Today, you, the homeowner, are going to find out why your contractor estimated your home remodeling project so very high. Don’t blame him, it’s not his fault.
Your contractor’s put to the test day in and day out, a juggling act, if you will; balancing between the homeowners (that’s you) want for a “good deal” and the increasing overhead he has to cover, just to stay in business!
It’s reported, most homeowners will expect a job to cost 40-60% less than it actually will. Especially after watching an hour of their favorite fixer upper show! That means a project you expected to cost $20,000; may, in fact, cost $28,000-$32,000. (This is where you start to pull your hair and yell).
The fact is, we don’t like charging you more than you expect, but a licensed contractor has to pay an enormous overhead, most of which is required by law, like the one below:
- General Liability Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Workers Compensation
- Licensing Fees
- Bonding (which guarantees the homeowner a quality product from the contractor)
- Automotive Insurance
Now, you may have slyly thought to yourself, well can’t I just hire a contractor who doesn’t have as much overhead? Or even my brother’s friend who helped him out on the weekends? The answer is, yeah! But we can think of a few reasons why we wouldn’t, ever…
An obscure contractor can be a bad sign for multiple reasons
Valuable tradesmen have a tendency to not work for cash employers
All licensed contractors start off with fairly the same overhead, which is required by law
A contracting company who pays well will almost always turn out better products that last longer
Contractors that don’t take overhead into account won’t be around long enough to claim a warranty
If you enjoy the services and trust you’ve established with a certain contractor, you’ll find value in the price
Skill and craftsmanship also comes with insurance and warranties for a legitimate agency, none of which are guaranteed with your “brother’s friend” who does side jobs
Experience in estimating will allow a good team to predict, with reasonable fluctuation, how much a job will truly cost, while that cheaper contractor’s hitting you with change order after change order
A non-licensed contractor can be fined, heavily, and unfortunately, you’re stuck with the bill.
..We can go on forever with this list…
There’s an old saying “We can’t afford to buy cheap”, which should always be repeated often while looking for a contractor. Now, this doesn’t mean we’re telling you to pick the most expensive contractor, just cause! Pick someone who feels right for the job, whose team is capable of creating the final vision you’re expecting while doing so in a calm, peaceful and all around enjoyable way; without worrying about him going belly up with your down payment.
We hope this helps homeowners understand why a good contractor is worth their weight in gold; There’s no price for peace of mind. Make sure you hire right, and the rest should go smoothly. For expert advice on basement finishing, contact Gainesville Home Pros today.
For expert advice on your home within Westchester, Dutchess and Putnam Counties, contact Fisher Building Co. today.
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