You would think that hungry contractors would always charge less. Sometimes it doesn’t work that way.

You would think that hungry contractors would always charge less.  But lately I have been getting sticker shock on invoices from contractors I have known for years who always give me builder’s rates.

Your logic keeps saying that in the market slowdown your contractor would charge you your same old rates, or maybe better, to keep you calling him first.  He obviously doesn’t want to drive you away, especially if you’re one of the few builders offering him work during the slump.  Sometimes it doesn’t work that way for some reason.

It seems like exactly the opposite of what should be happening.  If they have fewer jobs, they obviously need money more.  Exactly.  Maybe the longer they sit around thinking about that truck payment they need to make, the more they try and maximize cash flow every time the phone rings.

What you can’t see is how the dead air is affecting them between your phone calls.  With less coming in, your contractor may be in kind of a panic, and when he gets your call, he might have a lot of ground to make up.  Bingo, you get the platinum plated price.

This will only work in the contractor’s favor for the first job.  Then he will start to get the reverse of what he’s looking for.  You will have a tendency to look for new contractors who are also hungry, but who are in a position of courting you as a new customer.  In contrast, the old contractor will be spending his longstanding goodwill by breaching your trust, charging you that price you didn’t expect.

When I get a high bill from one of my old guard, the first thing I do is call him on it.  “Wow, Joe – that much for that job?  OK.”  Then I pay it.  Then I start calling around.

If Joe doesn’t hear me call for a while after that, he’ll start to get the message.  Meanwhile, on the next job I try to get a good rate from somebody new. 

Hungry new contractors don’t always give good rates either.  They have nothing invested in you, and not every one is looking for repeat business.  Some treat you as a one shot deal.

But I’m always looking for that second and third contractor so I can get multiple bids on jobs that come up, and to call in case my regular guy isn’t available.  It never hurts to have a few more contractors on your call list.

At some point, I’ll call my regular contractor back and ask for a bid on a job.  By then, the price is usually back to normal, and he’s got my business again.

Keeping your contractor on track requires tenacity. Here are some tips for getting the best results.

What is the biggest reason a remodel project slows down or stops entirely? Your contractor has other priorities. Here is how you can take control of the problem.

A contractor will always have other priorities and it’s your job to make your project his number one.

The single biggest tool of leverage you have to make your contractor keep you number one on his list is tenacity.

If you don’t keep just one arm’s length away you can breed complacency, and if his phone rings with other pressing issues you may be on the losing end when competing for his time.

You may not even be aware this is happening on your project. If the contractor leaves the job for other work, he likes to make it look innocent enough at first. Usually he will say that he must go, but it will only be for a day then he will be right back.

You can’t avoid this scenario entirely, and there will be times when the contractor is going to go elsewhere. You cannot stop him from going, but it is your job to mitigate the lost time.

Diligently stay in touch with phone calls asking if he is still on track to returning back to work. If he suggests anything that drastically alters the original plan start “crying the blues”.

Start to tell him you understand how sometimes emergencies do come up elsewhere. Then remind him that you depended on him to stay committed to this job until complete.

Always tell him you are very, very happy with the work he has done to this point, but now you’re very concerned about your project and its sensitive deadline may suffer because he has chosen to leave your site for another.

You can say something like, “Please get your work done as quickly as possible so you can return to our project”. Then add, “I only have a couple of days that I can spare you away”.

What you are doing is setting the table for the next level of discipline. If he isn’t back and working within the renegotiated time then you must take the next step.

Call him to tell him that you regrettably must consider replacing him with another contractor. Tell him how much you would hate that. Tell him how happy you were with his work, but he has now put you in a very awkward position that you must rectify. Ask him firmly but nicely to return immediately.

If he doesn’t respond, you need to cut your losses and replace this guy. You gave him numerous decision points and he still continued to choose elsewhere. He can’t say you just woke up one morning and without any warning cut him out of the deal. That’s important.

If you have to replace your contractor, setting the tone with your new guy at the start is crucial to momentum later in the project. Start with preliminary phone calls to give momentum a chance to warm up and don’t relax until a couple of days of work have been done.

Call the contractor a few days before the scheduled start, always the day before the start and usually the morning of the start to confirm he is on his way to meet you. It’s hard to overwork the starting momentum of a job and its importance is under rated. The message you send at this point to the contractor will help you throughout your work with him.

It’s your job to resend the same message throughout the course of the project that you are here, you are paying attention and you have a clear objective of your business together.

For more information, my book “How to Take Control of Your Contractor Nightmare and Finish Your Remodeling Project FAST!” is packed full of valuable insider tips that will give you instant insight into how a contractor operates so you can get the performance and results of a professional builder.

How to Take Control of Your Contractor Nightmare and Finish Your Remodeling Project FAST!

A contractor nightmare doesn’t just affect you, it affects your entire family, your friends, even your co-workers.

You are stressed out all the time over something that should not be this hard!

If your contractor did his job, you could be enjoying your fantastic new kitchen, your spacious addition, or a barbecue on your new deck.

Waiting for a repair to be finished, like the roof or the bathroom, can seem like a lifetime of inconvenience!

Trying to sell your house in this awful real estate market? You have to get that remodel done fast just to compete with all the other houses for sale.

Now – take control and get your life back! 

My book “How to Take Control of Your Contractor Nightmare and Finish Your Remodeling Project FAST!” is packed full of valuable insider tips that will give you instant insight into how a contractor operates so you can get the performance and results of a professional builder.