When it comes to choosing a contractor for your next remodeling project, there are many aspects to think about beforehand. To start, I always recommend thinking about three specific items, and then starting the search for the contractor that’s right for you. Those categories are price, time and quality. What are you wanting to pay for your project? How soon do you need it completed? And what kind of materials and craftsmanship to you want to receive?
Knowing your realistic budget ahead of time can make or break the remodeling experience for homeowners and contractors. We all try to avoid them, but occasionally change orders come up during a remodel. Because of that, it’s always smart to think about your ideal budget and your worst-case budget. When bidding projects, especially larger ones, I try to leave a buffer between the worst-case budget and ideal budget, which helps to create peace of mind for the homeowner, and allows for minor changes to be made during the remodeling process. A great example of that is my most recent bathroom remodel, where the budget was on track and the homeowner decided to upgrade a few fixtures and add a few components while staying within their budget range. In the best case scenario, the project is completed at the ideal cost. I’ve had many customers use the difference towards other projects they were wanting to take on.
Time, or length and start date of the project, is extremely important to communicate ahead of time. An extreme but accurate example of this would be starting a bathroom remodel on the Monday before Thanksgiving, but neglecting to communicate the need for a working restroom by Thursday. Last minute scheduling should always be communicated ahead of time. While some companies are large enough to accommodate those needs, many smaller companies would not be. This also brings me back to budget, where the need for this kind of timeline would also require a higher budget than those with longer allowable project timelines.
The last, but equally important aspect of determining the right contractor for you is quality. What do you expect to receive when it comes to materials, craftsmanship, scheduling, cleanliness, etc. What level of professionalism do you expect to receive? If I gave two people the same lumber, tools and timeline to build a cabinet, it should be assumed that the individual who’s creating a higher quality product would charge more for their item. The same can be said for remodeling. Because no matter how big or small the job is, every aspect of the process requires attention to detail, experience, knowledge and ability.
I would recommend putting a considerable amount of time into these topics when beginning the search for your next remodel. And be as clear and detailed as possible with all companies that you contact. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and headaches by having a clear vision of what you expect, what you can afford and what items are most important to you.
“Good, fast and cheap. You can have two, but you can never have all three”
Thanks for stopping by,
~ Brandon