From Twitter fingers to understanding figures

The other day I saw a post where a woman said she got quoted $35,000 for a six and a half by fifteen-and-a-half-foot master bathroom. Her husband had already demoed it down to the studs. She listed out the line items that were included, said allowances were built into the quote, but that there was still a big discrepancy between what the line items added up to and the final number. She asked where the rest of the money was going. Was it all in design fees? She said she felt lost.

Why not say, “Hey, Contractor Bob, I really appreciate the proposal, but I noticed a big gap between the allowances and the total number. Could you help me understand where the rest of the cost is coming from?” That’s a normal, respectful question that opens the door to clarity.

Being more direct on your end, and your contractor being more transparent on his end, will go a long way. Instead, we go online to get validation or stir things up, not always on purpose, but that’s what happens. I’m not saying this woman was doing that intentionally, but in general, if we had more calm, honest conversations with each other, I think we’d all get further.

There are different types of contractors out there. You’ve got the guy just starting out. You’ve got the guy who’s been doing these 40 years by himself. You’ve got one-man bands, two-man teams, companies with four people, companies with 20 employees. Some of these people will serve you better depending on what you’re looking for, but it’s your job to learn how they work and where the extra cost, or value, is coming from.

Now you may feel I am off base saying it’s your job to understand how a company works. And I’m going to agree with you. The company should be telling you how the company works. Regardless of whose job it is, someone steps up to the plate to understand what’s going on. If you don’t do that, that’s also your fault and your problem if you do not extract the things that matter while building a relationship.

On the contractor’s side, we’ve got to do a better job too. We should be educating our clients on how we operate, what makes us different, and how we deliver value, not in a salesy way, but in a clear, human way.

You’ve got to figure out what kind of person you want in your home. Do you want to be serviced by a full team? Or do you want one guy who might be juggling multiple jobs and doing everything himself? Or do you want one guy who’s only working in your house, charges a premium, but is happy in life and delivers everything himself at a high level?

Do you like being guided through a process where a sales rep gets you started, a designer walks you through all the finish selections, then hands it to an estimator who gets you an exact number, then it goes back to sales to walk you through the quote, and finally to a project manager and production team who keep things moving and handle the whole experience? That structure isn’t free, but it’s designed to make things smooth.

Hiring a contractor is basically like hiring an employee. Your remodel is your business. You are now the boss, interviewing people to work in your home. Do you trust them? Do you trust them to be there when you’re not? Do you trust them to finish things while you’re on vacation and not watching?

This is where your own core values come into play. If you don’t know what you stand for or what kind of experience matters most to you, you’re going to struggle to figure out who the right contractor is for you. And don’t answer those questions based on who you want to be in the future. Be honest about where you are right now. Because when something goes sideways, it’s not future-you that must deal with it. It’s present-you.

When you interview a contractor, ask what their core values are. If they look at you sideways, be fair and ask them to follow up. Ask them what matters most in the work they do. Ask them how they’d handle a change order. Ask them what they’d do if something looked perfect when they left, but three months later there’s a problem. That will tell you what kind of person you’re dealing with.

Look, some people go with the cheapest quote and cross their fingers. Others want someone who’s going to pick up the phone and do the right thing no matter what.

Ryan Chowansky is the owner of Bluffton Builders, LLC, www.bluffton.builders.