Hingham: Why the details matter!!!

Did you know that 1 out 5 contractors are out of business in 5 years? Do you know why that is?
Many carpenters are great at building things but not at budgeting and creating scopes of work. So, I’m always surprised when we find someone has decided to trust their house and tens of thousands of dollars to someone who does bother or can’t lay out the details.

It’s always nice when someone comes back to us, or sends us a referral, because they “should have hired our team”. And we are always trying to help educate homeowners on what they should be looking for and asking their potential remodeling partners, which is why I think that the details should matter.

One of the things our team has spent a lot of time over the last fifteen years doing it creating a very detailed data base of specification and pricing associated with remodeling projects. Utilizing our templates and database we can create details scopes of work that outline each phase of a homeowners remodeling project. A detailed proposal is important so that as a homeowner you can see if you and your potential contractor are on the same page with what you are envisioning the project to include and exclude.

For instance here is a scenario that could happen. There is a kitchen project in which a designer provides the plans and asks  for a written description based on the plans and client wants. The designer asks the Almar team and another professional company to put together a proposal and we were within $1,800 of each other.  Not bad, there must have been something small we saw differently from each other. The owner also got a price form a third company on their own price. This third person gives them a proposal with short 1-2-line description and a price almost 1/3 less than the other companies.

So, did the 3^rd contractor price the same project as the first two? There is no way to know without a detailed description. The owner decided that the lowest number was what mattered most and that, since they had the plans, they must be including everything.

What happens when details are defined well:

1. Change Orders
   1. This costs homeowners time and more money. Frankly it just costs more money to go back and make changes once a project has started.
2. Time
   1. It takes time to price, get approval on, schedule and do Change Orders
   2. By not having a clear scope of work from the bringing it is difficult to create a schedule, thus many contractors take a lot longer to complete the project than homeowners think it should take.
3. Frustration
   1. Remodeling can be stressful enough – but add onto that find out what you are getting is not what you thought you were getting because the scope of work wasn’t clear.

So as you are interviewing partners for your home improvement project please remember that when choosing a professional remodeling company that the details matter. If you have questions about larger Home Improvement projects please let my team know. Our team has been working with families like yours for over 58 years. And it is important to us that everyone works together to create the best possible experience. If you have questions about your home improvement project please let us know. https://www.almarbuilding.com (781-826-2577) and watch our videos at http://www.youtube.com/almarbuilding.com

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Almar Building & Remodeling Co (Hanover Ma). As a third-generation family owned and operated company for over 58 years Almar Building has all the benefits of a small company with the options of a larger company. From Additions, Kitchens, Bathroom, Basement Renovations, Siding, Windows, to Doors Almar services the entire South Shore of Massachusetts including: Hanover, Hingham, Pembroke, Norwell, Scituate, Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanson, Abington, Rockland, Holbrook, Braintree, Weymouth, Milton, Westwood, and many more towns. Hingham: Why the details matter!!!