I’ve done a lot of quotes for a lot of projects for a lot of people. And everyone always wants to get the best price. And I get that. Don’t get me wrong.
But you get what you pay for.
I see people who live in multi-million-dollar homes who hire fly-by-night contractors off of Craigslist. There’s nothing wrong with advertising on Craigslist, that’s not the point. But these home owners invest their home repairs and improvements to the lowest bidder with no references or quality web presence.
Sure, he promises more and he’s cheaper – but is he worth it?
I’ve built an entire business on fixing the mess these people make in very nice homes. Because, when they don’t build it right, it:
Falls down
Rots
Damages existing structures
Doesn’t match surrounding work
As the saying goes, you can either pay me to build it or pay me to fix it. And it’s true. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. You will spend more in the long run taking shortcuts with your home.
Yet a lot of people will go with someone they don’t necessarily trust and who is not reputable just because they can get him for a couple hundred dollars less. Not everyone who talks a good talk can walk the walk. So check them out. Do your research. Read the reviews, good and bad.
Find out what others are saying about how this contractor works. Is he trustworthy? Does he deliver quality? Will your job get done in a timely manner? Ask your contractors about their bad reviews to find out what happened. Find out how they work. Don’t just go for the cheapest bid just because it’s the cheapest. When it comes to your home, cheap is not always best.
When I first started selling real estate, my first listing was a home I determined to be worth about $920,000. I performed all my CMAs and comp research. The numbers all pointed to a value of $920,000.
But the homeowner went with the agent who promised $1.2 million for her home. After the house sat on the market for a year and a half, it finally sold. The eventual sale price? Less than $900,000.
So not everyone who promises you more for less can deliver. Josco Bay Homes may not be the cheapest option you come across. We’re definitely not the most expensive. But we aim to provide quality work the first time for the best possible price, so you save money in the long term by only doing it once. Our business was built on quality and proudly standing behind our work.
Remember, you get what you pay for.
There are many good companies out there. Not everyone is trying to rip you off. But make sure you when you’re shopping around, you go with the best contractor, not just the cheapest.
Instead, get someone who has been in the business for a while, who knows what they’re doing, and who has a good reputation in the community and online. You won’t regret it.
Can we help? If you’re considering Josco Bay Homes for your next home remodel, custom patio deck, or new construction, please contact us right now for a free, custom quote. We would be honored to have the opportunity to answer your questions and win your trust.
Clients often ask us where they should start when planning a bathroom remodel or kitchen renovation. Should they start with calling a contractor? Budgeting the project? For many people, not knowing where to start is very confusing, frustrating, and potentially expensive.
Just what are the key steps to planning a home renovation project? The following five step plan should simplify the process and save you money, time, and hassle. Let’s hit these real fast, one at a time.
1. Scope Planning
The first thing you should do is plan the scope of your project. You need to know what you want to accomplish in the target area.
Let’s think about renovating a bathroom, for example. You need to know if you want a total bathroom remodel or only a partial renovation. Write everything out on paper.
This is called your scope of work.
Whatever you want done at the end of the day is your scope of work. Make two scopes: on the high side, put down everything you want done in a perfect scenario, and on the low side, put down your Plan B in case Plan A exceeds your budget.
Perhaps in a perfect world, you’re tearing out the bathtub, vanity, etc. for a complete remodel of your bathroom. Write all that down. But on the low side, figure the minimum you would be happy accomplishing. Maybe replacing the tile and painting the walls would suffice.
Then list a store item number for each item you want to replace your current bathroom elements. For example, include the paint color number, the item number for that bathtub you really like. Get this all down on paper.
Remember, your contractor isn’t hired to shop for you. If he does your shopping, it’s going to be a lot more expensive for taking up unnecessary time. At the end of the day, this is your project, and you should put down exactly what you want your contractor to replace your current items with.
Now, if you don’t know what you want, ask your contractor. Contractors are happy to make recommendations and inform you of your options. They can recommend colors, styles, fixtures, etc. to help you understand what your options are.
2. Pricing
Next, present your two scopes (the high scope and low scope) to your contractor or contractors if you haven’t yet chosen a specific contractor. Show them what you ideally want versus the minimum you would find acceptable. Getting a few quotes on each of these scenarios will give you an accurate sense of the market pricing for your two scenarios.
When your contractors come back with pricing, make sure it’s not just a vague, verbal number. Get specific numbers for specific scopes in writing. Ideally, it should be your scope for their price written down. Get this settled before you ever assign your job to a contractor.
If your high scope is too high for your budget, figure out what you can eliminate. Maybe you don’t have to go straight to your low scope. Make adjustments until your scope is in budget. Find the balance between what you want out of a remodel and paying a fair price.
3. Qualifying
Before you settle on a contractor, qualify them. Call their references. Ask questions.
Are they the type to start a job and then not show up again?
Are they known for quality work?
Do they communicate clearly and in a friendly manner?
Will they finish in a timely manner?
Are they the kind of contractor who always finds extra expenses to charge you for?
Remember, contractors aren’t necessarily bad just because they’re inexpensive. And contractors aren’t necessarily good just because they’re expensive.There are a lot of affordable professionals who really know what they’re doing, while many expensive contractors don’t have a clue. Many times, the middle of the road is the safe zone.
Do all of your homework before giving them the job. You can only afford to do this once, which means you can only afford to do it right. It’s much better to want a contractor you don’t have than to have a contractor you don’t want.
4. Scheduling
After you have selected a quality contractor who works wells with you and your needs, discuss scheduling.
And this doesn’t just mean settling on a start date.
