Price vs. Quality

One of the biggest issues I find being a contractor is the views on quality versus price. There is so much competition here and quotes can vary wildly, but are people actually comparing what you get for the price. This is something that I struggle with, with every quote I give.

One of the main points I try to make to potential customers is the difference in company size. C.R.L Construction is a small company, we like being a small company, that way we can give our clients the maximum attention they deserve. We don’t have high overhead, we don’t have offices and production facilities; we don’t have fancy sales people. With this we are able to offer our services at a competitive rate and still have high quality. With larger companies you are paying for things that don’t even affect your project because of how the company's pricing works. You don’t get as much attention to detail because they have more than 2 jobs on the go at once. Some companies don’t even have their own employees, all the work is sub-contracted out. These are what we call paper contractors. These people/companies just want the money; they have never even held a hammer or had there arm down a drain pipe. I’m not saying sub-contracting is a bad thing by the way; I have and am a sub-contractor to different great companies.

Im getting a little off topic. The old saying, you get what you pay for is something to live by when getting renovations done. I’m not saying go for the most expensive either. You need to ask questions, weigh things equally, and then make decisions. In very rare cases will you find quality trades people for cheap. I am reminded of a certain tile setter who would lay tile for prices you would usually see guys getting paid in new house developments. He did excellent work and should in my opinion have been charging 3 times as much, but that is what he felt he should charge. There is the other side as well. I have gone in to fix jobs where the contractor before me charged an arm and a leg, and the quality of work was just horrible.

People put to much focus on price; don’t accept the quality you get for the price you paid. Pay for the quality you deserve and be happy for a long time. The higher the quality the longer the smiles of the clients will last. And for contractors, if you strive to be the best and it shows in your work, your name will get passed along and soon enough you will have all the work you want. But remember to keep your overhead low, your prices reasonable, and never let quality and customer satisfaction suffer.