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The Dodgy Dentist VS the Professional Builder
If you’re in the process of selecting a builder to renovate your home and think the price should be the biggest determining factor, you may want to rethink a few things before you move forward.
Here’s a quick story. I was chatting with a friend of mine yesterday, and they seemed a bit distressed. I inquired why and they told me they had just received a phone call from QLD Health informing them that the dentist they used for their wisdom teeth extraction was under investigation for using faulty equipment and reusing the same unsterilized equipment on multiple patients. As someone who’s been to the dentist and the doctor, this terrified me to hear.
This sort of gross misconduct (literally) can result in medical complications for the patient. Thankfully, my friend’s medical tests all came back negative with no signs of any complications from the dentist’s malpractice. I did ask him one question; what made you choose that dentist? He replied that his decision was 100% based on the fact they were cheaper. Most places had quoted him between $1200 and $1800, but these guys came in at $600.
I asked him if it was worth the few bucks he saved. Was it worth the potential lost wages, doctor’s fees, and hair loss from the stress if he had developed complications from the subpar service? Of course, he said no and wished he had opted for a more professional operation rather than trying to save a few bucks.
Unfortunately, this is a classic result when we don’t do enough research about the companies we work with and allow ourselves to be blinded by a low price. This is particularly important in the world of building contracting.
In 2014, we were contacted and employed by a client who had been trying to add an extension onto their home. The first builder they selected, based solely on price, had completely flubbed the addition and left the client high and dry. We had to come in and remove the extension completely and replace it with the exact same floor plan they had originally expected to get from the cheaper builder. Not only did the client have to pay for the extension twice, but they had to pay to remove the initial work as well!
The moral of the story is there are some things in life where skimping on quality to try and save a few bucks can actually cost you a lot more in the long run. This cost is not only financial, but emotional as well. Do your research, compare apples to apples, and expect a building quote to be no less than 10-15 pages full of detail and the inclusions you need to finish your project on budget and with everything you specified from the very beginning.
If you think it’s expensive hiring a professional, wait till you hire an amateur!