The Right Remodelers Equals The Perfect Kitchen Remodeling Results
The decision to remodel one’s home normally starts with a need or desire by the homeowner. Then the process of choosing a contractor begins. (I’ve previously mentioned the difference among contractors so I won’t repeat that part). The first meeting between the homeowner and a contractor ought to involve the contractor listing to the homeowners ideas, needs, wants and desires. They should be able to formulate a clear understanding of the general scope of ideas to accomplish their remodel project and should be able to start thinking of the budget. I feel that one of the leading mistakes in the remodeling process is the lack of reasonable budgets that homeowners arranged for their project.
Many homeowners have either been told by some expert on the television or radio the way projects can be completed for a minimal cost due to the slow economy and many contractors will give bargains on their price. It’s ridiculous to think people are going to offer their top quality work at a much lower price. When you pay lowered prices or choose the Low Bid contractor you get many problems in the quality of the work or even many times the project is started but never completed because the contractor walked away.
Unless you have an limitless budget, I believe that the contractor should be involved with the design process along with any architect and or designer. By having these parties work together you have a better chance of designing something that fits your realistic budget. It is very hard to give a precise preliminary estimate for remodels because each project is different. Using square footage calculations for additions is incorrect and wrong almost 100% of the time. One of the major factors in coming up with a cost is the selection of the finishes. You can’t just ask how much for a bathroom or kitchen remodel and assume someone to calculate a price if you don’t know what type of lights, tiles, flooring, cabinets, counter tops, and faucets, that you want to select.
The best option for budgeting a remodeling project is by acquiring a Time and Materials contract. As contractors, we’ve completed many projects under Time and Materials contracts. They are not for every contractor. Not every contractor is capable enough to know how the process works between the contractor and the homeowner. We’ve experienced this method of contracting with residential projects, as well as multi-million dollar commercial jobs. We’ve managed to come up with a design and meet the needs of our customers all while stay inside the budget.
You get what you pay for. Contractors who are telling you that they offer bargain rates because of a slowing economy will inevitably equal to a low quality remodel from low quality materials and craftsmanship. Some discounted contractors might have started yesterday because they say the rough economy as an opportunity to begin contracting. Others may hire undocumented workers and pay them poor wages to finish your remodel. Also, these contractors don’t have insurance to deal with the damages done to your home. Overall, they provide poor workmanship because they lack the knowledge or the skills to complete the remodeling project well. A good contractor will understand how to handle the project, employ sub-contractors, use good materials and retrieve proper permits.
REMEMBER: You get what you pay for. If an offer seems to good to be true, it probably is. Hire a Low Bid contractor or someone who is inexperienced and you will end up spending more for it in the long run. Before you start your project understand your available budget and advise your contractor of such, then let them tell you if they can complete the project for that price. If they cannot then you can adjust your budget and/or get additional opinions from other contractors to see if you are setting a realistic budget.
If you’re thinking about working with a Boulder general contractor for your next remodeling process, we promise that we will work with you from start to completion, providing Boulder kitchen remodels for a better kitchen.
March 18, 2011 | Posted by R.J. Finch
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