may seem small in material cost, may add a lot in labor costs.

·         Problems that were not known at the time of the inception of the project are found. For example, layers of asbestos tile are found under 3 layers of vinyl tile.

·         Unknown health and safety issues are found like poor wiring or significant code violations.

·         Housing inspections and permit inspections by local officials may create new unforeseen costs, like requiring smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in certain rooms.

·         The customer decides to go with something that requires custom products or custom work after the project begins.  For example with tile work, pricing can be directly related to the number of cuts required for special boarders, inlays or medallions.  Specialized products often require more labor and thus a price increase. 

To protect yourself from sticker shock, make sure that your contractor provides you with change orders outlining additions or changes that have been made throughout the project.  Take accountability for your part in the cost increase.  Contractors generally want to please the customer and will make the changes customers request.  Because changes cost the contractor time, materials, and labor they will pass these charges on the consumer.  Be savvy and make sure you ask how much the changes are going to cost and demand a revised bid.

Custom Tile Setting

Custom Tile Setting

 

Recently, we were called in to fix a shower basin and curb that had been tiled by a general contractor.  Unfortunately, the basin was not sloped properly and was not prepared properly.  The tile was only a few years old and needed to be repaired before mold destroyed the walls.  B & R Hardwood and Tile removed the basin, repaired the slope and curb and matched the floor with a highly custom cut pattern above the shower basin.  When you are installing tile that requires difficult cutting, I recommend you hire a professional tile setter.  B & R Hardwood and Tile of Chanhassen Minnesota has professional tile setters that are experts in tile setting especially with bathroom and kitchens.  Because we do tile installation every day of the week, we have the equipment and staff to professionally design and install all types of tile including inlays and borders that require difficult cuts.  Check us out on the web at www.brflooring.biz or call Kurt Kuhlmann at 612-644-8779.

 

Subfloor Preparation for Hardwood

Hardwood Floors are a major home investment and need proper subfloor preparation to insure product stability and longevity.  When a contractor is bidding your project, they should be evaluating your subfloor condition and depth to ensure that your floors will remain stable over time.  According to the National Wood Flooring Association,   the sub-floor depth should be between 5/8” and ¾”.   Homes built prior to 1970 often have a ½” sub-floor over the joist system which may be spongy due to age.  Because of the lack of subfloor depth and possible weakness, we add  a  ½” layer of plywood underlayment for structural stability and strength.

 Homes that were built after 1970, may have 1/ 2” particle board as their sub-floor.  Particle board should be removed and replaced with plywood because particle board does not hold a nail and may cause gapping if left in place.  B & R Hardwood and Tile removes all particle board and replaces it with   ½ “ plywood to increase the thickness of the nailing surface.   It is worth the additional cost, to ensure that your new hardwood flooring has the correct nailing surface to ensure the longevity and beauty of your floor.  Please be aware,  if your contractor does not use the proper sub floor preparation practices, the manufacturer’s warranty may be voided.   

B & R Hardwood and Tile, Inc
8445 Powers Place
Chanhassen, MN 55317

612-644-8779
www.brflooring.biz

Understanding Hardwood Flooring and other products

Understanding Hardwood Flooring and other products

When choosing Hardwood flooring and other wood products, it is important to understand the different wood varieties and grades.  Over the past few years, more and more people are using man made products in their home which offer perfection to the eye and create expectations.   Natural wood products are never uniform because every tree is an individual and no two logs have the same mineral streaks, knots or burls.  Wood from the same tree can vary in color, grain and character marks making the wood unpredictable.  No two boards from the same log are twins. Character marks are part of hardwood and should be expected in any wood product.   Character marks include Knots, Mineral Streaks, Grain, and Growth Rings. The character marks reflect the history of the tree and provide clues as to the trees past life.  .  Logs generally have very few clear boards but when they do these boards are given the highest grades.   Oak Wood Flooring can be graded

·         Clear (most expensive and least amount of character)

·         Select

·         No 1 Common

·         No 2 Common

·         No 3 Common ( most character)

It is important that you understand the type of grading that you have selected for your floor because the higher the number, the more natural character marks your wood will have in it.

In the Northern Part of the United States Red Oak and White Oak are the easiest species to obtain and generally result in a lower costing wood.  Close behind is Poplar, Ash, Maple, Cherry, Fir and Alder.  The hardness of the tree is something else that you want to consider when choosing your floor.  In areas like Minnesota where temperatures vary, you may want to consider purchasing a floor that provides the most amount of stability during the year.  The following is a list of wood products starting with the hardest and moving towards the softest:

·         Brazilian Cherry

·         Santos Mahogany

·         Hickory

·         Hard Maple

·         Cypress

·         White Oak

·         Ask

·         American Beech

·         Red Oak

·         Yellow Birch

·         Heart Pine

·         Walnut

·         Yellow Pine

·         Douglas Fir

Creating an exterior feature wall

Transform your drab brick into a beautiful feature wall. By simply overlaying your current exterior brick with mesh ,mortar and dry stack you can change the look and feel of your exterior.  This dry stack product created a beautiful feature wall on the outside of this property in Edina Minnesota.. Within one week, B  & R Hardwood and Tile was able to transform this home.  Call us today at 612-644-8779 or check us out on the web at www.brflooring.biz

Enhancing Natural Stone

Natural stone is very porous allowing it to soak up water, oil, grease and other stains that can make your stone look mottled and less beautiful. By placing an enhancer on your stone, you can restore its natural beauty and luster. Below are pictures of Flagstone that was never sealed. You can see the restoration and beauty of the stone as the enhancement process progresses.

Before Stone enhancement

Half-way enhanced

Enhanced

Let B & R Hardwood and Tile restore the beauty and luster to your natural stone.  Contact Kurt at 612-644-8779 or check us out on the web at www.brflooring.biz

Preparation of your subfloor

Beautiful floors require proper preparation especially when you are removing carpeting and replacing the flooring with wood or tile.  Any waves in the floor or dips in the flooring need to be fixed prior to floor installation.  I was recently called into a condo in Eden Prairie where the original contractor had cut corners and not prepared the subfloor properly.  The result was 13 or 14 large tiles that were hollow and susceptible to cracking.  This easily is avoided when the subfloor is properly prepared.  

When doing projects on your own, it is often tempting to cut corners.  My advice is to spend the extra time and money to do the project right.   Many times, I have been called into homes to “fix” a do it yourself project that did not turn out the way the homeowner expected. Often, I cannot fix the problem because the short cut they took requires a complete tear out of the materials.  Often, the materials cannot be saved and the project ends up costing the consumer twice as much because they took short cuts or tried projects that were beyond their skill level. 

B & R Hardwood and Tile does not cut corners.  We prepare every subfloor carefully to insure a beautiful result.  For a free consultation, contact Kurt Kuhlmann at 612-644-8779 or check us out on the web at www.brflooring.biz