Jim's Blog

Get the Best Price

David Weiss, president of the Cleveland Better Business Bureau, tells us “For the uninitiated, choosing a remodeler can be a daunting task.”  We agree. One reason the choice is so daunting is the different prices you may receive on the “same” project.  We all want to get the best deal, so how can we justify paying the right price?

We’ve heard it all our lives, “You get what you pay for.”  As much as we might wish it otherwise, this statement is generally true.  More than 100 years ago English writer John Ruskin stated, “It’s unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little.  When you pay too much, you lose a little-that is all.  When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.  The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot-it can’t be done!

If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run.  And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.”

Weiss, mentioned at the beginning of this blog, further indicates that a remarkably lower price means that the company’s performance will likely be lower as well.

Why is this the case? 

The two main factors in determining the price of home improvements are material and labor.

A low price could be an indication that the materials are cheap or the labor is cheap or both.  Cheap materials are an indicator of inferior quality.  Cheap labor probably means that the person is not a skilled professional.  The results of this can range from unsatisfactory to disastrous. 

Another reason for a low price is that a contractor may never have done a job like yours   and doesn’t fully understand what the job entails.

A low price could also mean that the contractor does not have appropriate insurance or worker compensation.  This omission can expose an unwary homeowner to significant legal risk.  Further, a low price can mean that the contractor has not built service requirements into his pricing.   We get calls from homeowners that can’t get their remodeler to come out to look at their problem.  Sadly, this shows the wisdom of John Ruskin’s advice.

Even worse, there are unscrupulous contractors that intentionally underestimate a price and draft a contract that is “fuzzy”, then up charge at every opportunity.  Weiss said these situations often end up on the desks at the Better Business Bureau.

A good remodeling job is one that can be enjoyed for decades.

So, how can you protect yourself?

Please take advantage of “Seven Little Known Secrets for Successfully and Beautifully Remodeling Your Home!”  Get your FREE download on this website.

To contact us for more information CLICK HERE or call 800-800-9343