It is quite rare to have a great experience hiring a contractor to help you enhance your home. I’m convinced 75% of the reason is usually the fault of the homeowner. There is hope!
Picture this, you’re a plumber, carpenter, or electrician. You run solo or maybe with a small scrappy crew. Commercial work is the dream, someone just wants the job done, it isn’t personal, the price isn’t always everything, it’s probably a bigger scale job – maybe even several months long, probably newer construction, and you don’t generally have to worry about whether you’ll be able to access the job site when you plan.
Most contractors are technicians. Tradespeople. They are skilled at their craft and ideally have a real passion for it being done RIGHT. They tend not to be salespeople, business people, or even customer-service oriented. Their mentality is all about problem solving, and they want to fix it.
The Infamous Homeowner
Now let’s talk about us, the typical homeowner. A homeowner is usually very cost sensitive, this is a big investment having a contractor come out. It’s unlikely even a small visit is less than a few hundred dollars. That’s real money for most people.
They also have a life with an inflexible schedule that can also change unexpectedly (a paradox). If they are paying a contractor what they feel is real money, shouldn’t it at least fit their own schedule?
And then there is the pickiness. I’m not excusing poor workmanship but often a homeowner won’t know what is actually best or easily done. They work with a contractor till the end of the project and either due to misunderstanding or just little picky nonsense they essentially muscle a contractor into doing something or fixing something by holding the final project payment over their head.
Some combination of the above is typical of most people. You can see how a contractor would get really burned out working for this type of person.
Your contractor needs therapy.
They’ve been hurt, bullied, and abused. Ah! but you can be different, you now can empathize and be kind. If you can communicate to a contractor that you aren’t just another in a long line of abusive customers – most will be happy to work for you, with excellent quality, timeliness, and even move earth and sky for you.
I’m not saying be a pushover, you can be kind and stick to your guns. You need to telegraph a few things to them and trust is one yes, but so is a desire for the work to be completed quickly and right.
The 4 Secrets to Hiring-a-Contractor Bliss
These are the tips that will ensure you aren’t a nightmare client. You are going to communicate certain things to ease their mind. You are going to do your best to set the project up to be an easy home run for your contractor. You will be happy, they will be happy. Let’s do it!
1. Money, money, money
It’s unavoidable, quality work costs. Don’t pursue having work done if you aren’t willing to pay well for it. Contractors waste a ton of time bidding work – that cost gets passed on to someone at some point.
Telegraph early on that you know it is not going to be cheap to have this done right. Nothing worse than a contractor feeling like they are working for a scroogy skinflint.
You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 24:15
Pay cash. This one is controversial but cash is king. Unless they specifically want a check, often cash is way better for amounts under $1k. The more independent they are, the more this applies.
Are you just encouraging tax avoidance? Perhaps, but you are giving them options with how and what they report, better to leave it to their discretion. The tax system is brutal for small business owners – he is already working at a massive disadvantage to big companies who have dedicated staff for bookkeeping and tax compliance avoidance. Cash gives him flexibility with how he pays his help or buys materials or even lunch.
The real reason for paying in cash… impact.
Compare the psychological impact of handing someone a $1000 stack of bills verse handing them a check or swiping a card. They are the exact same amounts but somehow the cash feels more real and substantial. It also shows you trust them and are putting the project to bed. You can cancel a check or put a hold on a credit card payment, cash has a finality that tells them you trust them and the trade of their handiwork for your cold hard cash is complete.
Offer to partially pay them in advance or in phases as they work and are buying materials. Again, use caution and don’t be a fool and get too far ahead, but you don’t want to unnecessarily force them into floating your project cost.
Ascertain the cost as much as possible upfront so you aren’t surprised. It is just the reality of life that you bump into unexpected hurdles and costs but set the tone of transparently working through to keep costs known and in check. You might want to prepare yourself mentally that the cost will be 10-20% higher than initially estimated.
To sum, the tips for money:
- Communicate you are willing to pay
- Pay with cash
- Pay them partially in advance or in phases
- Ascertain the cost upfront
2. Flexibility of Timing
Like most things there is a balance here. You want them to know having something done soon is important so the project doesn’t drag on forever. But you also need to be as flexible as possible to when they can fit your project in. Contractors love if they can have a small project in their pocket they can turn to and fill in the gaps while a big project has a lull.
Remember, the cost of a job is not just materials but their time. Your project is also an opportunity cost for them. They could be doing easier, more profitable… more commercial work instead of risking their time with you.
Navigate this with wisdom but sometimes even allowing someone to work while you aren’t around shows trust and allows for that flexibility.
What say you? Is this the path to a good experience? Did we miss a tip? Comment below!
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