Advice for first time renovators

Like every other first time homeowner, we bought a house and dreamed about its possibilities. Our house has a full basement that we thought we could turn into a basement apartment and then in later years reclaim as extra living space as our family grew. We took about eight months to live in the house and get a feel for it before we made the decision to start the renovation. We thought we did everything right, We got quotes from at least four different contractors and recommendations from family. We decided on one contractor and looked at some his work in person and photos. We signed a contract with him and thought we good because we "had it  in writing". So, we were well on our way to having a fully finished basement in about 3 months.WRONG!
About four months into the project is where things started to go sideways and where our lack of experience was our downfall. The following are the things I think we will try to remember when moving forward with our project or in attempting other projects.

1) A contract is not good enough. You need to understand what is in the contract and it needs to include everything. We had a contract but the breakdown of work was so vague that we didn't know what tasks were included in each section and how much each of those items was going to cost. It was so general, that we didn't actually understand the steps in completing our project.

2) Keeping up with the job as it goes. We were not able to be there because we both work full time but mostly we just blindly trusted the contractor to know what he was doing and relied on the building inspector to catch anything not done correctly.There will always be things that are unexpected in a renovation and you need to be responsible in dealing with those changes. We should have educated ourselves as the project moved forward with proper techniques, talked to the building inspectors ourselves about building codes and permits that were required. Don't just trust the contractor because as it turns out ours lied and did not get the permits he was supposed to and the building inspectors are only there as a last backup after the work is completed.

3)Check your contractor's qualifications, we checked that ours was a member of the better business bureau but didn't know about professional associations that exsisted to govern builders. We also didn't know that there are different types of contractors, finishing contractors do finishing work etc.

4) Your contractor is not your friend. This doesn't mean you need to be mean to them, but you have a business relationship and you are the boss, so if they aren't doing the work or following your directions it is your job as the employer to ask why or question the reason. Don't nag but you are paying for the things you let slip by. In our case, we had some bad weather and the contractor said he couldn't work because of it (more so because the wet made our yard turn to quicksand and push a wheelbarrow through it would have been really hard).Turns out there was an easy fix to the problem, but we didn't find it until we actually looked it to ourselves much much later, about 2 months later. We excepted the excuse because we didn't want to be unreasonable and demanding and I wouldn't want to work outside in the rain and snow either. But  I choose an office job so I wouldn't have to, the contractor knew going into this career that they may need to get a bit wet or cold in order to finish the job.

 I think that is a start, I don't want to scare anyone away from renovating nor do I mean to imply that builders or contractors are bad people. I except that part to the reason for our situation is our fault. I just wanted to pass on what we had learned in the last year in the hopes that it will help someone else avoid what we are going through.
 In case you were wondering, we are now speaking with a lawyer and trying to borrow money from family to finish the house, but it will cost more because of the damage that was done because it has been sitting so long. There is also a possibility we won't get our money back as we know the the contractor does not have the money, the company will most likely go bankrupt and close, then they will re-open with a new name and carry on.

Reno Update #1

So we have had a bit of slow progress with our basement reno. It is hard to keep things moving quickly when you have no money, work full time and have to try to figure out pursuing legal action against the ex-contractor. This does cause me some frustration but I do like the fact that the slow pace means we can make sure things are happening correctly. More importantly that we are comfortable with the decisions being made considering our ex-contractor didn't involve us in a lot of decisions.
 So here is the progress,
1) Our retaining wall now has a layer of drainage rock behind it
2) Our driveway is free of bricks and they are now stacked on pallets ready for sale ( anyone want to buy some bricks?)

We had some wonderful helpers with the driveway bricks, amazing how much quicker things go with a few extra hands

The next steps are removing a patch of asphalt at the bottom of the driveway, then to add the layer of  screenings to complete the driveway.

We also need to add a bit more gravel behind the retaining wall and potting soil in the area where we will make a garden bed. 

I love sundays

I love the way sunday feels, so relaxed (not always, it used to be the day I had a handover, ugh) but now it is the day you got to sleep in twice in a row. It is the day my amazing husband brings me tea in bed.  I even got a little homemade apple pie in bed this morning, such a lucky girl.

We usually keep it simple on sundays, relaxing and getting ready for the week ahead. We also go to my mother's house for dinner on sundays. I love this sunday dinner at mom's house. My family is very close, I grew up with just my mom, my sister and I in my family. (My father was killed in a car accident when I was 4 years old.) So even though my sister and I are complete opposites and we don't always get along, we are very close. I love that my mom makes dinner and we all come and eat and talk and visit. Sometimes we have others like aunts or cousins, but mostly it is just the main characters. Mom, my husband and I and my sister, brother in law and my niece. She is almost 3 and I couldn't love her more.

Boo! Take Two!

Well I made a few stops on the way home to try to up the spook content of our house this Halloween. I started with this and added a big furry spider and some crows to sit around the house

PJ and the 'Boys' even got in to the Halloween spirit.

Although Otis wasn't quite sure about the hat.

I also bought some mason jars for $6.79 and painted them all black except for some clear spaces in the shape of spooky eyes or jack-o-lantern faces to line our stairway. Also, just a tidbit, If you want the paint to come off afterwards so you can reuse the jar or whatever you are painting on, just add a little liquid dish soap, and the paint will slide off with water. However in all the rush, I forgot to take a picture of the jars and the outside set up, Opps!

And as for the trick or treaters? We had 8 in total! Boo Hoo. Not sure if we are in a neighbourhood with no kids or if the shopping centre trick or treating is taking over. I will keep trying and hopefully the candy scent with lure them in. Insert maniacal laughter here.

On a side note, I am looking for something to spice with the old window in the first picture. It is from our basement renovation and is original to our 1935 house, but it is kinda bland on our mantle. Anyone have any ideas? I can't leave the halloween and spider, the next holiday is just around the corner.