Often when we meet with a homeowner to look over a project that they are working on, the will inform us that they are also getting other quotes. Our response is always the same: “We welcome it!” Actually we recommend it. If the first person that looks at your project wins you over and you choose to hire them on the spot, then good for you (I hope it’s us). However, it is a good idea to speak to more than one contractor for a number of reasons.
If a person is going to be working in your home, you should feel reasonably comfortable about having them in your house. Choose someone that you feel you can trust and knows what they are talking about. Talk to your prospective contractors and ask questions. Ask about things like insurance and WSIB. Ask technical questions and ask “why?” Even if you have no idea what they are talking about, you can generally tell if they know what they are talking about.
Then there’s pricing. Two or three professionals pricing the same job, should come in with pricing that is reasonably close to one-another. If one is a lot different from the others, you should first make sure that they quoted the same job (same materials, same scope of work, etc.). If everyone is quoting “apples to apples”, and one quote seems abnormally far off, you should probably be wondering about it. If your favorite is priced high, then tell him and ask him why his price is so high. If you favorite is low, then it could be a bonus for you. Just make sure he’s quoted what he was supposed to quote with nothing left out.
By the way, if price is your deciding factor, then close this page and go to Kijiji now. If you look hard enough, you can always find someone that will work for cheap. The catch is that you often get what you pay for.
Here are a couple of links that you may be interested in if you are planning a construction or renovation project.
