Construction Management

A builder who represents the owner

Some owners come to us with the design already done. An architect has drawn the house or the renovation, an engineer has stamped the structure, and there may already be a contractor or a group of trades lined up. What the owner does not have is someone with building experience who works for them and checks that the job is being done the way it was drawn.

That is construction management. We act as the owner's representative on the job: reading the plans and the contract, watching the order of work, checking quality at the stages that matter, following inspections, and reporting back in plain language. It suits owners who live away from the property or are running a larger project than they have run before. It also suits landlords and investors who need a reliable account of what is happening on a building they are paying for.

This is different from how we run our own jobs. When Modern Remodeling is the builder, we manage our crew and trades directly, which is described on our Project Management page. Here we are the experienced set of eyes on someone else's work, and we answer to you.

Reviewing the drawings before the first trade arrives

Plans are a set of decisions made on paper, and paper does not always match the house. Before work starts we go through the drawings, the specifications and the existing conditions together. Where does a new beam land, and is there bearing under it all the way down to the foundation? Do the rough openings on the drawings match the windows that were ordered? Does the floor system the engineer specified leave room for the ductwork and drains that have to run through it?

Questions like these are much easier to settle before the trades arrive than after. We put them to the architect or engineer in writing, with photos, and track the answers so nothing gets decided in a hallway conversation and then forgotten. Steve holds an unrestricted Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License and has 20 years in the trade, so the review comes from someone who has built this kind of work, not only read about it.

We also read the contract and the schedule the builder has proposed. If the sequence on paper does not match how the work really has to go, for example cabinets ordered after the date they are needed, or a roof scheduled before the structural steel is set, we flag it before it becomes a problem on site.

Anything we find goes to the responsible party in writing, with photos, and to you at the same time.

Watching the sequence and the inspections

Most delays on a building project are sequence problems. A trade shows up before the work ahead of them is ready. An inspection is called before the work is complete and fails. Materials arrive late and three trades wait on them. On a larger project these small slips stack up quickly.

We watch the schedule against the work actually in place. We confirm that rough framing is ready before the framing inspection is called, that the licensed electrician and plumber have finished their rough work and passed their own inspections before insulation goes in, and that insulation has passed before drywall closes anything up. Under the Massachusetts building code, 780 CMR, each of those stages is a checkpoint the town cares about, and each one is a chance to catch a mistake while it can still be fixed cleanly.

When trades disagree about who goes first or whose work is in whose way, we help sort it out on the owner's behalf, with the drawings as the reference rather than whoever is loudest on site. The aim is a job that keeps moving.

Checking the work while it is still open

Some of the most useful inspections are ones the building department does not do. A code inspection checks for compliance with the code. It is not set up to check whether a tile substrate is flat enough for large-format tile, whether flashing at a window was lapped in the right order, or whether a beam pocket was shimmed tight to its bearing. We check those things.

We walk the work at the stages where problems hide: framing before it is sheathed and boarded, flashing and weather barrier before siding, waterproofing before tile, insulation and air sealing before drywall. In older New England houses we look hard where new work meets old, because that is where settlement, rot and cold air tend to show up later. Anything we find goes to the responsible party in writing, with photos, and to you at the same time.

We also keep an eye on the things that quietly cost owners later: protection of finished floors while other trades work, materials left out in the weather, dust from sanding reaching rooms that are already done. None of these fail an inspection. All of them show up in the final result.

Reports owners, landlords and investors can act on

A report is only useful if it tells you what you need to decide. Ours are short and specific: what was done since the last one, what was inspected and how it went, what is behind and why, which questions are open with the design team, and which decisions are waiting on you. Photos go with every report.

Owners who manage several properties or have investors behind a project often need a written record more than a phone call. We set the reporting rhythm with you at the start and keep to it. If something serious comes up between reports, you hear about it as soon as we know.

Steve started Modern Remodeling because he had spent years working for contractors who lacked communication. As an owner's representative, communication is most of the job. You should never learn about a problem on your own project from someone other than us.

At the end of the project we help you work through the punch list with the builder and make sure the closeout is complete: final inspections passed, permits closed, trade sign-offs collected, and the record of changes matching what was actually built. On a rental or investment property, that paperwork matters as much as the finish.

See the rest of our construction work, or browse the gallery for rooms we have finished.