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If you don't have either the time, or
the experience, to do it yourself- what do you need?
What are the essential tools you must have to complete a
successful remodeling project?
Most people have a vague notion that plans are important
and getting more than one bid is crucial. But as someone once said, the
devil is in the details.
We want to give you the best tools we know how to deliver.
The first one- so often ignored- is this: understand the contractor.
When you know what makes them tick: their motives, how they
operate, how they see your project, you will be empowered to use that
insight to structure your project in such a way that you get that contractor's
best price.
We've all seen that sign about the hourly rates for fixing
you car. If you watch, it's more money per hour than if you disappear.
If you help... then you pay the maximum rate.
The real message from auto mechanics is: leave us
alone. Let us do the work we know how to do, our way, not with you breathing
down our necks.
Contractors are the same. If you can put yourself
in their shoes, understand what they want, then, and not before, you can
configure your remodel for maximum efficiency and minimum cost.
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Sounds obvious? Sure it does. But it's one thing to stay
out of your contractor's way, quite another to grasp how they calculate
your bid; how they feel about change orders; how they build momentum and
schedule subcontractors.
Essentially, if you can recognize how to prepare a "slam
dunk" project, and then present it for bids, you will get great prices.
But if your project is fuzzy, full of unresolved details,
vague definitions, mixed liability; if you come across as indecisive,
exacting, controlling and arbitrary, your contractor will pick up on these
potential problems.
He (or she) wants a great project. Fast, detailed, defined.
As you delve into his or her mindset, that understanding will save you
thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of frustration.
We want to help you understand the language and the contractor-
not how to do the work yourself. Understanding takes basic common sense
and some study time. Learning how to do the work yourself takes literally
years of practice. Time most of us do not have to spare. If this is you;
if your idea of a weekend is relaxation, not digging drainage ditches;
if you'd rather stick at what you can do well and not risk your back,
or your marriage, we can help.
Copyright © C. S. McMinn 2001 - 2003
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