In General Contractor We Trust
My wife watches a lot of reality shows, ESPECIALLY ones that center on home renovations, whereas I cannot stand watching these programs because the guys on the show sound lame. I'm not saying they're not knowledgeable, but their attempts to be entertaining by acting silly keep me from watching. However, the ones I will watch are "Love It or List It" and "Flip or Flop." I feel these shows manage to articulate the pressures of doing a home renovation (even though I know it is fake). But I favor "Love it or List it." The show focuses on design layouts that cater more to our way of life. Such as open concept living spaces connecting to the kitchen. The challenges for the show are budgets, time, And the number of deficiencies found within the existing house. Therefore, results vary in conjunction with the budget every time. Flip or Flop also focuses on conceptual design updates; to appease a general market for resale. Both shows rely heavily on the contractor's experience, to not only carry out the task but also come up with solutions to make sure the project continues to run smoothly. This relationship is critical because if either party loses focus, the entire project suffers. Therefore, as the homeowner, we need to understand our TIME, MONEY, and our expectation for the QUALITY of work.
“love it, or List it” Televisions series airs on hgtv - www.hgtv.com - https://www.hgtv.com/shows/love-it-or-list-it
“flip or flop” television series airs on hgtv - www.hgtv.com - https://www.hgtv.com/shows/flip-or-flop/flip-or-flop-featured-video-videos
Time is not on your side; instead, it should be on your mind.
What is the purpose of your job? Is it for personal means, or is it for income? When I watch "Love it, or List it," the purpose is focused on elevating the homeowner's current lifestyle, where "Flip or Flop" the focus is on profit. However, these shows wrote in the script for the projected time for the renovation to be reduced. I will say this; NEVER believe you can complete a full home renovation in a matter of days! It takes weeks or more! The images we see on TV is "TV MAGIC," used so that everything looks great. Keep in mind; planning is everything. How you plan will determine how the contractor will execute it. Having a plan and sticking to it makes all the difference between a good job and a horrible experience. Obstacles will make us change course, but don't lose sight of the destination in mind. Changing that destination will force the contractor to work extended periods to make up for lost time; as a result, we are left with sloppy work. I get it! Our society is all about convenience, "We want it, and we want it now." Ah! But at what cost? Well, next to nothing, of course.
How much is too much??
This is a tough question, because the homeowner perceives the cost is over-inflated by saying, "it shouldn't cost this much!" Therefore, the real question should be, "How much am I willing to spend?" A budget should reflect the cost for what is the minimum requirement. Then we look at stretching the budget for what
we like and push it further for contingencies. A process like this can be very challenging. Therefore, take your time and plan well. I would make the argument that the quality of work or labor, is not always reflected by the cost, but by the materials used or equipment required. I know that sounds crazy, but
keep reading…
Always strive to do it right, the first time…
Both parties should value high expectations for the quality of work. The contractor should outline the requirements for the work to be done correctly, and the homeowner should respect and follow these recommendations. Also, there is the quality of service. I believe the reason why good contractors receive a lot of referrals is because of the "extra" things they do to make us remember them!
However, the quality of someone's work often goes unnoticed because of the quality of the materials used. Another example, say you are building a house and you realize you can get some of your building materials cheaper because they are of lower quality. The contractor would advise against it but will do their best to make sure the cheaper materials do not compromise the rest of the building or subjecting the customer to future repairs. Doing the same task twice wastes a lot of money and time. Therefore, the more informed you as a consumer, the better you are investing towards your project. As consumers, we are quick to fault the product instead of re-evaluating our expectations based on our decisions. Is faster and cheaper, always better? When consumers apply this kind of pressure onto a builder, the builder's reaction is to try and fulfill our demands to remain competitive. But what are they sacrificing by doing this? Personally, I think the pressure to do something fast and cheap should not be the focus of the consumer. Consumers should focus their expectations on the builder's devotion to quality and efficiency. It is challenging trying to convey this ideology to consumers, when consumers are influenced continuously by reality shows, projecting the idea of "fast and cheap" is obtainable.
Why I decided to write about this
This topic came to me after witnessing a dispute between a client and their general contractor. Where the homeowner is a lot of what I mentioned earlier, a person who doesn't plan properly; doesn't communicate often and doesn't possess realistic expectations. As a result, the project took longer than it needed to; he blew through his budget due to unnecessary changes; and created ridiculous timelines. Instead of accepting full responsibility, he passed the blame on the genie; *oops*, I mean the contractor. Well, the job is done, and for what it is worth…. It's decent. But, what I know what it could have been.. My gosh!
