5 Mistakes Made When Hiring A Contractor
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© Blackstone Builders 2007
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As homeowners, many of us are always looking to have our work done at the lowest possible price. The problem is we don’t realize that we are setting ourselves up for disaster. There are always contractors all too eager to satisfy this requirement. They will work for the least they can in terms of time, labor, and material, attention to detail, quality and value. Who can blame them? Why should they give us more when we aren’t willing to pay them for more? Yet we all moan and groan when we don’t get the good work and service that we really want. We create a catch 22 situation. With the unrealistic expectation that we can get great work at a low price, we need to accept the fact that a low price and excellent quality and service are diametrically opposed. Top quality people command and get rewarded for their better skills, service and work. It’s plain and simple, and capitalistically, makes perfect sense. All the old clichés apply, “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” or ”you get what you pay for”, etc. So we need to ask ourselves, what is it we want in a major construction project. Is it a job done correctly, with attention paid to details for a problem free project, or do we just want our home worked on at the lowest possible price? I know, we want both, but these two desires cannot be met, for the reasons explained above, and for a few more listed below. A job done at the lowest price is the lowest for a very good reason. It is missing all the ingredients and input necessary to provide a problem free job. These are costs to the contractor, and add to the price of a job. In other words, it is missing well-paid highly skilled labor, a quality control system and an permit/inspection service that makes sure the contractor and their workers are doing the right thing on our homes. Where the work is done inside walls, under floors, in attics and crawl spaces, where we can’t check and even if we did, what do we know about electrical, plumbing, HVAC, structural framing and such anyway? A low priced quote is probably from a contractor who lacks manpower to conduct supervision and inspection on jobs to check installers, who when left unsupervised, have the natural tendency to rush, take short cuts, and not always perform as they are supposed to. Men, who are skilled, paid well, subject to inspection and quality control, as is the case with Blackstone Builders, will always do the right thing, take the time to do the job right and pay attention to the details. It’s an expense to have a quality control system that involves inspection during and after project completion. Most contractors don’t have this because it would force them to increase their prices to pay for it, and they are afraid to lose your job because their price would have to be higher.
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A low price is so appealing. We all want it, so we go for it, expecting and hoping for the quality that the other higher priced contractors would produce. But we are destined for disappointment. The work will be cheaper, but it becomes just a question of time before problems emerge, and the joy of a low price is soon replaced with the bitterness of an improperly completed project. Now we’re stuck with trouble and expense for the next 30 years, and live with fear and dread every time it rains on our addition or turn the water on in our new bath. It’s just not worth it. Our homes are the most expensive purchase and financial commitment we make. It brings our families together and protects everything in and under it. It’s also our biggest financial asset. This is why it’s the worst place to try to save a buck, or be satisfied with lower quality. We are stuck with what we buy and what contractor we use for the next 30 years or until we sell it, at which point our decisions on the work done will be scrutinized by home buying inspectors, realtors, other contractors, friends, city inspectors and most importantly the buyers, so lets do it right the first time. At Blackstone Builders that’s what we do. We don’t leave out any vital details, and only employ highly trained and skilled labor who are monitored and inspected by City of Portland plans examiners, engineers, and field inspectors to ensure that Blackstone Builders’ very strict and rigorous standards are adhered to and maintained. We do whatever we can to have competitive prices, but because Blackstone Builders has invested in all the additional labor, materials, and systems that are necessary to ensure that you don’t have problems now and in the future, we are unlikely to be the lowest price. Blackstone Builders has invested in the establishment of a top quality program of construction concepts and equipment in the fields of residential new fine home construction and renovations, including additions, kitchens, baths, basements and attics. This is a cost, as are the most highly skilled construction experts in Portland Oregon. This is one of the ways we ensure you get your home to the highest of standards. We concern ourselves with the correct and appropriate choice and application of materials for the conditions found at your home. We will not do anything at the expense of the integrity of your home. We will not leave an incorrect condition in place just to be able to give you a lower price. Doing so will come back to haunt everyone later on. Corners may have been cut when your house was built, to save money and maximize profits for the builder. We will not cut corners. We will do whatever can be done to correct poor and defective work wherever it is found, because it is in the best interest of our customers, and a trouble free project. It really is a no brainer. Quality workmanship is the win win option over low price, for everyone.
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