Discussion»Questions»Finance» When hiring independents or self-employed contractors for work at your home, which should be higher, the amount you can afford or the amount
You forgot to mention how good looking they were and persuasive they may be. I would venture to say, do Not go for the amount you are willing to spend. It's hard to do sometimes but negotiate. It is always negotiable. If they aren't willing to do so, they aren't willing to give you what you would like. Allow them to make money. They NEED to make money, too. But, don't succumb to thinking you are getting better quality because they price it up too much. You would be surprised how many people get suckered into this train of thought. Don makes SURE people get paid handsomely with all needs being met and anyone hiding any costs. Quality and price CAN go hand in hand when you have the right person that sees both.
This post was edited by Merlin at April 16, 2019 5:55 AM MDT
Neither.....My dad ,my brothers ,my sisters partners and my self do all the work our self.....we get most all materials at cost and all we have to do is put them together safely... Oh....and in the right order I think mostly :)
That’s almost like the chicken and the egg debate: as a non-professional in their field, I don’t know what the going rate is for a small project that can’t be searched online for comparable pricing. I have to take the contractor‘s word, but how do I know it’s not double what it should actually cost? ~
Ask for a written estimate. If they won't give that ... don't hire them.
Once you get a written estimate, you can easily see if they are overcharging for supplies by checking the prices at the local Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever. And remember that contractors get a discount at those places.
Get different quotes for the work from different vendors then go with the best offer as long as you can verify that they do good work by speaking to their former clients. If it is important enough to you you may have to consider borrowing the funds to have the work completed. Other keep it within what you can afford.
Hello RandyD The amount you can afford should be the higher amount. This is true with most all purchases. You always want a cushion, some extra on the side for contingencies, also spending more than one can afford will lend to additional stresses which can detract from form the enjoyment of the completed project.
~ 
Art Lover 