#1 You Get What You Pay For

"You get what you pay for" is to be the number ONE lesson I learned from home renovations.  If you wonder why you are getting such an amazing deal, stop wondering.  You are NOT getting an amazing deal.

Unless, there is an amazing sale with a 100%-guaranteed business that has been around for decades, I would encourage you to look around for a 2nd opinion. Whenever I have gone the "cheap" route, I have ended up with cheap products or cheap work that doesn't last for long.

When we hit bathroom #3, we were worried that we were running low on money.  My husband met some handymen at the dump during the middle of our project, so we decided to give them a call to see how much they would charge. The price they quoted was ridiculously low and I excitedly called my husband and parents. They were a bit doubtful and even warned me about it, but I was so excited. These guys did an average job on the majority of the bathroom, but when it came to the shower pan, the floor sloped toward a corner instead of the drain.  We asked them to fix it and while attempting to do so, they messed it up worse.  Too late, we got a 2nd opinion and the cost to have their job fixed was $1500.

Before, I knew what a poor job they would do, I referred them to my friend. She also tried them and, in the end, had to pay a LOT of money to another company to fix their work.

This is not the first time this has happened to us.  We also had another guy work on our trees. He offered to cut a certain number of branches and do so much work for a certain amount of money.  He gave us a low-ball number which we couldn't pass up; however he had only done part of the job when he demanded the money.  We had to hire another man to come back and finish the job.

Here are a few suggestions...

1. If it seems like it's too good to pass up, PASS IT UP.
2. Ask for referrals.  Go online and check the people out.  Read all the good and bad comments. Contact everyone you can.  Make sure that they know how to do the job.
3. If you have a gut feeling, listen to it. (I overheard them talking to someone; that gave me a clue that they didn't know what they were doing. I ignored it. Not smart!)
4. Check to make sure that they are licensed and insured.  If they mess up, you want to make sure that they have insurance to fix it.

I hope this helps someone. - Rejoicing in the Present