Tag: PMP

Home Remodel

Tips for a successful home remodel: The Contract

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Demo progress at Palm Desert Remodel.


I’m currently managing a $300K home remodel in the University Park Village area of Palm Desert, California. Here are 3 tips about the importance of contracts between a homeowner, general contractor, and the sub-contractors.

Signed contracts between all parties are the key to managing a successful project. To stay on time and on budget, you need signed contracts to make sure that everyone is on the same page even for smaller projects like this one.

  • Signed Contract: I came to this project after the kickoff and missing contracts are the root cause of every issue and cost overrun that we’ve had. All parties went into the project in good faith, and they have signed proposals rather than signed contracts. A proposal is a summary of the scope, list of materials, and price quote. It doesn’t have enough information to resolve problems. A contract includes a detailed scope of work with a price breakdown and a schedule of values to use for progress payments. It also describes how to make changes as the project evolves. I’ve spent time resolving costly conflicts because each party remembers conversations differently. There are no contracts to clarify the scope, clear responsibilities, or make changes. The spirit of work done on a handshake is a nice idea, but all parties need the protection of contract documents to understand expectations and work cooperatively.
  • Detailed Scope of Work: the Scope of Work must be detailed. A summary helps shape the project but a detailed scope is the guide to breaking down the work and deciding how it will flow. It’s a list of items that will be done and may also include items that are out of scope. The summary scope of work on this job led to a costly miscommunication about countertop installation. There were two subcontractors involved and each thought that the other was responsible for work that didn’t get done. It’s been 5 weeks, the conflict is still unresolved, and the materials remain at the supplier 110 miles away. That’s extra time and money.
  • Schedule of values: the Scope of Work also includes a schedule of values to make progress payments. Progress payments are based on the percentage of work that is complete and is agreed to in advance. This helps with cash flow for all parties. The work breakdown structure sequences the work and assigns timing and dollar amounts to the pieces of that work. It can’t be vague or too specific.

Remember that a contract with a detailed scope and schedule of values is necessary for projects of all sizes. To hit your budget numbers and project schedule milestones, you need a written guide. Please reach out to me if you need assistance planning and managing your remodel project.

Dean Rivale, PMP® is a licensed general contractor, CREIA Certified Home Inspector, and Home Remodel Construction Manager for the Coachella Valley.

Home Inspection

New Build Inspections

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New Home Construction and Coral Mountain, La Quinta CA

Your newly built forever home is finished.  Your reputable builder has followed the plans and specifications to the letter.  Are you sure?  No matter how conscientious your builder is, they are human and can make mistakes.  Do you have the expertise to assess the as-built condition of your new home?  If you do, great!  If you don’t, it’s a good idea to have an independent inspector look at your newly constructed home before final sign off. It will give you an opportunity to get repairs made more quickly.

Over the past year, I’ve inspected Coachella Valley new construction homes at Floresta, Coral Mountain, Trilogy Polo, and Signature. Although these are newly constructed homes, I still found issues that are common in most homes.  I typically find issues related to garage doors, electrical panels, roofing and stucco installation. By having an independent inspection, any of the issues uncovered can be added and resolved during the punch list phase.  If a problem is discovered later, you must go through your builder’s warranty process.  Waiting to request warranty work will only prolong the completion of the project or even worse it could prevent you from moving in on time. 

Each of the following photos is from a newly constructed home inspected prior to issuing a punch list for final sign off by the buyers.  Each of the issues was resolved prior to move in thereby avoiding the warranty process.

If you’re shopping for a new builds in the Coachella Valley, please contact me about an independent inspection to understand the punch list issues prior to your close date.

Dean Rivale, PMP is licensed general contractor CSLB 652130, CREIA certified home inspector, and home remodel construction manager serving the Coachella Valley.

Home Inspection

Before you list your luxury home

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When selling your luxury home filled with custom features, it’s easy to overlook the health of the systems that make them work. The best route to a smooth closing is to address these systems before you list. After recent inspections of multi-million dollar desert homes, I’ve compiled a list of things that sellers and buyers are battling over.

  • Updated pool equipment: you’ve completely renovated your kitchens and bathrooms, but you still have 15 year old pool equipment outside. Pool inspections should call out the age of the equipment and whether replacement parts are available. I’ve seen this a few times and it’s a big point of contention because buyers don’t want to get hit with a $15,000 pool equipment upgrade.
  • Pool deck cracks: it’s common to believe that pool deck cracks are an easy cosmetic fix. However, the cracks could be created by the pressure of the water in the pool or natural settlement of the backyard. If it’s natural settlement, that’s a cosmetic fix. If it’s a more complex issue created by the pressure of the water, there may be a crack in the pool and that’s a costly fix.
  • Casita maintenance and upgrades: remember that your casita may not be used that often but it’s a real selling point with buyers. Your casita needs the same regular maintenance and finish upgrades as the main house. Buyer’s start looking more closely at potential red flags in the main house if the casita needs work.
  • Remote controlled accordion doors, shades, and blinds: they must work! At a recent inspection the gorgeous doors did not open with the remote, so I had to list them as a defect. Make sure they’ve had a tune up, and that the operating instructions are available to anyone showing the home.
  • Garage concerns: if you have an AC unit the garage, have it serviced regularly so it’s in good working order. Also, it’s nice to see an ABC Fire extinguisher mounted the wall–especially if you have a golf cart. It’s a safety detail that reflects well on the the overall maintenance of the space.

Use this checklist to determine if you need a pre-sale inspection. I’d be happy to inspect before you list to help ease the way to a smoother negotiation.

Dean Rivale, PMP is licensed general contractor CSLB 652130, CREIA certified home inspector, and home remodel construction manager serving the Coachella Valley.