Dale Faught, CEO of Nutech Interiors, a local contracting company, provides invaluable insight into the residential renovation process from how to choose a contractor to expectations on timelines to design choices that can help you save money.

Dale Faught, CEO of Nutech Interiors, has been a contractor for 36 years. Originally known as Abruzzo Interiors, the family business was started in 1978 by Dale and his uncles, Patrick and Robert. Abruzzo Interiors focused primarily on the build-out of commercial space. In 2001, Dale spearheaded the expansion into residential projects with the establishment of Nutech Interiors. Dale has since worked on apartments, townhouses and homes in the tri-state area cultivating a long and loyal client list including many well-known individuals.

When interviewing contractors, what should people ask about or look for?What I hope they look for in me as a contractor is a person who is not going to play “musical carpenter,” so to speak. A lot of guys are famous for getting your job, showing up for three days and then disappearing for 11. They come back for two, disappear for seven. I don’t do that. If it was my own home, I wouldn’t want someone to do that. I would want them to be present for the entire job. That is number one because what’s fair is fair. You pay them and you expect them to be there. And, what’s a really nice thing is to have the person who is the lead guy stay on the job from day one until the day we shake hands and you get to enjoy your apartment because they get a feel for everything that is going on. Not just carpentry, which is what we do personally, but everybody including the designer. He keeps on top of him or her. He knows everything that has happened including any changes that may occur or any issues. It is good to have that point person there all the time for the whole course of the project. A lot of people don’t do that, so it is a good thing to ask about. Who is going to be the point person, if you have one, for the whole project? Are you going to shift guys around? Because then somebody comes that’s new and he doesn’t know what happened two weeks ago.

[Other good questions are:]

How long have you been in business?

References?

What is the best way for people to choose their tradesman and vendors and is it beneficial if they have worked together before?
Starting with the contractor, if you chose me, for instance, the way we have learned over the years is that I have put together a good team of people that I am comfortable with that are not going to do “musical contractors,” which is the worst thing on a job because it holds up so many…you know, it is like a train. When the caboose hits the back car, it all just piles up. You don’t want that to happen. So, as far as that goes, that is what you are looking for with a contractor. And, it is not always the cheapest price because you get what you pay for. For me, those are the guys that I look for as far as the other tradesman go.

Vendors? You want people that are going to stick by what they say. If they give you a date, you expect the materials to be ready because there is nothing worse than you are ready to tile your bathrooms and it’s not going to be here for another month. The whole process stops. So, I have my preferences of who I like to work with. People who have been honest and on-time. I am sure that all contractors do.

What is the typical timeline for a gut renovation of a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment?
Most gut renovations in pre-war buildings take about six to eight months, on average from the day you start the work and have permits in-hand. Post-war jobs are usually more straight-forward as the walls are normally drywall and not masonry, so installs can be easier. But, the devil is in the details and it can be hard to predict. There are a few parameters that affect that [six to eight month] timeline.

Building access. For instance, when you are doing demo, it is a lot easier to get rolling containers into a building with a ramp as opposed to filling up a garbage can halfway and carrying it down one at a time into and out of a building with steps. Bringing in materials. It really is the access point to the apartment. How smoothly those materials can go in and out and how much manpower you need. That can be a big time-killer.

Another one is people’s false hopes about moving bathrooms around and kitchens, plumbing, chopping into the buildings ceilings and floors. Those kinds of issues can slow things down. Normally that is brought up up-front. Most people know from their lease agreements that they can’t go out of wet-over-wet and all of that type of stuff.

Residential building rules and regulations such as high insurance regulations for contractors. You may go down the path with a contractor to find out at the last minute that he does not carry the correct amount of insurance required by most residential buildings. Then, you have to start your contractor search all over.

Another issue with most residential buildings is their strict work hour rules. Most residential buildings have strict work hours such as 9AM to 4:30PM with restrictions on holidays and weekends. So be prepared for this if you are anticipating a tight schedule.

Bottom line is access and how helpful the building will be.

