Risk and Reward

Renovation and maintenance projects can be deeply gratifying, and incredibly stressful. They carry high risk for owners and contractors, and the emotional rewards are great. Construction and trade professionals manage their risk with unclear contract terms, exclusions to the contract, change orders, and extra charges.

Who is managing your risk? 

Trusted, Wise Advisor

Kent Shell has successfully managed construction projects large and small since moving to New York, straight from art school in 1980, and he has the gray hair to prove it. He has worked on both sides of the equation, first as a contractor, and then as a construction administrator. His deep experience has taught him that there are two core values critical to the success of every project: value and fairness. Contractors should be paid fairly for their work and owners should receive fair value for their dollars spent.  Over the decades, Kent has consistently won the respect of both owners and contractors, by being unbiased, unflappable and firm.

Qualifications

45 years experience in New York construction

35 years as principal of a residential general contracting firm

10 years as construction administrator, owner- and contractor-liaison, and data analyst at an award-winning, high-end residential architectural firm

$40 million in custom residential construction projects built

Who should consider having a trusted, wise advisor by their side?

Anyone who wants to be prepared as they embark on their renovation project. Anyone who doesn’t know the difference between a cost-plus agreement, a time-and-material agreement, a stipulated sum agreement. Anyone who feels anxious on being handed a bill by a contractor. Anyone who wants a seasoned professional on call to review every co-op board review letter, building permit, project specification, insurance certificate, contract, change order or payment request. Anyone who wants help when a contractor calls with a question that needs an answer now. Anyone who wants a trusted, wise advisor by their side during one of the most challenging, and rewarding, experiences a home owner can undertake.