Your home remodeling project is not a commodity
Why you shouldn’t be hiring a contractor who looks at your home as a cookie-cutter commodity…
There are some purchases you make that are simply commodities, and try as brands might through the magic of marketing, they will never really be more than that. Think about your average sack of grocery store sugar. Sure, some bags have name brands proudly emblazoned across the packaging, some are super fine, and some are organic. But more often than not, don’t you just grab the bag that’s on sale? Because when it comes right down to it, one sack is pretty much the same as the next one. You ultimately buy on price.
When you stroll down the grocery store or big box store aisles, there are probably many more commodity products that come to mind. Lots of things from marshmallows to matches and dried beans to dryer vent hoses probably fall into this category.
But some things are far from ordinary. Maybe it’s your favorite flavor of coffee, the shampoo that works best on your hair, that pasta sauce your family loves or that particular sushi roll you crave. These items are unique to your desires, and the next best thing usually doesn’t cut it. You don’t mind paying more to get exactly what you want, because they are simply not the same as the next item on the shelf.
The same holds true for your Charlotte home remodeling project. You see, your home is simply not like anyone else’s. Everything about it is unique – from the foundation under your home to the roof above it and every board and nail in between. Even when you look at two similar homes in the same neighborhood, they are still distinct. They occupy different lots with varied soil conditions, are situated differently on those lots, are assembled by different people using different products who may have had their own unique installation methods.
For these reasons and many more, your home should never be treated exactly like someone else’s. That’s why we personally cringe when we see articles, internet pricing or some builders telling homeowners that their project should cost x amount of dollars per square foot. Those broad-brushed types of estimates fail to realize that remodeling is a service – not a commodity. What you are purchasing is the hands-on expertise and breadth of knowledge and experience of the team in question, and everything it takes for them to design your particular project, plan it effectively, and build it efficiently in your particular home, while integrating the materials you choose.
Why is understanding this essential? One reason is because you shouldn’t be hiring a contractor who looks at your home as a cookie-cutter commodity. Another is that you shouldn’t be setting potential contractors up to treat your project as just that by inviting competitive bids. In our next blog, we’ll take a deeper dive into why it’s essential that you remember that your Charlotte home remodeling project is unique as you are interviewing licensed, professional remodelers for the best fit.
