Monthly Archives November 2015

In retail, the Holy Grail is good, cheap, and easy – it’s what consumers want, and what
many companies like Walmart deliver. What is the cost to manufacturers, who are
“bullied” into nearly giving away their products?
Vlasic was forced to file for bankruptcy after being bullied by retail’s biggest giant into
offering gallon containers of pickles for a lowly sum of $2.97. That’s a GALLON,
enough to last most people a year – or at least several months. What about the home
remodeling industry, can it work the same way?
While consumers seem to want superior quality and the easiest way to get what they
want, cheap is still a huge factor. Even in the home remodeling industry, homeowners
often go the way of what they perceive to be good and cheap. Think about it. In our
highly technical world, homeowners often believe all they need to do is visit Angie’s List,
Porch, or Amazon for the solutions to their needs. Unfortunately, when it comes to
remodeling stories the ones that are frightening are a lot more common than you might
think.
Homeowners naturally want a positive experience when they renovate a kitchen or
bathroom, remodel the basement, or have a room added on to their homes. No one wants
a shoddy job, but sometimes that’s what you get when you demand good and cheap –
disappointment.
What is the take-away here? Remodeling is a service business, and not a commodity or
product that can be sold on those most trusted of online resources. As a service business,
the remodeling industry consists of clients, quality materials, and teams who are
dedicated to superior workmanship. There’s a big difference between a service business
and a commodity, something homeowners must realize. Those in the remodeling
industry must be able to adapt to all sorts of unique situations, and most important of all
are only as good as the teams who comprise the business.

The bottom line is that while it may be possible for easy and good to coincide in the
remodeling world, cheap and good cannot coexist. Just as you wouldn’t want to go to the
cheapest surgeon if you were having a serious or complicated surgery, you don’t want to
choose the cheapest route when it comes to an investment as big as your home.
We realize that Angie’s List, Porch, and Amazon bring much to the table for those in
search of products and services – but we also know the importance of a good personal
experience for clients, who realize we are not a gallon of pickles or other commodity to
be bought for “cheap.” Homeowners want (and deserve) an experience in home
remodeling that is positive and delivers the quality result they envisioned. Considering
the size of the home remodeling industry, it is simply a matter of who will deliver quality
work at a competitive price.
As for Angie’s List and the others, maybe we should be paying attention to how
remodelers are selected and treated, and pay particular attention if it seems to be about
the lowest bidder. Choosing a Kansas City home remodeling contractor this way will no
doubt lead to a bad experience for homeowners. At some point in time, it may be that the
remodeling space suffers a slow death on these websites where everything seems to be
“easy,” “good,” and “cheap.”
Could easy, good, and competitively priced coincide? Absolutely – and one day these
organizations may realize that in some industries, good and cheap at the same time just
isn’t possible.
For all of your home remodeling needs in the Overland Park and Kansas City area, count
on Vision Builders. Our motto? You dream it . . . we’ll build it.

In any remodeling project, it can become necessary to make changes due to an unexpected situation that arises in the midst of a project, or a change to the scope of work detailed in the original signed contract. At Vision Builders, our remodeling contractors understand how stressful it can be to make a change in a remodeling project; this is the purpose of change orders – to reduce stress and alleviate your worries. You may wonder “What can be done?” Glad you asked!

First, set expectations upfront. During the initial discussion of your remodeling project with our contractor, ask about our change order procedure and its intent and purpose. It is important to be proactive on your own behalf; after all, it is your home! The time to bring up potential changes or “what ifs” is before the work begins, rather than later.

Client to set aside contingency fund. Because of our years of experience in the home remodeling industry, we know that there are twists and turns in every remodeling project. We believe in honesty, and know that not advising our clients to count on about 5% to 10% of the total project budget to go toward changes would be a huge disservice. It’s important to be prepared financially; we tell our clients upfront to be prepared for changes to the project, so that no unpleasant (or unexpected) surprises pop up. We understand that nothing can get your anxiety (and blood pressure) up like having material and contractors on your property in the midst of a project, and wondering where the money is going to come from.

Put every detail in writing. At Vision Builders, our Kansas City home remodeling contractors are happy to both discuss change orders in the initial meeting, and show you the form we use to make changes to a project. It is vital throughout every stage of the remodeling project to note any and all changes made to the project. Even the tiniest detail, such as a change in tile selection or color of the walls should be noted. Unexpected repairs, a change in materials used – by including any change regardless of whether it affects cost, any potential misunderstanding between our contractor and our client can be avoided.

At Vision Builders, we have the belief that homeowners should expect only one surprise when trusting our company for your home remodeling needs: a pleasant one!