After the recent rains I have been getting calls from a number of home owners who have had leaks in their homes. It has been my experience, after a little probing, that these leaks are a direct result of recent remodeling. I felt bad for the home owner as now they have damages and are facing additional cost. There is not much glory for a contractor to fix other contractors’ mistakes. Most of us like to do a job right the first time and have happy customers. So, do your homework.
Think of remodeling your home or office like you would when selecting a doctor.
In medicine there are pharmacists, researchers, and doctors.
The doctors are the ones who see the patient.
In construction there are architects, engineers and builders and remodelers.
The builders and remodelers are the ones who see the homes or job sites.
All of these professionals play an important role in these two industries. But when it comes time to choose a doctor to perform an operation hopefully you have done your homework. The same holds true for selecting a remodeler or builder to build or remodel your home or office.
Why then do home owners only occasionally interview multiple contractors? They might get three bids, and then frequently take the lowest bid. This often results in the job not being done properly.
The truth is, most home owners just don’t know what they are getting into until it is too late. They shop by price and sometimes personality. Frequently home owners don’t know the difference in products and certainly don’t know the difference in skill and code standards. “It looked fine when it was finished” they told me, “but now the window leaks and the phone number is disconnected.” “The circuit breaker in the kitchen goes off every time I use the microwave oven. I called to have it fixed and was told that would be an extra charge.” “The wall texture doesn’t match the rest of the house.” “The tile is already cracking around the tub and I was told that it is not in the warranty.” I hear these kinds of complaints all too often.
If you hire someone who does not know all the details and scope of the job, then that person is not going to necessarily do a good job for you. If items are left off an estimate then it is not going to be done or there will be an extra charge for it later. Does it not make more sense to have a complete estimate at the beginning and not have any surprises?
Again, do your homework. Your house is too large an investment to hire someone who isn’t going to do the job right.
If you cannot afford to do the job right, then wait until you can. Otherwise you might be paying more to do it twice. Also, consider doing your home improvement projects in stages as your budget will allow.
So, just like selecting a doctor, get references and ask a lot of questions. Make sure you are happy with your selection before any cutting.
To check out the going prices for various residential improvements go to www.costvsvalue.com .
For further information on how to select a contractor check out our website or the contractor’s board website www.cslb.ca.gov/ or www.rgwinter.com .
For more information, please call Randal G. Winter Construction Inc., Licensed 395715, at 661-799-8089.