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A house, a hundred hours: one renovation, documented
What it actually takes — week by week, invoice by invoice — to finish a townhouse on budget.
Ben Arroyo··15 min read
We documented one townhouse renovation, week by week, invoice by invoice, over the course of a hundred working hours. The total came in at almost exactly what was quoted. This is what that looked like.
Week one was demo. Demo always feels great. Week two is when the costs start. Week three is when the unforeseen things start showing up. By week four, you have either built trust with your contractor or you haven't, and that trust will determine almost everything that follows.
The single most important line item in the budget was the line item that said 'contingency: 15%.' That line item saved the project. Always have that line item.
