Is NOW the time to get a better deal?

I am hearing a lot about people looking for the “better deal.”  Absolutely, I’m all for saving money–been trying to do a lot of that myself.  However, I’m here to say that a better deal could spell trouble for you.

Sure, 5-10% less might be reasonable (and there are regulations coming that could make your project quite a bit more – more below), but a good business person running the contracting business is what you want. That means that this person will be making sure you are served WELL.

Sadly, I have heard of, and seen many projects of late where the homeowner got the shaft.  Now is the time when property owners need to have a professional who is truly on their side.  I can hear the replies, and you are right, it will cost more in the beginning, but let me tell you a story–true story.

A potential client chose to spend half of our $5000 fee with another design firm for her addition, which included a dormer.  To make a long story short, the dormer leaked, and the owner spent $1000 to fix it.  It still leaked, and they had to spend another $7000-8000 to move the dormer.  Had this owner used our process and service of design, they would have saved themselves about $5000. 

Lest I leave it there, this is a good time to start a project on a home built before 1978.  The EPA has drafted new guidelines that will be starting in April 2010 which will add at least $3500-$4000 to any project.  If saving money is your requirement, then this would be something to consider.  While leading up to that time, this is certainly something to keep in mind.  The contractors MUST be EPA certified to work on these projects.

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