Whether you are renovating in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Phoenix or any other city in North America for that matter, there is only one way to know that you will be able to stay close to the budget that you’ve set for yourself. To confirm the budget that you had in mind when you started planning, you need to take the time to finalize exactly what changes you are making as well as every one of your finish selections.
Your interior designer and your contractor will be able to assist you in value engineering your project if necessary to get back on track with costs.
Once you have done that, your contractor will be able to complete construction drawings and your designer will be able to provide floor tile layouts, wall elevations with finish detail and kitchen layout with cabinet detail. With all of that, the contractor will be able to document the scopes of work and get hard quotes from all sub trades and suppliers.
To reduce risk is to reduce stress. For that reason, all of the above should be completed before you ever sign a Construction Agreement with any contractor. If any contractor is suggesting that you can start work or that you should sign a Construction Agreement with them before completing all of this, you have the wrong contractor. Once all of this work is completed and you are comfortable with your budget and have agreed on every line item, then you are ready to enter into that Construction Agreement.
Remember that it is the date that you finish your project that is important, not the date that you start it. When all of the details of a project are known and documented in advance, the project manager will be able to schedule and plan to run the job most efficiently.
When you eliminate as many surprises as possible before starting, you will sleep well at night!