The High Cost of Cutting Corners

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When you’re ready to dive in with a construction project, you know that you have to operate on a fairly tight budget. That budget, however, is only one of several important considerations before you begin your project. Cutting corners on your construction project can lead to significant problems down the road – and will ultimately end up costing you more.

Here’s why you should favor quality over being frugal when planning a construction project.

High-quality Materials are Designed to Last

When you’re choosing between materials, the difference isn’t just cosmetic. High-quality materials are designed to stand the test of time – even in your busy commercial environment. If you cut corners and select cheap materials, you may find yourself needing to replace them several times faster. That means another round of construction costs as well as the cost of the new materials.

Low-Cost Contractors Often Leave Problems

You’ve received one estimate that’s significantly lower than all of the others, and you’re ready to jump on that contractor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, low-cost contractors don’t always provide you with the quality you need. Instead of falling into the trap, consider these potential problems:

  • Low-cost contractors may cut corners in construction – They may find ways to use cheaper materials or hire labor that lacks experience in the specific type of construction you’re doing. Worse, they may skip some safety regulations or use methods to accomplish their goals that aren’t recommended.
  • Low-cost estimates may be missing items – The contractor in question might have failed to notice some important aspects of your project or left off some details in the estimate – and that’s a cost that you’ll end up paying down the road.
  • You might have to kiss your timeline goodbye – Did you shut down your business to allow for construction? If so, you may end up shut down longer when you opt for a contractor who has less experience or who hasn’t made your project a top priority. Are you still moving customers through your location? Keep in mind that long-term construction may have customers heading elsewhere for their needs.
  • Low-cost contractors might not see all of the potential problems – There’s no discounting experience. Sometimes, there might be issues that an inexperienced or less qualified contractor will not catch before they become problems.

Working with an experienced contractor will give you peace of mind. They will take into consideration these potential issues so that when you open up a wall, work on electrical or plumbing, or any other place where a “surprise” might pop up, your budget has some wiggle room to take care of it.

I Know Someone Who Can Do That Cheap…

Your secretary’s brother-in-law has been trying to break into construction and he’s willing to give you a deal on your latest construction project. Someone over in accounting has a friend who can come in and do the work for a steal.

Unfortunately, these individuals often lack the construction experience necessary to handle your project – and the evidence will show in the less-than-professional results you’ll get when construction is finished. Sometimes, you’ll even end up with increased costs: not only will you pay them to do it, you’ll have to pay a professional to come in and fix it.

 

Ultimately, construction is an industry where you really get what you pay for. Cutting corners can lead to significant cost increases down the road. In other cases, costs will skyrocket immediately as you struggle to fix up the mess made by a contractor who didn’t know what they were doing.

Opting for a high-quality contractor will ensure you pay fairly for quality work. Contact us today to learn how we can help.