Some of us have the best personality types to work with contractors and many other professionals that you’ll interact with in your life. We salute you – it’s not easy. It’s not just about getting along well with someone, it’s about being your biggest advocate and ultimately walking away from the conversation with what you wanted to begin with. We know firsthand, that there are fewer conversations or interactions that are more frustrating than those where you walk away thinking “did I I just accomplish what I wanted in that meeting?” or even worse – “did I just agree to something that I’m not comfortable with?”
Breathe, the RW Steel team can help you mitigate any situation that has come to light. It just takes preparation, knowledge and confidence – all of which we can help you with. That’s why we stood up the RW Steel blog – we love sharing what we’ve learned with you, in the hopes that you’ll continue to pass it along to everyone that you know.
The first thing to remind you of is – contractors are (read: SHOULD) be on your side. They’re not doing this work solely for their own personal gain. It benefits them when they do everything right because you’re far more incentivized to promote them to your community. The thing to look for here is: are they a good ‘people fit’? The work is great, no doubt about that, but if someone is going to be in your home that often or for such a significant amount of time, we’re guessing that you probably want to like them a little bit. Don’t settle here – ask the questions that are important to you and those that will be in your home during the work. If you have any red flags as far as a connection, it’s very normal (and often assumed) to thank the contractor for their time and look for another. While the process can be cumbersome, it’s worth it… just make sure you don’t sign anything before you’re ready.
We talk about doing your homework all of the time. Your teachers (and probably your parents) said it when you were in school and they did so for good reason. While it might seem exciting to say “yes” to the first contractor that you meet, you really need to survey the landscape (local and industry). There are so many benefits here, but the greatest is that you can have the information (including costs) of other contractors in your back pocket, in order to make a deal with the contractor that you like best.
Finally, many get in their own personal heads when it comes to home renovations or jobs around the property. Community – you purchased and or are renting the property where you are for a reason! Get excited about the work ahead, because the outputs will be totally worth it if done right.
The RW Steel team is here to help. Email us or give us a call with any questions.