What you will learn from this episode: 

• Red flags to look out for even after you follow all of the proper steps

• Following your intuition

• How all of the red flags in this episode can be avoided

Yes, things can still go wrong even if you follow all of the steps, and do everything correct.

Today, I want to go over some red flags that you can look for and rules of thumb to follow in your home renovation project. Every situation is different, so today I wanted to give you actual examples of how one of my friends’ projects went wrong even though the homeowner had taken all the proper steps.

My friend I’m sharing about today had done other projects in the past, but this particular project was in a new area where she didn’t know anyone. So she did her research, asked around, and heard great things about a contractor. She was pleased with the level of work that she saw he’d done with other projects.

Things were going smoothly in the beginning, and looking back, she did have an intuition that something wasn’t quite right, but she also didn’t want to hold the project up and did what she thought she had to do to finish the project.

This situation that you will hear about today is probably one of the largest nightmares you can have on a project.

When she found out that the contractor hadn’t been paying the sub-contractors after the sub-contractors stopped coming to work because they thought it was her fault – she thankfully had kept everything she had paid for and copy of checks in a binder to prove who was really at fault. Smart woman!

So she was able to show the sub-contractors that it wasn’t her and thankfully have them continue working.

However, the contractor had no assets, so going after him in court would be unfortunately futile.

Looking back, she sees where she didn’t pick up on things, was what she called ‘‘little ladied’, and she didn’t listen to her gut. She wants her experience to help other women who might find themselves in similar situations.

So after listening today, I hope you all hear me loud and clear when I say, “We do not pay the final bill until the project and the punch list items are approved.”

These things don’t happen often, but they do happen which is why my friend wanted me to share her story with you. And this is the VERY reason I started my podcast. So that women would be empowered to hold their ground on job sites. This isn’t always easy, I still get ‘little ladied’ after all these years. My women’s intuition is usually spot on, and my friends intuition was trying to tell her something and she just didn’t listen to in time.

But please learn from her story. We are all vulnerable to situations like this when we go into them without the knowledge of the industry and best practices to perform.

Like this Episode?

• Be sure to check out Episode #2: Construction Planning 101

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