Three Things You Should Never Let a Contractor Talk You Into.
Doing housework can be a stressful event for many reasons. Of course there is a price . There is disorder—dust and disorder, plus people loudly stomping around the house. And there is the stress of being at the mercy of someone who knows much more about your home and its systems than you do. Due to the knowledge gap , it is sometimes easy for contractors to talk you into doing something .
If your contractor tells you that something is necessary, desirable, or costs extra, you don’t always have the information to fight back. A shady contractor can take advantage of this and instill fear that a poor decision will lead to bigger problems or regrets down the road, and before you know it, your modest renovation will turn into a huge project. Here are three things you should always resist when a contractor tries to talk you into it.
Upsells
Budgeting for a remodel or renovation is never an exact science—you’ll usually be advised to add an extra 10% or so to whatever budget amount you come up with to hedge against the unexpected. And sometimes the contractor will have a very good reason to advise you to upgrade some aspect of your project to something more expensive, be it more expensive materials or fancier appliances. But often these are just upsells, a tactic to increase their own profits so that they can get extra profit to purchase and install more expensive equipment.
It’s important to pay attention to whether your contractor is simply offering a recommendation or is pushing you to make changes. The latter suggests that there is an ulterior motive beyond counseling their client, and if they are impatient with any suggestion that you need to do some research, you should definitely drop the idea. The proposal, in addition to “it’s better,” must also have a rational reason. If a contractor suggests replacing cheaper ceramic tile with expensive natural stone, can he tell you that it will last better, last longer, or otherwise have a real, lasting impact on the results? If they can’t offer you a rationale, skip the upsell.
Corner cuts
When working on a home, unexpected problems regularly arise—repairs that turn out to be more complex than expected, or problems that are discovered when walls and floors are opened. A conscientious contractor will face these issues head-on, have an open dialogue with you about any additional costs or time, and will never compromise the quality and safety of the job.
If your contractor is trying to talk you into cutting some corners , either to keep costs down or to speed up a project that has started to fall behind schedule, be careful. This is especially true if they suggest something that could cause problems in the future—long after they’ve left. For example, several years ago, when we were renovating the bathroom in my house, one contractor suggested that we remove a water valve that was cutting off the water supply to a hose connection outside the house (the pipe ran from the bathroom through about twelve feet of wall to the bathroom). outside). I realized that this suggestion would simply make his job of tiling that part of the room much easier, but if the pipes ever burst, there would be no way for me to isolate the water without shutting it off for the entire house, so I insisted that he make it more difficult.
Again, pressure is key: if your contractor offers to skip some aspect of the job because he insists it’s the only way to stay on schedule, refuse. And be especially suspicious if they insist that skipping something is actually a benefit to you , because “not doing part of the project” will almost never benefit you, but getting paid even though you didn’t completed everything initially specified will certainly benefit them .
Scale creep
Finally, some contractors view any chance of breaking into your home as an opportunity to inflate the project (and the expected profit on the job). Scope creep is when a contractor agrees to take on a project and then starts adding new aspects to it. The modest work of dismantling a bathtub and installing a shower gradually turns into a full-fledged bathroom renovation. Replacing a few old windows turns into new windows and new doors.
The key to managing a renovation is to have a clear plan before you begin and then stick to it. If your contractor has a good reason to insist on expanding the scope of work, he should insist on it from the very beginning, before contracts are signed and deposits are paid. Suddenly rushing into a more ambitious project in the middle of a job is often a sales tactic that forces you to make a decision while your house is in shambles.
As noted above, sometimes scope creep is a necessary evil: If your contractor removes a bathtub and discovers that the floor is completely rotted, expanding the scope to include a new subfloor is inevitable. But resist any increase in scale that does not have a clear and compelling rationale.