There aren’t many of us out there who don’t have at least some idea of what we’d want our dream homes to look like–or at least our dream kitchens,  bathrooms, or home theaters.  We all carry around our mental list of what we’d want in our space:  that flatscreen tv, granite counter tops, claw-foot tub.  As Krista said to me, everyone can design an ideal space with the right list of “ingredients.”  But that’s only one side of the story.

Contractor Rick Mizuno offers his top five ingredients to a successful renovation–after all, you may have your ideas, but without your go-to guy, your dreams will never become a reality.

1. Show me the Money!

The number one thing that makes Rick’s job a smooth one is for clients’ budgets to be on target. “People need to be able to afford the dream they have,” he says, citing the common danger of indulging a millionaire’s taste on a pauper’s budget. This often means that he will have to stop work in the middle of a project with promises that the money to finish it will soon materialize–or pleas to revisit the work once it has, which can be troublesome if he’s already got another job lined up to start.

2. What’s Your Plan, Stan?

The next most important thing a client can do to help the contractor is to have a clear-cut plan–to know exactly what they want.  “You can have drawings,” Rick explains, “But often times, either the client doesn’t have a full understanding of the plans, or the plans don’t accurately represent what it is they really want.”  And if you don’t really know, how can your contractor know?  A crystal ball isn’t going to do the trick.

3. All Access

There’s nothing like a client requesting their new kitchen to be fully functional by Christmas, and then telling the contractor they can get in to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays between ten and two. “When I’m ready to get to work, I need complete access to the property for me and my crew,” emphasizes Rick. “It just makes my life so much easier.” So hand over the keys, and make yourself scarce.  The sooner the crew gets to work, the sooner you can have your space back.

4. Prep School

And speaking of that kitchen that you want finished by Christmas . . . it may not be finished until Easter.  The reason being that there are many steps in the overall process–a lot of dirty work to get to that showroom space.  “Many people don’t understand what it takes–that before I can put those gorgeous cabinets in, there is electrical and plumbing work to do; or before I can paint the dining room that beautiful shade of blue, there is sanding and priming to be done.” Bottom line, preparation, along with understanding how it affects a project’s schedule, is everything.

5. The Dream Team

A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, right? Absolutely, according to Rick. He relies on his bank of tradespeople–a crack group of electricians, plumbers, and painters–to help him get the job done. “I have to have a good crew of quality craftsmen.  They have to be team players who know what their positions are, and know exactly what they’re doing.”

So remember that for every item on your wish list, your contractor has a “must have” on his own list.  When Rick is not busy with his contracting company RPM Development, he can be found playing his drums, or writing his latest book.  Visit him at www.rickmizuno.com.

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Author: Kelly Thacher

Kelly has been a writer since she was in grade school where she received early recognition for her Young Author's project. Magazines like Home Entertainment, Luxury Consumer Electronics, Vertical Living, Luxury Home and the Robb Report were happy to have Kelly's editing talents on various projects. A series of career twists and turns has offered her invaluable experience in journalism, magazine and book publishing, and fiction writing.

Kelly Thacher has written 30 articles for us.