What do you hope to “get” from your choice in a contractor…

 
February 3, 2016

Getting to the “get”…..

It appears at times, as a society, we sure are getting pretty good at “Goal Setting.” The number of folks jamming themselves into the gyms in the New Year and the number of invasive on-line advertisements for quick weight loss gimmicks, powders and contraptions is almost overwhelming. Clearly the resultant boom in items placed on Kijiji in the next few months will be a solemn testament to that fact.

The same can be said of renovation or remodelling dreams. Be it a major addition or a small powder room. often we can quickly fall short of our “goals” by not focussing on what we really hope to “get” at the end of a renovation project.

Consumers are bombarded by advice about “getting things in writing” and weeding out all the “crooked” renovators out there – but few people comment about, what excellent renovators already know. It is the process of building a quote that is the most significant quality of an excellent renovator. In fact, it is the hallmark of all the great ones.

In the renovation industry,  calls that come in asking for the cost of a “basic kitchen” or a “basic deck” or a “basic anything,” are common. People are often surprised when I ask them what their “goals” are for the project they have in mind,  and what they hope to “get” out of the process of working with us.  Those two questions often lay the ground work…admittedly, for VERY short conversations, but they also have been the germination of almost every major project we have ever built since 1986.

While certainly the number of approaches to planning and design process  for renovation are vast and I wouldn’t begin to suggest that our process is, by any means, the best. I do however think that it is vital for consumers to understand, project satisfaction, can be easily predicted in the process of “goal setting” and forecasting “goal getting” with your contractor.  It is the process of partnering with someone that can bring your project goals to fruition that will hold value and pay dividends in the love of your project and your process by the end.

An excellent example is people who have a goal of “getting” a composite deck. With the advances in technology and the ever lengthening warranties on the better quality composite decking, it is becoming increasingly clear that building with composite as a decking material results in a longer lasting, more durable product. However, with the difference in cost between wood and composite – there is often a lot of soul searching that needs to occur with our clients when it comes to budget. This is where a good goal setting is indispensable. While composite is the “Cadillac” of decking materials, it is important to remember what the ultimate goal of having the outdoor living space is. Once you have decided that, you can move to design process followed by budget considerations and ultimately a choice of where your funds are best allocated. We certainly have experienced a great number of clients that absolutely love their wooden decks and certainly  just as many who love their composite decks. Each comfortable in the decision they made in setting a goal and then going and getting one that was right for them.