I’m a project manager and lead carpenter for DBS Remodel, a residential remodeling company based in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. We’re a midsized design-build firm with 17 full-time employees, most of whom have been with the company for 10 to 25 years (I have been with DBS for 18 years). We’re a close-knit group with a reputation in our community as quality remodelers who meet challenges head on. But nothing in our past work experience could have helped us prepare for the nerve-wracking events of last March when the state of New York shut down all “non-essential” construction due to the coronavirus.

Like many in our profession, our company had to furlough all its employees at the beginning of the pandemic. Undaunted, we stayed connected via group chats and Zoom while under stay-at-home orders and began to plan how to weather the crisis. Our company president assembled a “COVID Care Team” tasked with researching and developing COVID safety protocols in preparation for re-opening (see “Developing COVID-19 Safety Protocols").

By mid-May 2020, the state of New York reclassified residential remodelers as “essential” workers, albeit allowing only one worker per jobsite, and we began to make our way back to our jobsites. Crew size without limitations was soon allowed, provided we follow on-site COVID safety protocols. Our office managed to incrementally attain half-staff levels by following its own set of COVID rules, while office personnel who can work from home still do so.

Managing projects during a pandemic. We’ve been fortunate to maintain a consistent volume of kitchen and bath remodels over the years, along with a few basement conversion projects and home additions. When “non-essential” construction initially shut down due to the virus, we worried about the possibility that clients may not want us back in their homes for weeks, months, or even years.

Quite the opposite occurred, and the pandemic ended up creating a residential building and real estate boom in our area; we’ve had a higher volume of work than in previous years, with sales remaining strong. But, along with the record-breaking demand, some scheduling “head winds” unique to the pandemic and our remodeling niche have occurred.

Early into the pandemic, a new duty for our project managers was to explain to our trade partners and visitors the company’s COVID safety protocols and enforce them (which included taking temperatures and making sure everyone was wearing masks and washing their hands regularly). We also had to be diligent about separating our work areas from the clients who were isolating in place, using plastic, ZipWall poles, and tape. Access to work areas was kept to a minimum with signage noting that they were “COVID Clean Zones.” This additional COVID gatekeeping added time to our schedules, but more impactful was having to plan around trade partners who had to self-quarantine (typically for 10 days) either because they came in contact with people with the virus or they had traveled.

Also, in an effort to anticipate possible scheduling backups, we scheduled our project preconstruction meetings at least a month ahead of mobilizing on site (pre-pandemic, we typically scheduled them two weeks in advance). Lead times on materials such as windows, doors, and cabinets were long as well as replacement times for any damaged or mis-shipped items (though lead times are starting to show signs of getting better). Material shortages driven by demand and supply-chain issues became enough of a problem that we had to improvise our material selection to meet schedules. On more than one occasion, we had to purchase longer 2-by stock and cut it down to length because shorter length material wasn’t available, and we had to run to Home Depot to pick up slightly lesser-grade interior doors—with client approval—because of delays from our usual vendors. We did not like the inefficiency and the potential waste this presented, but competition with larger builders for materials at the time left us with little choice.

The “pop-up” addition was built over existing living space. The existing roof the lower single-story part of the house (top) was removed to build a new second floor for a master bedroom suite (bottom). The homeowners and their school-age children remained in the house during the project, working and attending school remotely online.
The “pop-up” addition was built over existing living space. The existing roof the lower single-story part of the house (top) was removed to build a new second floor for a master bedroom suite (bottom). The homeowners and their school-age children remained in the house during the project, working and attending school remotely online.

Housebound clients. Since returning to work last May, I’ve run seven remodeling projects: a few bathrooms, a kitchen, a basement conversion project, and a pop-up addition. Our crew and trade partners were easily able to isolate from the homeowners on the basement and addition projects, but the interior kitchen and bath remodels were a little more intimate. On the kitchen project, the homeowners were an older couple, so we were careful to follow our COVID-19 safety protocols to a T. We were diligent about wearing masks all the time, maintaining the ZipWall barrier, keeping the number of workers and visits to a minimum, and using an air scrubber for both dust control and to create negative pressure in an effort to keep air in the workspace separate from the clients’ living area.

With the pop-up addition (shown in the photos on page 43 and above), we were able to slightly ease up on the safety protocols because the work area was separated from where the homeowners were. We had to build over existing living space, taking the roof off the lower single-story part of the house and adding a new second floor for a master bedroom suite. The job scope also included upgrading the existing electrical service, so we needed to schedule disconnecting power with the homeowners, who, along with their school-age children, were working remotely online.

Working outside over existing living space in winter and maintaining 6-foot social distancing, carpenters removed existing roof framing (left), while electrical subs working closer together wore masks rewiring existing kitchen ceiling lights below (right).
Working outside over existing living space in winter and maintaining 6-foot social distancing, carpenters removed existing roof framing (left), while electrical subs working closer together wore masks rewiring existing kitchen ceiling lights below (right).
In a race to get the pop-up addition dried in, the DBS Remodel team worked 10- to 12-hour days during winter weather in temperatures 20°F and lower (left). A 60- by 40-foot heavy-duty tarp was used to tent off the structure as needed to keep snow off the deck; possibly snow melt into the occupied space below was avoided (right).
In a race to get the pop-up addition dried in, the DBS Remodel team worked 10- to 12-hour days during winter weather in temperatures 20°F and lower (left). A 60- by 40-foot heavy-duty tarp was used to tent off the structure as needed to keep snow off the deck; possibly snow melt into the occupied space below was avoided (right).
Demo work started on a Monday and the roof was weathertight by Saturday. Access to the second-level work area was by ladder only during dry-in phase (left). Here, workers finish up the siding on a bump-out for a walk-in closet in the new master-suite (right).
Demo work started on a Monday and the roof was weathertight by Saturday. Access to the second-level work area was by ladder only during dry-in phase (left). Here, workers finish up the siding on a bump-out for a walk-in closet in the new master-suite (right).
Lead times on materials such as windows, doors, and cabinets were long. Lumber and insulation supplies shortages led to improvising to meet schedules. Fiberglass batts (left) were often doubled up to achieve code-mandated R-49 ceiling — R-49 batts were scarce. A BuildClean HEPA air scrubber helped keep workspace air separate from a client’s living area (right).
Lead times on materials such as windows, doors, and cabinets were long. Lumber and insulation supplies shortages led to improvising to meet schedules. Fiberglass batts (left) were often doubled up to achieve code-mandated R-49 ceiling — R-49 batts were scarce. A BuildClean HEPA air scrubber helped keep workspace air separate from a client’s living area (right).
Inside, electrical subs working in close proximity wore masks (left), while a plumbing sub working alone wore a mask though it wasn’t required (right).
Inside, electrical subs working in close proximity wore masks (left), while a plumbing sub working alone wore a mask though it wasn’t required (right).
A “COVID Clean Zone” sign (left) was placed at the only interior access (right) to a new-master-suite work area.
A “COVID Clean Zone” sign (left) was placed at the only interior access (right) to a new-master-suite work area.

Learning from the crisis. With vaccinations rolling out, the pandemic appears to be showing signs of waning. In our region, there has been a huge cultural shift with regard to people working from home and moving out of the New York City metropolitan area. This hit home for me when a client we just completed a remodeling project for was told that their offices would be permanently closing and that “this is your life, you’re working remotely from home from now on.” This may be the new normal—or a hybrid of this and the pre-pandemic “normal.” Regardless, we intend to adopt new procedures learned from this crisis to keep our company vital and thriving.

Photos by Mike Whalen; graphics by DBS Remodel