Every time you walk into your bathroom, you wish it was updated. Maybe the cabinets are old, maybe you don’t have enough storage; the wallpaper might be circa “The Brady Bunch” or you could be thinking it’s really time to sit down in the shower. Regardless, change is in the air, and along with it comes a million questions:
How do I know if the contractor I hire is reliable? Will my belongings be safe? Will I like the end result, and what will it cost? Finally, if my contractor moves in with me, can I charge him room and board?
We’ve all heard the nightmare construction stories; from the couple whose bathroom took six months to finish, to the kitchen with the gaping hole where the center island belongs because the one that was ordered didn’t fit. How about the bathroom walls that were beautifully tiled BEFORE the city signed off on the plumbing so they had to be ripped out again, SIX MONTHS LATER?
The reality is that there are plenty of reputable Contractors who may not be misleading you intentionally. They may have good intentions but might be disorganized, inexperienced or understaffed. AND……..there are those who DO prey on uninformed homeowners. The distinction really has no bearing on the final outcome. The project goes south and you are the one to suffer.
Part 1: Will the Job EVER be finished?
What they won’t tell you: The exact completion date.
Why they won’t tell you:
- Reason 1: They can’t. They are using primarily subcontractors to complete the work and as diligent as they are about confirming dates for the subs to show up as well as when they might complete the work, they cannot control the actual “when”. Even when they use their own in-house labor, they rarely put a complete crew on your job from start to finish. It’s usually a different team or individual who shows up during the various phases of construction.
- Reason 2: They don’t know. They just don’t have the experience to be able to estimate timing properly. For most, every job is a new and different experience. Most don’t specialize, as we do, and so they just don’t know.
- Reason 3: They are constantly waiting for product. Most Contractors don’t have the facilities to warehouse product prior to starting the project. In addition, they don’t really wish to get involved in the purchasing of product. They typically don’t buy a lot of product, thus they can’t get great prices on it and therefore they can’t offer that service to the client at a reasonable price. It’s a vicious circle. The client buys the product and it’s often incorrect or missing parts. They start jobs without what they need and are often forced to wait.
- Reason 4: They are not used to how small jobs must be managed. Most contractors prefer large jobs. Right now, they HAVE to do the small jobs. We ARE the small job company. We know how to do it because we’ve been doing it for years.
At One Week Bath, we guarantee our start and finish date – we’re the experts AND we are used to smaller fast moving projects. In fact, if we don’t finish on time, we pay you by the day! We can do this because we only build bathrooms – over 1,200 so far. Our crews work for us and only us AND we commit a crew to your specific project from start to finish. They all graduate our training program. Finally, we ensure every component of your bathroom is in our warehouse and checked for quality and completeness, BEFORE a hammer ever hits your wall. No stopping and starting.