Deciding on a home builder or remodeler is a daunting and overwhelming task.
Are they who they say they are? Will they see your vision? Can you afford this? Will you end up being scammed out of all of your hard-earned money?
These are only a few of the many questions and concerns that go through our clients’ heads prior to hiring us. They are legitimate questions, and unfortunately, we have seen our fair share of owner nightmares in real life
Often, homeowners get what we call “sticker shock”. With materials becoming more scarce and prices rising, the costs of these projects have gone up significantly even from just 5 years ago! As we saw with Lumber in 2020 that rose over 400%.
Choosing the right company for your project can save you headaches and money.
But how do you find the right one? A Google searches for contractors near you is a great start. Be sure to look for good reviews and companies that have been in business for (at least) over 5 years.
What we often see with burned clients, are contractors that take a heavy down payment do a little or no work, and skip town. It’s a terrifying reality how easily someone can do this with little to no recourse for the homeowner.
Make sure they have a good online presence. This helps you learn that they are who they say they are and helps to verify their work and timelines. Get multiple bids. Keeping in mind, cheaper is almost never better. Does this mean the highest bidder is the winner? No. The bid amount should not be your first deciding factor. And we know, this hurts a little. But it will save you in the long run.
Just this year alone, we have run into several situations where the homeowners hired the lowest bidder and ended up spending double the budgeted amount repairing the previous contractors’ work.
True Story:
Our clients’ original contractor bid 250k of work. The homeowner paid ½ upfront and more along the way. Only about $20,000 worth of work was done and the contractor left without a trace.
River City Construction and Design was hired to finish where we found so many mistakes. The work done was not only against code but dangerous. The homeowner had to acquire the extra costs for fixing the damages as well as restarting the entire project.
Once repairs were made to the original mistakes, and the actual remodel was completed, the homeowner was out over $350k.With all of this said. The cheaper bid doesn’t mean you’re being scammed. The new guy doesn’t mean you’re going to be left high and dry. We all have to start somewhere and there are so many great, trustworthy contractors in the industry.
This is an actual photo from a recent project.
Those two studs are holding up an entire second story. These “contractors” didn’t use a temp wall or proper support. Thankfully the Homeowner noticed this and called in an Engineer. These guys were subsequently let go and we can go in and support that area properly. There is much more wrong with this project but this one takes the cake.
From Austin, San Antonio, Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Leander, and all over Central Texas-
River City Construction and Design has been helping clients recover from scams and shoddy work left by others, and making their dream home, a reality.
Remember, not all heroes wear capes. The good ones wear worn in work boots.
