In the realm of home remodeling, the decision to embark on a project is often met with excitement and the anticipation of transforming your living space. However, the crucial step of choosing the right contractor can make or break the entire experience. Much like hiring a licensed inspector to assess a potential home purchase, selecting a contractor requires careful consideration beyond just comparing quotes. Here in Texas, where a license is required for various professions but not for home remodeling, the risk of choosing solely based on price can lead to significant pitfalls.
Opting for the lowest bid may seem financially savvy, but it often translates to compromised quality, hidden costs, and ultimately, dissatisfaction with the end result. In this blog post, we delve into the importance of prioritizing expertise, integrity, and reputation when selecting a contractor, alongside exploring the benefits of a design-build approach to ensure your remodeling project aligns with both your vision and budget. Learn from cautionary tales and discover practical strategies for securing a successful home renovation journey that preserves the integrity and value of your cherished space.
If you want to find the right house, it is wise to hire a professional and licensed inspector to ensure it doesn’t have water damage, structural problems like a cracked foundation or damaged load-bearing walls, electrical issues, or HVAC problems.
Choosing a contractor should be no different. The first step in remodeling is finding the contractor. Most homeowners think they are doing their due diligence and get multiple quotes from different contractors. However, many individuals look to reduce the cost of remodeling by choosing the contractor with the lowest bid, which is fraught with risk.
Here in our great state of Texas, you must have a license to sell a house or cut hair but not to build or remodel a home.
Many times, the pretext for choosing the lowest bidder is that you’re receiving a great price. In actuality, the quote is intentionally inexpensive compared to others because of omissions, inferior materials, and deceptive wording, which gives the homeowner false expectations. In turn, this will end up costing you more time and money.
Helpful hint:
You always want to make sure your contractor’s standards are high; they are experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable in their profession. We recommend choosing your contractor based on their capabilities, experience, honesty, and reputation within the community. This is also where the Design-Build aspect comes into financial planning with your remodeling project.
Without getting the builder’s input during the design phase, the bid can’t be determined until the design phase is complete and the project has been sent out to bid. This is typically where the owner is shocked to find out that the project cannot be constructed within their budget. This can result in the project being discarded or having to go back to the architect to redesign the project to bring it back into the budget. Once again, more time and money were lost, and lots of headaches for the owner. With design-build, everyone in each part of the process is involved to ensure the project is within the client’s budget.
In the design-build process, those who are going to build the project are consulted through the design process to provide building science and estimating information. And the designer is involve through the build to ensure the project is built as intended even as unforeseen circumstances arise. An added benefit to the design build process is that it provides one point of contact for the home owner avoiding the situation of the designer and contractor blaming each other as issues arise forcing anxiety and added cost for the homeowner.
A Stearns Story: We had a previous client who unfortunately hired a contractor who gave her the lowest bid. The previous contractor had “remodeled her bathroom” a year prior, and by the time she called us, mold had appeared on the walls, the paint was peeling, and the cabinet drawers were difficult to open and shut. This was due to poor-quality materials and craftsmanship.
In retrospect, this client had explored her options and thought she was taking the right steps before beginning the project. She solicited bids from three different remodeling contractors and chose the least expensive contractor, resulting in a complete redo of her bathroom one year later. To top it off, the contractor stopped taking her calls when issues arose.
As with most things in life, a key to success is asking good questions. Here, we will list some areas you might want to cover and provide a set of questions that will help reveal the contractor’s and designer’s knowledge level.
General Professionalism
- What do you do to maintain your professional development and stay current in your field?
Shows commitment to ongoing learning and professional growth. - Tell me about your most difficult client.
All businesses have some clients that are more difficult than others. Can they acknowledge and and openly discuss difficulties - What did you learn from that client?
Shows capacity for learning.
Design Knowledge
- What tools and software are essential in your design process, and why?
This helps gauge the designer’s technical proficiency and familiarity with industry-standard or emerging tools. - How do you stay up to date on evolving materials?
This helps gauge the designer’s capacity for providing the best possible option. - How do you handle clients who insist on poor design choices?
This helps understand how much control the designer will exert and how much guidance they will provide.
Building Science Knowledge
- What strategies do you use for moisture control?
This helps gauge the designer’s technical proficiency and familiarity with the building system. - How do you assess and improve indoor air quality?
Explores knowledge of ventilation, source control, and filtration. - What factors influence your selection of building materials for durability and sustainability?
Looks for understanding of material properties, embodied energy, and life cycle impacts.
Project Science Knowledge
- Can you show me one of your project schedules?
This helps gauge the technical proficiency and familiarity with project schedules. The schedule should be detailed and show a timeline. - How do you handle changes once a project has started?
Explores knowledge and use of change orders. Expect to see a copy of a change order. - How do you communicate about the schedule once the project has started?
Look for the capacity to communicate complex schedules.
Your home is the keeper of so many precious memories. We recommend doing your research and asking for referrals from people you respect and trust.
Learn more about our design-build process here or read more of our Happy Home Blog.
