Getting Started
TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
Truth in advertising I HAD THIS EDITION’S column all written and ready to go with the title, “how to best select your contractor.” However, I have recently witnessed so much misleading advertising and misinformation that I wanted to address some of the things that you need to watch for. I suppose it falls in line with how to select your contactor but this issue might lean towards who not to select rather than the positives I’ll discuss in the next issue. First off, free this and free that. It drives me bonkers to see people falling for this one and I’ll tell you why. Nothing is free. Recently, I’ve seen free drawings offered. While there may be no charge on the invoice for this, believe me, it’s built in to the cost. Computers cost money, software costs money, designers cost money so while you may be intrigued by the free up front service, you are likely to pay more in the end when they add these costs into the final bill. Free estimates are for brake jobs and windshield wipers. I’m not saying you should expect to pay for a quote if you have proper documents to quote on, but how much time, effort and research do you think someone’s going to put into an analysis of your project if they are giving it away for free and not sure if they will be awarded your project. They are more likely to mislead you with a lowball quote to get in the door and then hammer you on extras because of your lack of project plans and documentation. This alone has to be the single biggest reason for project cost overruns, the free un-researched estimate done on your major renovation to your biggest investment, your home. Choose your contractor wisely and pay them to be your advocate. You will come out so far ahead. Licensed and bonded. This one’s a beauty and I see it all the time where they are trying to give you the sense of 26 YPNEXTHOME.CA
credibility by saying they are ‘licensed and bonded.’ For residential renovation companies in Manitoba there is no license required, though there should be, and no renovation contractor is going to carry bonding for your project. It’s massively expensive, is seldom needed and only used on large commercial private sector or government projects, so don’t fall for this one. If you see this in an ad, flags should go up. On line referral services. This is likely the fastest growing sector for contractors, credible or not to get their name out there but some mean a lot more than others. Most, even if they have a TV name star endorsing it or not are simply referral services to increase online presence. I have been asked time and again to join these and have been told that they were going to make my company great if I sent them so much money a month. When I asked what criteria they used to decide if I was a good candidate, they asked for nothing more than my money. It didn’t
matter if I had been in business a week or forty years. They were going to endorse me as long as I paid the fee. Bottom line folks is to be careful. Do your research on the contractor, not on what’s being offered to get your business. Once you have a good company that fits well with your project and you have that warm fuzzy based on knowledge and experience, trust it. A good contractor has your best interests at heart and wants to do a great job for you and be fairly compensated for their efforts. Who could ask for anything more.
Wayne Sage is the owner and President of Harwood Design Builders, a multi National and Provincial award winning Winnipeg Design - Build contracting firm and a certified Master Renovator.