The Risk of Picking the Cheaper Guy
Picking a contractor to build your deck is a big decision. Trusting the right professional with your time, property, and money requires ample consideration. When making a choice on which contractor is the best option for your project, make sure to consider several factors beyond just the lowest bid amount. These factors include:
Quality/code compliance - Many “cheaper guys'' are either unaware of codes, unwilling to follow them, or downright lazy. Attention to detail and quality craftsmanship transforms a beautiful, code-compliant deck, into a quickly deteriorating eyesore. A few hundred dollars now could save you thousands later on a deck that needs replacement. If your deck doesn’t fall apart early, then it’ll just be a matter of time before it’s structural flaws make themselves known, putting you or a family member in serious danger. We’ve seen it!
Warranties/adjustments - Once your deck is complete, things are bound to happen. A board may come loose, a step may creak, when working with a handmade product, there are always multiple variables at play. A cheaper contractor might not address these issues after the fact. They will haggle or even ghost you, and if they do manage to come out, the work will be shotty. If they aren't getting paid for it, chances are they don’t care about your satisfaction.
Appropriate planning - Unfortunately, some contractors do a poor job of establishing a scope of work with the customer, which leads to disagreements, discrepancies, and a poor overall customer experience. Whether they miscalculate the material required, the cost to obtain it, or plainly don't listen to your requests, jobs will see unexpected price increases and you could be left footing the bill or in a big argument with your contractor.
Timeline for completion - Another common theme with bad contractors is a failure to provide an accurate timeline of events, or establish a scope of work with you, the customer. This will lead to either a rushed build with poor craftsmanship, or a drawn-out build with no end in sight. Clear and concise timelines are a must when it comes to choosing a contractor. Always do your best to prequalify who you are hiring, whether it’s looking at reviews, qualifications, previous work, etc. Have open and honest conversations in terms of scheduling, and sometimes if it seems too good to be true, it might be.
Experience/problem solving - Problems are bound to arise, and the difference between contractors and their prices is how they are handled. Will corners be cut and hidden from you? Or will the problem be solved correctly the first time? The takeaway here is to understand that good work isn’t cheap, and cheap work isn’t good, and sometimes taking the initial hit on price could end up saving you many headaches (and dollars) down the road.
