Guest column: If you want the job done right, hire a professional remodeler

By Kathy Curatolo

Executive Vice President

Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA).

May is National Remodelers Month and the CBIA would like to share the importance of hiring a quality remodeler.

Any homeowner planning to remodel wants nothing less than a professional job. Who wouldnt want the best quality in terms of workmanship and materials when it comes to improving their most prized and most valuable asset? However, when it comes to selecting a remodeler, too many buyers conveniently forget the time-proven adage that you get what you pay for.

The dilemma that confronts many homeowners is their desire for a top-notch job at the lowest possible price. With price as their primary focus, they ignore other criteria that may carry more weight in producing a successfully completed project and a smooth working relationship with the remodeler.

Its understandable that price is a major consideration when it comes to remodeling. The cost of remodeling has increased as the demand for remodeling grows. Higher costs of materials (such as copper pipes) and scarcity of skilled labor are just two factors contributing to price hikes. A national trade magazine, Remodeling, reported in the Cost vs. Value survey that a mid-priced major kitchen remodel, a popular remodeling project, costs $53,931. For a minor remodel of the same 200-square-foot kitchen, the cost is $18,527.

Homeowners need to understand that remodeling is a service and not merely a product. This service encompasses the intangibles that make up the process of remodeling how everything comes together and results in a satisfying experience and an acceptable finished product. The materials and products that go into it cant define a professional job alone.

The nature of remodeling as a service becomes even more pronounced when you consider that inevitably youll be sharing your home with the remodelers crews for weeks or even months, depending on the scale of the project. All remodeling involves some degree of inconvenience, but inconvenience can easily turn into a nightmare if your remodeler doesnt put your familys comfort and concerns first.

Rather than selecting a remodeler based on where one bid falls compared to others, shift your focus to finding a professional remodeler; then go about getting a bid on your job. If the bid is higher than what you budgeted, work with the remodeler to decide where you can cut back or what you can postpone to keep the project on budget.

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Guest column: If you want the job done right, hire a professional remodeler