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.