What is the typical timeline for a cosmetic renovation of a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment? Meaning painting, retiling of kitchen and baths, etc.
Two and a half to three months depending on what they do with retiling.

The above timelines are without the “unknowns.” I did a project one time and lo-and-behold, there is a gas line in the middle of the kitchen that we couldn’t move. Period. So, we had to come up with a unique design to incorporate this pipe that could never be moved into the middle of the kitchen island.

After demolition, the timeline can be shifted based on what you find.

What are some of the steps in the approval process that people do not think about?
Just how lengthy the approval process is. Usually, a contractor does not get involved in those processes besides signing papers that I am the contractor of record, that I have insurance with the city, that I am licensed. Usually, it is the architect and their expediter. From what I see, over the years, it can be a lengthy process. Everything before issuance of permits is a question mark in terms of timing.

Knowing that common saying – expect it to take twice as long and cost twice as much – what are the most common causes for delay and extra expense?
It is usually the “unknowns,” as I said before, or general preference changes or turns out you can’t get a tile when you thought you could, so you have to start from square one again. One of the biggest myths is time. People grossly underestimate how long things take. It is always a nail biter for me. People want schedules, but things change. There are so many variables. On average, you have to give yourself at least 10% more for time. Most people think that the contractor is dragging his feet. But it’s not in my best interest to be there any longer. I don’t make any extra money.

Also, in our company, we have on staff all of our own carpenters with a full service cabinet shop, cabinet installers and a full time crew of delivery staff. Because I can control that aspect, I am able to anticipate delays as it is usually the carpenters that lead the charge and a big bulk of the work. This also gives me better control of what happens and when it happens on a job site. A strict G.C. [general contractor] does not have that control and is reliant on subcontractors and their project schedules.

For a complete renovation, what do you recommend people splurge on versus save on?
If you want to stick within a budget, if it was my own home, I see a lot of people spend crazy amounts of money on tile and stone. If you took a little time, you could really shop around and get almost exactly the same thing. At the end of the day, when you look at it and you can’t reach behind it and turn it around and feel it and it is just tile on the wall, you can save a lot of money.

I would definitely go with central AC. It is more efficient, less costly to run, more green.

Bathroom fixtures are another one. You can go crazy spending lots and lots of money. At the end of the day, a toilet is a toilet and you could spend $5,000 for a toilet that really kind of does the same thing as a $2,000 one.

Wood flooring. It seems like that is a “must” these days. Everybody is looking for a nice wood floor if you want to turn over your apartment eventually. I would definitely spend the money on real wood. There are a lot of faux wood floors, but there is a big difference. If you ever wanted to refinish them, you can’t. Or, one time. With real wood, you can finish it three or four times and it will still look beautiful.

Other cost savings. Built-in’s are invaluable. It is a custom piece that fits appropriately and correctly in the room. It is a little more costly than going to someone like a California Closets.

Kitchen cabinets. You really do get what you pay for. You can spend a fortune on kitchen cabinets that will hold up for a long time.

Painting is a good issue and people ask me all the time. It depends on your level of expectation. The general average person will not know the difference and you can pay a fraction of the price. That can be a big savings.

Technology. A lot of people say, oh we will do it later. Whatever you want now, if you can absolutely afford to do it now, then do it now. You don’t want to be chopping walls when you are living there and running this technology at a later time. Even if you just pre-wire it now. Connecting devices later is a lot cheaper than chopping walls open and ruining your fabulous wall covering. We did a project where the client was very smart about it. She asked her vendor who was doing all of the technology – I want you to pre-wire for me what you see the next technology coming down the road is. These technology guys know what is coming – they read tech magazines, go to conventions and they know what is coming down the pipe. It was interesting to hear this guy talk because he said that the technology that is coming is going to rely on this new type of wire. It wasn’t all that much more money. While you’re at it, you pull in an extra wire. Don’t wait. If you want to do something now, now is the time.

Final thoughts?
Obviously, call Nutech Interiors for your next renovation!