Never Hire A Contractor On Price For Your Cottage Renovation

What's more important when hiring a contractor, their price?or the confidence in them to work in your cottage when you are not around for long periods of time and still give you what you want and do it in an appropriate way?

If you said the price then you really are setting yourself up for disappointment as the job will most likely turn into a renovation nightmare.

What I have found in the renovation end of the construction industry is that there is a reason for some companies to be a lot cheaper then others and its not because one company is making a lot more money then the other, here are some of the main reasons;

1. They Simply Don't Know How To Estimate. Estimating takes time, energy and a lot of thought, those are 3 things that a lot of contractors do not have or want to have. A lot of contractors want to return you a quote quickly because they believe that is the way to win a job. So they put some numbers together and send you a price. This means that they actually don't know what the cost of doing your renovation actually is, they are guessing that they are putting enough money in it to do the job and to make a profit.
2. Omission. This is one of the classic things that low bidders do,they omit things on the estimate. You ask for a bathroom renovation and they price you a new bathroom. What they don't include is any of the bathroom fixtures like the toilet, sink, vanity or tub. When you ask about it later they say that it is up to you to supply them.
3. No detail on the estimate. Your estimate is short, it doesn't have any detail other then a rough outline on what you are getting in your estimate. It doesn't tell you what fixtures your getting or what your tile allowance is. This is how they can give you bill for extra's later or force you to settle for something that you don't want.
4. A verbal estimate with a full cash option. There's a reason that things are written down in an estimate, its so everyone knows what everyone gets, because of this you pay tax, to avoid tax you don't write anything down and all transactions are in cash. Sounds great until your realize that your tax avoidance plan also leaves you with no way to prove what you paid for or if you ever had hired the contractor at all. In fact engaging in an all cash deal to avoid paying tax is illegal.
5. Being A Legal Contractor Costs Money. Being properly insured, paying your taxes, paying your employees, paying your suppliers, paying your WSIB, giving warranties on your work, creating proper estimates cost money. That means that the best companies will be more expensive, it doesn't mean that they are making more money, it means they are doing everything legally and properly.

So when you are calling contractors to come and look at the work you want to be completed at your cottage (while you are not there) don't just look for the best price. Look past the price and find the contractor that you can trust to do the job right, legal and provide you with a warranty for the work that they do.

Pick security and a job done right over the bargain basement price.

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Winter Is The Best Time To Renovate Your Cottage

Winter is not the nicest time to be at the cottage for you, especially if the cottage is older, drafty and lacks a proper heat source. This doesn't make for an ideal time to enjoy yourself, but it is an ideal time for you to have your cottage renovated.

The best time to renovate is when you are not there, not needing to use the place, this allows your contractor to get in and fix, repair or renovate everything they need to without you in the way. It actually cuts down the cost because they don't have to remove all their material and equipment every time you come up to use it on the weekend. The job can start and finish without a lot of delays.

Now sometimes in the winter, work can be slowed or delayed because of the extreme weather but because you won't be using the place until the spring it won't affect you the homeowner.

With modern technology of text messages, pictures, videos, phones calls and emails there's no reason that you can't monitor what is happening at your cottage.

Tile and flooring can be purchased anywhere and shipped to the site along with plumbing fixtures and windows. There's almost nothing that can't be done on the internet or through email to help plan and choose your finishing's for your cottage.

But you are running out of time to secure your contractor for this winter, if you don't do it soon you will miss the winter window and have to settle for a spring renovation when you want to use the place.

Start calling around for those cottage renovation contractors now.

If you are looking to renovate your cottage email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc,.