You should nail down the start date, the finish date, any absences in between, etc. How long will it take them to complete the renovation project? Will your job sit idle for a while? You need to know this so you can either schedule work during those down times or, if you live there, so you can schedule your life around this timeline.
This works both ways. Your contractor needs to know when you will be there. Sometimes, we get to a job first thing in the morning only to find they aren’t ready for us until 10am. Contractors typically count on full work days, so putting them off a couple hours completely throws off their process and costs them money.
Communicate scheduling clearly, and understand the timeline clearly. If there are any events or scheduling problems foreseeable, mention them in advance.
What about unforeseen emergencies? Communicate to your contractor as soon and clearly as possible. Be courteous to your contractors and expect them to be courteous to you.
Once your schedule is nailed down, stick with it. This may mean cancelling social activities. Along with your scope, the schedule is the most important factor in the renovation planning process. Move everything else to accommodate the project. Keep with it.
5. Executing
Once the first four steps have been addressed, wait patiently for the job to begin. And make sure you handle whatever you are supposed to do for your contractor.
If you have agreed to pick up materials or provide an on-site bathroom or just keeping a clear work area so they can move freely, execute faithfully. Your contractors count on you to make the partnership work successfully.
Whatever you said you would do to ensure a smooth workflow for your contractor, do it. And then, once they arrive, review the scope and expectations with them so everything is fresh in the mind and everyone is on the same page.
Then, get out of the way, and let them work. Trust your contractor and your plan, and watch that renovation plan become a reality!
We sometimes have clients who like a lot of do-it-yourself type projects, and we get a reoccurring question: what are the things I should not DIY? After all, some projects around the house you can handle yourself if you have some time and are a little handy. But other things you definitely should not handle yourself. So what are the top types of projects a homeowner should not do themselves? What projects are best left to the trained professionals?
1. Don’t DIY Structural Projects
Anything having to deal with structural support should be left to the professionals. For instance:
Load-bearing walls
Floor systems
Decks/Docks
Anything that would support a large amount of weight, you should usually leave that to the professional.
Why?
Because constructing things is a science and not an art. You can’t just paint with broad strokes or pick your favorite color. You have to build it a certain way. If you don’t know which board goes where, how you’re supposed to secure it, what your fasteners are rated for, what your boards are rated for, etc. – then you could have a very serious situation on your hands. When it comes down to a matter of safety, let the professionals handle it. They’re the ones that are licensed and insured and regulated, and they’re the ones who know exactly what they’re doing. So anything that deals with structural floor systems, decks, porches, roofs, load-bearing walls, don’t DIY.
2. Don’t DIY Electrical Projects
Stay away from electrical work. Electrical work requires a lot of training and a lot of knowledge – specialized knowledge like:
Different gauged wires
Circuits
Electrical currents
Anytime you start dealing with power, you’re dealing with a safety issue. If you’re not intimate with the knowledge of electrical current, how power flows from one side to the other, and grounding, you could really cause some problems and get hurt very bad. So we recommend if you’ve got any electrical issues, don’t mess it with it yourself. Call a service professional who can come out there to take care of it for you. So again, it’s a matter of safety best left to the professionals.
3. Don’t DIY Most Plumbing Tasks
Most plumbing should be left to the professionals. Well, you say that’s not a matter of safety, right?
But really it is.
Plumbers are required to be licensed for very specific reasons. The entire house system is tied to either the septic system or sewer system. And as a result, extremely large amounts of methane gas is able to pour back into the house through the pipes.
Now, if your plumber is not licensed or properly trained, then he may not know how to trap the gas to keep it from getting into your house. And if you can’t do that, it could cause some very serious health issues and hazards. So they’re required to be licensed for a reason, and it deals with gas. But also, if you have a pipe that’s not fitted correctly or not glued or clamped correctly, then you could be looking at tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage because of just a 99 cent part.
So it’s important to get somebody who knows what they’re doing when handling your home’s plumbing issues. Don’t risk the safety and damage associated with incorrect work. Don’t DIY your plumbing.
4. Don’t DIY Roofing
Roofing is a difficult job. Hats off to the roofers of the world! It’s not only an extremely hard job, but it’s also extremely dangerous. And it’s got a lot of overhead. Professional roofers are required to have all kinds of different insurances and safety training. There are just millions of ways your roofing project can go wrong.
If you don’t thoroughly understand the principles of watershed and waterproofing, you ‘ve got no reason to attempt patching your own roof or changing your own roof or anything like that. Call service professional. It’s not worth attempting to DIY your own roof.
5. Don’t DIY Flooring
Finally, while this is not a safety issue, it is certainly a cost-effectiveness issue. Don’t DIY your flooring. This includes any type of interior flooring, such as:
Wood flooring
Tile
Carpet
Or any floor covering
We strongly recommend you call or hire a service professional who is experienced in flooring installation. And the reason for this is that your floor is the most used appliance in your house. People walk on it every day. It gets very amounts of traffic in different areas more than others. And if it’s not installed correctly, if it’s not installed right and in a quality manner, then it can be damaged. Improper installation can even void the warranties for your flooring.
There are all kinds of unexpected things that can go wrong if you install your flooring wrong. Don’t spend your money twice. Get a professional to install your flooring for you.
Again, everyone loves a little DIY from time to time. And it can be a great way to save money on small projects. But here are five things you definitely don’t want to do yourself. Some DIY projects might cost you more in time, money, and safety than you’re willing to pay.
Find out what others are saying about how this contractor works. Is he trustworthy? Does he deliver quality? Will your job get done in a timely manner? Ask your contractors about their bad reviews to find out what happened. Find out how they work. Don’t just go for the cheapest bid just because it’s the cheapest. When it comes to your home, cheap is not always best.
