How to become a home renovation contractor - frequently asked questions
Below, the most common questions regarding Home Renovation Contractor Course and renovation contractor's daily work.
about the HRCCourse -
The main difference is that HRCC gives you all the information you need to run your own home renovation business as a self-employed person.
In HRCC, they cover every part of a real contractor’s career in a clear and easy-to-understand way. They talk about everything related to running a business.
Unlike other courses, HRCC shows beginners the whole picture of the business even before they start working on projects. This helps them understand the big picture before they begin their journey.
To become a successful renovation contractor, you need to do a few things:
- Learn everything you can from HRCC. It’s like a special school for contractors.
- Enjoy meeting and talking to new people. Contractors often need to talk to homeowners and other workers.
- Have access to homes where you can do your renovation work. This means you need to find houses or places to fix up.
If you do these things, you can work as an independent home renovation contractor and do a great job!
Every student has to be able to visualise in his mind the content of the course.
Until that happens, students need to read all 4 Q modules several times, especially chapters which they still feel unfamiliar with. Generally, the more you read and study, the clearer the full picture becomes.
When you really know almost everything by heart, you are ready to start trading.
Some things should not be “learned”, for ex. Victor’s specific business tasks.
Each contractor will form his own system, filled with his own tasks.
Please do not email your completed assignments to panoramapro.
Assignments have one goal only – improve your skills. But you do it for yourself.
This is your career. More time invested in learning and thinking – easier start in renovation business. Some assignments may be difficult and that is right. We trust you can make an effort and make your imagination work. You have to start thinking like a contractor. Please spend several short sessions over several days on a more difficult assignment. (ex. 30 min each day for 5 days…)
This will create a cumulative effect, bigger than spending 2 hours at once. You may want to spend even more days to build your assignments out of average. The work you put in solving some assignments is similar to how you prepare offers and agreements for great renovation jobs.
With studying HRCC comes confidence. There is really nothing else to this profession.
When the whole content of the course is understood, beginner contractor is ready.
He should simply start talking to workers and preparing his ground to make first offers to choosen clients. Please remember – we recommend carefully choosing clients.
It is much easier even for a beginner contractor to do business with a right, selected client.
Q3 and Q4 modules contain more “traditional” knowledge about home renovation business. They contain structural base of this business, as well as common jobs, tools, materials.
But we think that Q1 and Q2 should be introduced first. The matters learned in Q1 and Q2 give our students the right perspective. Before going into specifics, Q1 shows how delicate and complex relationships with clients are. And how to evolve into a high value contractor. Q2 gives tools to accomplish superior number of tasks in an organised way.
Only when comfortable with Q1 and Q2 matters, our students study Q3 – real foundations of their own starting renovation business. Finally comes Q4 with catalogues of basic necessary practical knowledge.
How deep you decide to go into laws and regulations will depend on how serious your renovation jobs are. Smaller, more casual jobs require minimum knowledge and common sense. You can always find more information online when needed. When starting a renovation business, a beginner contractor must get familiar with minimum required. Once business starts, trading contractor will acquire more and more knowledge on regular basis. But knowing only the minimum required, a beginner renovation contractor starts trading. His legal responsibility is to be within laws. His business priority is to make homeowners happy. back to main page
about renovation contractor's work -
No. Generally renovation contractor does not carry out any specific renovation jobs with his own hands. Contractor hires skilled and experienced workers for these jobs.
Exceptions may exist for various reasons. If contractor is able and qualified to carry out some jobs, he may occasionally decide to use his hands too. Worker’s absence may need some jobs done immediately, contractor may participate on some emergencies.
The most common mistake beginners contractors make is to get involved in projects too complex for them. If you are familiar with the whole content of HRCC, you understand that very first jobs you agree should be rather small and simple. This gives you more comfort. Agreeing and organising such job will be easier. Never lose this feeling of comfort. When you feel comfortable with simple jobs, you will naturally start thinking and organising more complex projects.
But do not make beginner’s mistake – do not lose comfort.
With HRCC tools, beginner renovation contractor is able to analyse his own moves and find where the reasons for lack of results are. It can only be in one of the areas under contractor’s usual business responsibilities. When studying again a Q module or browsing quickly through memo – you will find the culprit. You will find the reason why your business is not moving forward. If the right problem is addressed – good results will follow.
(for ex. if you struggle to find clients – increase your daily marketing slot from 60 to 180 min for a month)
It depends on the meaning of “better” here. Initially, a beginner contractor has no contacts. He will need to build those first contacts. This is the main area where established renovation contractors have an advantage over a beginner.
But if a beginner contractor applies all tools available within HRCC – he can be better than competitors at : choosing best clients and workers, building relationships with them, making attractive offers, keeping control over his projects, keeping a good balance of his small company, visualising bigger profits. He can.
Please start with one simple renovation job. Ideally about 2-5 days duration. With clear definition of work and materials to be used. Simple, clear offer. This first move should be easy, comfortable, without pressure. Bigger the price, bigger the pressure. If beginner contractor uses HRCC tools as he starts his first jobs – he will naturally start spotting more trustful workers and move to managing 2 jobs at a time. He can do that as long as he keeps his comfort. If he is happy and relaxed when managing 2 jobs, he will try to add a third. It is between your capacity, necessity, ambition and comfort.
Absolutely. Women work in this profession too. When visiting building material shops, you see such busy contractors women. They drive cars, shop for smaller renovation items, make phone calls to workers onsite or to their clients. And they are all busy. The quality of a contractor depends on knowledge, routines and passion – not on gender. We welcome female students, apology for always calling renovation contractor “he”.
Contractor may use only a compact panel van or a simple personal car to carry supplies and materials needed for his business. Just enough for a few materials and tools. When something bigger is needed, it is ordered in advance for delivery. Even without a car, an organised contractor is able to arrange deliveries of all needed materials, supplies and tools. But a car definitely helps. Renovation business with a car is more economical and rewarding in long range.
Beginner renovation contractor may feel shy before his start in the business. He may have some fears.
Maybe it is difficult to talk to strangers workers ? Maybe clients do not want to talk to me ? Maybe I will not be able to manage such renovation job ? How will I work in this business stranger to me ?
In this profession you need knowledge and confidence. With several beautiful newly refurbished places behind you, your confidence will naturally grow.
Once you have completed HRCCourse :
You are an asset to your local home renovation market. Asset to clients, their homes, local renovation workers and local building suppliers. You have the knowledge and understanding of this business.
You know what happens at this very moment on renovation sites around you. You cannot see specific jobs or faces – but you know the principles. You know the stages all these jobs went through to be carried out.
When you apply your Q1,2,3,4 tools you will progress quickly in this profession. Workers and clients will soon compete to work with you.