Renovating your home? If you’re frustrated with the process, you’re not alone. Your home is turned upside down and you may be frustrated with your contractor. But remember, the process isn’t easy for them either! Product is unavailable, which pushes deadlines. There is a silver lining to all of this, so don’t skip your home renovations out of fear of frustration!
The home renovation industry is quickly changing from pen and paper to digital. Since everything is going in that direction, it’s about time! Your next home renovation project is going to be much simpler thanks to this helpful tool.
Home Renovations and Contractors go Digital
New software developed by Kitchener, Ont.-based Renomii Corp., simply called RENOMii, hopes to radically change the way contractors and their clients work through the typically cumbersome process of home renovations.n the digital age, it seems that even the most traditional professions aren’t impervious to the influence of technology.
Unforeseen costs and upgrades invariably create gaps between general contractors and their clients, but the back-and-forth of seeking approval for changes and price negotiations burden contractors with time lost, hampering their availability for future projects. Not to mention, the homeowner’s ability to get their home and life back in order.
Get ready to say goodbye to rolls and rolls of paper plans in your home. The next home reno decision you make can be done with the touch of a finger!
How it Works
RENOMii allows general contractors to keep lines of communication open by uploading project changes, or change orders, to the software, where clients can expeditiously approve or decline changes.
Contractors are, unfortunately, conditioned to expect strained relations with their clients by the conclusion of their projects. Scott Barker, co-founder & CEO of Renomii Corp., himself a contractor for years, says homeowners and contractors simply don’t speak the same language, and what usually begins amicably can end on a sour note.
“Now all communication around change orders is done through our system, so if the homeowner or contractor requests a change, you put the change order through the system and hit send,” said Barker. “It’s building a trust factor.”
In addition to more effective communication, RENOMii has proven a useful tool for tracking material and labour expenses.
“Contractors have to pay materials, employees and then go to their next job,” said Barker. “But first they have to find an audit trail. With time-stamped change orders, contractors don’t have to negotiate now because homeowners are keeping up to date on pricing. It’s all about keeping that relationship, and the cool thing is contractors are winning more work because it is a word-of-mouth industry.”
Renomii Corp. also launched cloud-based software called Mii Casa. It allows condo-buyers to select upgrades without having to meet with developers’ sales representatives.
The Results – Success!
- Cuts down meeting times, a beneficial factor for both contractors and homeowners.
- Increased upgrade sales because buyers aren’t pressured into purchasing, said Barker.
- Homeowners can view their new kitchens, for example on a six-panel TV, upon pushing through those purchases.
Kitchener-based Eagleview Construction, a custom home builder and renovator, has been using RENOMii for nearly two years because it has effectively helped shave hours off each job. President and director of Eagleview Construction, Iain Kent, says that relations with clients have also improved as a result.
“It’s a great form of transparency for customers because it gives them a better feeling of how this affects the total value of a change order,” said Kent. “It further adds to our professionalism as a company because we don’t want to be that fly-by-night contractor. It makes customers feel like we’re a progressive company that adapts to technological change.
“It’s also a repository for our contracts, even during the warranty phase, so we’re all singing from the same song sheet.”
Construction sites are prone to organizational chaos, as one would reasonably expect, so it’s no wonder photocopied order sheets get lost in the deluge of nails, drills, hammers and sawdust.
“Most people now are carrying tablets on site, signing over electronically,” said Kent. “The traditional construction industry, like most industries, is completely bogged down in paper.”
Not anymore.
This video further explains the contractor-client relationship and how it improves by going digital:
Check out RENOMii for more information.
Are you ready to renovate your home? With the great changes happening, there’s no better time. Your first step: visit our directory of general contractors. Be inspired by each company’s portfolio, read through customer reviews. Our recommendation is to get quotes from three different companies. Make a decision and make that home renovation happen!
About the Author: Neil Sharma is a freelance writer.
