Many clients come to The Wills Company with plans in hand. This is very common in our industry and we are happy to work with your designer or architect to build your project.

Over the years, we have developed a process that will take you step-by-step through all the decisions to be made. The following is an overview of these steps.

Schematic Design
Site Visit and Feasibility Study Agreement
Conceptual Estimate
Commitment Agreement
Construction Drawings
Contract Specifications
Fixed Price Contract
Job Preparation
Construction
Two-Year Warranty

• Your schematic plans
  
• Your project scope as outlined in the Feasibility Study Agreement
  
• Wills Company experience with past projects that are similar to yours in scope
  
• Per item estimates used by the various trades that assume typical and standard materials and installation as applicable to your project
  

We will provide an estimated range of potential cost for your project and will review with you the assumptions that we have made in developing these costs.


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- Create the final contract
- Reserve a place in our schedule for your project

By signing this agreement, you commit to:

- Hire The Wills Company to build your project
- Pay The Wills Company a retainer for your project

If the fixed-price contract for your project exceeds the upper end from the Conceptual Estimate, you are not obligated to undertake your project with The Wills Company, and we will refund your deposit in full.

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• Floor plans
• Elevations
• Building sections
• Site plans
• Cabinet details
• Architectural and structural details

Our goal is to limit the number of surprises you will encounter and to help you control your construction budget. Consequently, upon receiving the completed, construction drawings, The Wills Company will carefully review the plans to check for changes that have been made from the schematic plans. We will then provide you with a revised conceptual estimate. At this point, you can decide to proceed with the plans as drawn, revise your plans, or discontinue the project and thereby forfeit your retainer.

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• This contract type is for clients who desire to know as accurately as possible, on the front end, what they will be spending to complete their project.
• The Wills Company’s fixed price contracts are fixed for all the conditions known and outlined in your contract specifications and your plans. However, if "unknowns" are discovered during the project, your contract amount will be revised, up or down, depending upon the change involved. Many of the "unknown" conditions are discovered during the demolition phase of the project.
• Billing for this type of contract is set at the outset in fixed installments, starting at the signing of the contract and ending with substantial completion. Generally, they correlate to monthly installments.

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Job Preparation

Permit

Permits are legally required for all projects other than repairs or cosmetic renovation type work. The Wills Company ensures that all of the necessary permits are obtained; and you do not need to worry about it!

Pre-Contruction Meeting

Prior to the start of construction on your project, you will meet with your project manager at your site to review the project one final time so as to:

• Prepare you for any steps which you need to take in order for the work to start
  
• Ensure that you are clear about how to communicate with our team
  
• Let you know that our team is at your service

At this meeting, you will receive the following:

• Client’s Decision List
  
  You are an integral member of The Wills Company team, and your role is crucial. You make the final decision on many items. This list organizes and further explains most of these choices for you.
  
  
• Tips For A Successful Project
  
  
• Construction Schedule
  
  This timeline of your project will be in the form of calendar pages that have been marked to indicate the general flow of your project. It is meant to be a general guideline to help you plan ahead.

We also work hard to keep your neighbors happy too! Before the project begins, we will send your neighbors a letter that informs them about the upcoming project and includes a company contact name and phone number should they have questions or concerns.

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• He or she will be solely responsible for your project unless the size or nature of your project does not make this feasible.
  
• Your Project Manager provides one point of contact that makes communication quick and simple and helps to keep your job on time and on budget.
  

Clear and honest communication is the foundation of any Wills Company project. We will explain what you should expect during the project and help you to prepare for potential inconveniences.

• We respect your home and will treat it with the utmost care.
• We keep the job site neat and safe, and clean up every day before leaving.
  
• We have a strict no smoking rule in your house.
  
• We respect your time and needs. We will arrive on time, or we will let you know otherwise.We will complete the day’s work in a timely and professional manner.
• To assure the safety of your house and to protect both you and our employees, The Wills Company and our subcontractors carry worker’s compensation and liability insurance.

Change Orders

Our team will work closely with you in the planning stages to anticipate the scope of the project and to identify needed improvements. However, unforeseen conditions will be discovered during the construction, and you will likely change your mind about some aspect of the project.

Because these changes do occur, we are committed to a written, change order process. This protects both you and The Wills Company and keeps everyone’s expectations clear.

• Change orders are signed by both you and The Wills Company.
  
• The purpose of change orders is to record any changes in scope to the project so that you are kept informed as to the ramifications that these changes have on both your budget and schedule.
• Even if the change does not affect your budget or schedule, a change order is important so as to have a record of your project.

Job Completion

The time you’ve been anticipating arrives! Your project is finished. From this point on, any request for further work or follow-up will be handled by the experts of our Handyman division.

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The Wills Company provides a full two-year warranty on all of its projects.

The only exceptions to this warranty term are as follows:

• All materials furnished by The Wills Company are warranted to the limit of the manufacturers’ and/or suppliers’ warranties.
  
• The Wills Company’s liability for materials that you purchase directly but that we install is limited to installation only.
  

Additionally, if you make any choices or decisions that limit this warranty, we will let you know clearly in writing of such change.

The bottom line is that we take responsibility for our work. We want to be your contractor for life.


"I felt The Wills Company would be around for warranty items. That was a big consideration." Brian Reames

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