Starting a new project is like taking a leap of faith, especially when it’s something you’ve never attempted before. There’s risk involved and the vision you have can get away from you when your budget is factored in. The best thing you can do is educate yourself. Most people start by calling around with the goal of getting ballpark prices over the phone. This will most likely wear you down. More often than not, you’ll accept the lowest bid without being totally aware of the services you pay for. You might experience shortcuts, sloppy finish work (or none at all), or the aftermath of quick demolition. At the very least, you’re left in the dark about alternative options that might have saved you a lot of heart-ache.
If you’re here then you’ve already started your search for knowledge, whether it’s about dustless equipment or DIY tips on various projects. But let’s get to the moral of the story: In my opinion, the fastest way to learn about a process is getting someone who does it for a living to talk to you IN PERSON. Here are a few reasons why:
You should always meet the people coming into your home
Have you ever used a service based on their website? I have. A lot. Usually what happens is I’ll look up “something” and compare the top 10 or so sites that provide that “something.” Whichever one has the most impressive website seems to win every time. For me, I like the ones that are sleek, well-informed, professional and easy to navigate. This method doesn’t really work with all the talented and well-priced sub contractors you’d like to hire. Sometimes they don’t even have a website. Maybe you got someone’s number through a friend of a friend. It doesn’t mean they’re not going to be the best fit for you. Heck, even the biggest company with the best website might be your best fit. The only way to find out is to get them into your home and talk to them face to face. We’re all pitching our services, and we all want the job, but you should feel like you trust the person you hire. If you get the impression the contractor doesn’t seem to care about your home or project, isn’t listening, or just has an attitude that rubs you the wrong way, trust your instincts. Find someone you’re more likely to have a good interaction with, especially if it comes down to having to negotiate price or rectify unmet services later on.
It might save you money
This past year I was asked to remove tile of a homeowner who already had a flooring company in place. The company did not offer dustless services so I was hired on. To my surprise he was charged $3000 for a new sub-floor. According to them there was no wire mesh under the tile so the thin-set was adhered directly to the sub-floor and could not be saved. When I visited the home I saw why the company made that assessment; the wire mesh was difficult to see, but it was there. All it took was pulling up a few extra vents to find it. Long story short, we were able to save the existing sub-floor, provide a dustless service and save the homeowner a lot of money. It was the difference between relying on the flooring company’s assessment and finding a second opinion from us. Even if the homeowner had gone with another demo company he would have been able to point out the mesh to save his sub-floor.
You might learn enough to do the job yourself
Several years back I decided to get some bids to finish my basement. I mostly called remodel and construction companies and, as you can expect, I was given several very high-priced estimates to complete the entire project. Much later I met sub-contractors that gave me more realistic and doable price ranges, some of them friends, who offered valuable information that convinced me I was capable of doing some of the work myself.
There are a lot of people who have at least some experience in DIY projects. YouTube is one of my favorite resources for simple tasks. But when it comes to a large-scale job there’s nothing more informative than picking the brain of someone with a lot of experience. This is especially helpful when considering what area you live in and how old your building is. It’s common for houses and buildings to be built similarly based on what company developed your area. Knowledge about an unknown variable in your neighborhood may be the deciding factor in attempting the project yourself.
You might think of questions and concerns along the way
Every once in a while I’ll accept a job site-unseen, where the contractor or home owner tells me everything I can think to ask and all their questions are answered over the phone. Later on an issue comes up that could have been addressed at the time of an on-site bid. It’s not really a big issue, but there is an amount of miscommunication that always needs to be resolved, which can be frustrating on both ends. When someone is at your place you can take the time to discuss all aspects of a project, explore options and understand the process that will take place. This will also help you understand how tasks will be itemized and give you the ability to better monitor the services agreed on.
Convinced to go ahead and take a few more days to schedule on-site bids? If anything, the meetings will help you feel more prepared to start. Here’s to your project. Wishing good luck and safety always.