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.