Even before we closed on the space, Pete was in touch with a friend who was a contractor to get estimates and a timeline for the work. His friend said we’d be ready to go by the 4th of July weekend. Despite the fact that we’d miss June, an important month for an ice cream parlor, Pete convinced me that it would be OK. After all, we were primarily a video store and were planning on selling ice cream only to increase the amount of the average sale. Plus, Pete really seemed on top of things. He was in control, and I sat back, impressed.

Pete took possession of the property in early June and renovations began. Although the place looked like a mess, the mechanicals were OK, so the rehab was largely a cosmetic job – tile the floor, paint the walls, etc. In addition, we needed a little carpentry work - some shelves and a checkout area needed to be built.

By now, I had rented the two bedroom apartment above the business from Pete for the bargain price of $400 per month.

Since I lived upstairs, it was hard to miss that there wasn’t much activity on the part of the contractors downstairs. People would show up for one day and then we’d see no one for days. By the end of June, it was clear there was no way we were going to be open by the 4th of July weekend.

Pete started flipping out. Although his friend seemed to show up more often, he still wasn’t on the job every day. As a result, we weren’t able to open until early August and this gave us just a few weeks of business before the weather started to cool.

In retrospect, we made a couple of foolish mistakes.

For one, the timeframe budgeted for the rehab was unrealistic. There was no way for me to know this at the time, but trust me, it’s impossible to get any project that requires a general contractor done in less than a month.

I don’t think the contractor meant to intentionally mislead us. Like others I’ve met since, he was being overly optimistic. As a result, he presented us with his best case scenario, which by definition did not include any time built in for surprises. And there are always surprises.

I have been through several construction projects since my Hometown days. Each one has taken longer and cost more than budgeted. But somehow, despite the fact that I should know better, I approach each new project like it’s the one that’s going to be on time. And each time, I am disappointed…

Is it possible that your office or retail rehab will go more smoothly? It's possible. And if it does, that’s great. However, you’re better off accepting the possibility that it is likely to take a lot longer than you think. Budget in a month or two extra for three to four month projects and expect it to cost at least 25% more than you expect.

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