Bidding Today

I frequently have discussions with people who want multiple bids on their project. Most recently, I have a client who received a price from two builders to remodel their bathroom. Neither builder asked what the client wanted. What kind of tile, what kind of plumbing and lighting fixtures etc. etc. What the builders included in their pricing was an allowance for all of these items. Without asking what it is that you want, these builders are not doing their job. My first question to any client is, what do you want the space to look and feel like? This may seem simple but the reality is most builders do not care about design, they only care about price and their profit.

The cheapest builder or contractor is usually not who you want to work with. Ever hear the phrase, "you get what you pay for?" When I was working full time as an architect in both large and small firms we would receive multiple bids for any project (3 minimum). We would throw out the highest and lowest bid automatically because usually the lowest bidder was either forgetting something or looking to bombard the client and our firm with as many change orders as possible. It simply isn't worth it. We threw out the highest bid because most high bidders really don't want the job unless it's worth it to them. What's left are contractors that really know the business and have realistic pricing. The same can apply to your project no matter how large or small it is.

There are many people whom have recently been laid off or lost their job and feel like they can easily be a builder, get a license and are automatically in business. A builders license is not difficult to get. Take an online course or pay for a class and go take the exam. What is difficult is knowing how to apply that knowledge in the field and having the experience to make tough decisions. Anyone can watch a home improvement show and automatically think, "hey, that's not very hard to do." Time and experience will tell you otherwise. Construction is all about coordinating many systems in your home or commercial property. It is not nearly as easy as they make it look. It's simply good marketing! Home Depot and Lowe's want you to think you can do it and if you're lucky, they will help.

Simply put, I believe in a fair price for quality work. I don't believe in making money in the design/build business, I believe in earning it.

Roxul Insulation

We have been researching the cost and benefits of Roxul Insulation versus "standard" fiberglass insulation. There are many benefits of using Roxul over Fiberglass. Some Roxul insulation is cheaper than fiberlass so depending on the project, the price may be close to Fiberglass. We are anxious to use this product on our next project.

For more information, check out their website:

http://www.roxul.com/residential/products

Home sizes are shrinking!

I can honestly say that I saw this coming. One room in a house that I rarely saw anyone use was the formal living room. I always saw the living room as a waste of space, a room that you'll heat and cool and maybe use once a year for a holiday.

Check out this article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101115/us_yblog_thelookout/study-amid-housing-slump-home-sizes-shrink

what we are going to do on this blog...

Much like Facebook and other media out there, it seems there are just too many ways to communicate. On this blog for Building Detail, you will read and see what we've encountered in the design/build business. We will post information on new products we've used or are researching and daily encounters with clients and different trades. We will also be inviting guests to post here based on their experiences with design/build. They will range from other professionals such as architects, engineers to individual trades and client experiences.

From our end, I will be brutally honest with what we see and do. It isn't always pretty and most of the work out there is nothing pretty. In this economy, many people are just looking for simple updates and maintenance to their home. None of our clients are spending a lot of money on amazing renovations but we are fortunate to have unique clients that want nothing but quality. We'll see what the new year brings us but we are fortunate to have been consistently busy the past 18 months.

Please stay tuned...

thought of the day

The reality is we all think and do the same things... but we frequently try not to.

new website!!

Our new website, http://buildingdetail.com is up and running!