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What a Good Contractor Provides

Why bother hiring a pro? Let's consider...

What a Good Contractor Provides

Do it yourself?  Self made man?  Pull yourself up by your bootstraps?

We live in a country that values individualism and that has glorified men and women who have built successful lives by the efforts of their own 2 hands.  In the 21st century we have an entire TV channel called the Do It Yourself network.  Many of us feel that the right way to do something is to “do it yourself”.

Are you tempted to tackle that bathroom project on your own?  Does a kitchen remodel sound like a good project to finish on your nights and weekends?  Would you love to build your own new home, but can’t stand the thought of paying a contractor to oversee the job, when you know you could do so much of it yourself?

These are real issues faced as construction professionals offer their services in the marketplace.  So why do quality contractors stay busy with work, when much of the world figures it would be best to do it themselves?  Let’s examine what  a good contractor brings to the equation:

Experience
When you hire an experienced contractor, you get to take advantage of the lessons learned from doing a variety of jobs over several years time.  The best contractors will admit to having learned lessons the hard way in the past, and those lessons learned are brought onto your job.  If you are going to make a rookie mistake, maybe you don’t want it to be in your own house!  Professionals who have seen lots of different situations can be terrific problem solvers for the unique project you want to do.

Contacts
Not even your best local contractor is an expert in absolutely every field; however, a great contractor will have a team of tradespeople surrounding him that can help tackle any project.  The adage that “it’s not what you know, but who you know” comes to mind.  When you hire a quality general contractor, he brings a tool belt full of experts in different disciplines to the party.  The do it yourselfer may wonder how this or that particular specialty will get done; the top notch contractor likely already has the person or organization in mind to answer the most difficult questions.

Knowledge and Training
Fewer and fewer people fix their own cars, due to the complexity of today’s automobiles.  Similarly, today’s homes are becoming more and more high tech - and our collective knowledge about building science continues to grow.  Contractors who are worthy of your consideration often set themselves apart by their ongoing training.  A contractor or their staff may have earned an advanced designation from a local or national governing body; or a contractor may participate in trade groups that are designed to keep professionals “in the know” about the latest and greatest ideas in building.  When a contractor works full time in the field and enhances his or her education through further training, it’s unlikely that the do it yourself homeowner can match the knowledge level found in that professional.

So go ahead and break out the old painting shirt for that dining room touch up - But when you have a project that you think may be out of your reach, consider the true value that a quality, professional contractor offers.

Thanks for reading!