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Home Improvement Psychology
by Hank Jaworowski
Every homeowner who ventures into the world of home improvement or
repair must come to respect, and whenever possible
avoid, "significant add-ons to their project."
Your contractor may subtle recommend that while he is working on
your project you would be best to add an item to the project. What
happened to discussing this item prior to the project? Discuss add-
ons before a contract is signed. Make a written agreement listing
all the possible project options and costs before you sign any
contract.
When a homeowner decides they want to add this and that to a
project, during production, it will usually lead to over spending as
well as project delays. This is the fundamental reason why thorough
planning of your project, before hand, is so important.
Sometimes poor contractors will give low allowances for items in a
project.
Their philosophy is that their pricing is lower than their
competitors thus it gives them the edge. They will suggest that you
can pick the items as they go along. NO NO NO!!! In this type of
situation the consumer finally gets around to looking at what the
allowance will get them and is not happy with the limited choices.
Thus add-ons begin in the form of higher priced materials. Make
selections before you sign a contract and not after! This will go
far in insuring your project runs smoothly and is on budget.
Add-ons are OK if they are reasonably small. Major add-ons are not
only costly but usually disruptive to the flow of the project. Add-
ons can cause a variety of inconveniences. Do yourself a favor, take
the time and plan your project right the first time and avoid
costly, project delay add-ons.
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