The Wait to Renovate

Lining Up Designers, Contractors and Permits Can Slow Projects for Eager Equity-Rich Homeowners

The hot housing market has turned the Washington area into renovation central.

You've got your frustrated move-up buyers, who are busily hiring contractors to redo their homes because they can't find any other house they can afford. Then there are the many first-timers who are buying fixer-uppers just to get into the market. And, of course, there are Joe and Janet Homeowner, who haven't even thought about moving but can't pass up the opportunity to tap into their unbelievably elevated home equity for routine repairs or glamorous rehabs.

But the rush to redo has a downside. It has led to long lines for those trying to hire designers and contractors. And now there's a big pile-up at many local permit counters.

As a result, some families are learning that they'll have to hang on for a bit longer than they might have anticipated, contractors and builders say.

The wait may faze some, but others, such as Luis and Birgit Orozco of Vienna, say they have learned that their original expectations just might have been off base in these remodeling times.

Fourteen months ago, the Orozcos were anticipating the birth of a third child and contemplating buying a larger house. But they found that they couldn't afford to move up in their own neighborhood or anywhere else close in that they liked.

Instead of moving, they looked into renovating. In June they hired a Vienna company, Encompass Design/Build, for a "whole-house remodel." That approach, they hoped, would not only add a second floor to their 50-year-old rambler and update and reconfigure the cramped spaces, but also keep the exterior of the house in tune with the neighborhood.

The couple originally thought construction would be complete by the end of 2004, but work didn't even begin until this January, said Luis Orozco, director of engineering for a local software company. The schedule slipped, he said, in part because "my expectations were unrealistic -- there were a lot of details involved" and in part because the family had to wait a couple months just to get on the construction calendar.

It also took longer than he had estimated, he said, because variances from the town of Vienna had to be obtained "and that takes a couple months." And, he said, he didn't account for the impact of design changes the family wanted after seeing the plans evolve. The family now includes Nina, 4; Hannah, 2 1/2 ; and Tessa, 11 months.

But Orozco is still happy. The project is likely to be finished by the promised July 1 deadline, he said, and the contractor stayed on schedule even after the family added features.

Though the couple initially had some trepidation that they might be overimproving, they aren't fretting now, he said.

They paid $219,000 for the property in 1999 and are spending about $300,000 on the makeover. Tiny unimproved ramblers in the neighborhood are going for about $500,000, he said -- his would be worth much more.