Ground Rules

CONSTRUCTION GROUND RULES

Construction is, by its very nature, a disrupting experience. In order to make your construction job run as smoothly as possible and in order that everyone know what to expect once construction begins, FOSTER-WILLSON has developed the following set of GROUND RULES.

Work Hours

Our normal work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Occasionally, to finish a particular task, we will work past 4:00 p.m. Only with your permission would we work on Saturday. If you live in a building or neighborhood that restricts work hours we will abide by those hours.

Access to the House

We will need access to your home, often at times you would not normally be there. We will need a key and any information required for proper control of any alarm system, including "secret" pass-codes required if the alarm is accidentally tripped and the monitoring company calls. The key and the alarm information will be given to the project manager, the lead carpenter and one or two workers who will be on the job for an extended length of time by themselves.

We also ask that you notify your alarm monitoring company that construction will be taking place. Although we do not feel it necessary, it may make you feel more comfortable to have your security company install a temporary entry code and password into the system. This code can then be deactivated at night and/or on weekends as you choose and removed from the system at the end of the job. We only ask that you remember to reactivate it during times when we will be working. If you need help with his, let us know and we will recommend someone to do this work for you.

Dust/Protection of Property

Dust is probably the single most annoying aspect of renovation. Demolition, sawing, drywall sanding, and simply coming in and out of the house generates a lot of dust. We will do everything we can to limit the annoyance to you by keeping doors closed and/or putting up coverings in openings as much as possible. Any finished floors in work areas will be covered. If you want us to take up rugs or move furniture in adjoining spaces, let us know. Make sure to adequately cover any computer equipment.

Computers

Make sure to adequately cover all computer equipment, printers, copiers, fax machines, etc. to protect from construction dust. Construction equipment draws a lot of power, therefore let us know before the start of construction if there are electrical circuits to computer equipment which we need to protect.

Children

Construction can be dangerous if everyone involved is not careful. Tell your children what will be happening and discourage them from "helping" the painter paint or the carpenter carpenter. Ask them to stay away from the construction area unless accompanied by you.

Pets

Let us know what pets to expect and what their ground rules are? If they shouldn't go outside (and they are small and sneaky - read "cat") please lock them in a room away from the work.

Toilet Facilities

If we are working inside your house we will assume we can use a nearby bathroom as needed. This will save us, and you, money. If you tell us otherwise, we will arrange to have a "Port-a-John" on site for our use. The additional cost to you will be $120.00 per month. We will need to discuss with you the placement of the unit, keeping your neighbors in mind.

Smoking

Some of our workers smoke. Let us know if you maintain a smoke-free home and they will go outside on break to do so.

Radios

Many of our workers enjoy listening to the radio while working. If this is a problem, let us know and we will institute a "no radio policy" for your project. If the radio is on while you are at home and it bothers you, please do not hesitate to ask that it be turned down or turned off for a period of time.

Neighbors

With your permission, we will send a letter to your neighbors telling them that we will be working in your house. This letter informs them of our presence in the neighborhood and asks them to report any concerns about the construction to us, not to you.

Change Orders

Changes requested as the project progresses can cause delays in the schedule. However, we know that as the space takes shape there will be things you want to add or change. FOSTER-WILLSON is very accommodating in this respect, we only ask that decisions be made as quickly and as definitively as possible. If at any time you are not completely clear on how something is going to look, please ask immediately - before it is built.

Payment Schedule

We work to a tight schedule and often order materials ahead so that the job will not stop due to lack of supplies. Most projects are relatively short (you will only feel that it is taking forever). We therefore invoice weekly for work completed and materials ordered. In order to keep the job running smoothly we expect you to pay us upon receipt of invoice. Thanks.

When everyone involved knows and keeps to the ground rules, we know from past experience that a project built by FOSTER-WILLSON can be pleasant experience for us and most importantly for you.

We look forward to working with you on your project and look forward to its successful completion.