We have a saying at K-CO:

You can get your remodeling job done fast, good, or cheap; pick any two. Although we say it in a joking way, like many jokes there is an element of truth in it.

If getting the job done fast is important (say, a room addition for a baby on the way) there are a number of ways to speed up a remodeling job. For example, you could have a 7-days-a-week work schedule, which would speed up the pace substantially. Of course, the more hours worked in a week, the higher the cost, particularly if overtime is involved (so there goes “cheap”). One could also make an argument that people working that many hours would be tired and perhaps more prone to taking shortcuts and making mistakes (and there goes “good”).

Perhaps high-quality craftsmanship is the most important consideration. Naturally, a person capable of that level of performance isn’t making minimum wage, so hiring that person won’t be cheap. They also prefer to use high-quality materials, which also won’t be cheap. In addition, craftspeople who take pride in their work do not rush through it, so this isn’t going to be fast either.

What about cheap? If the cost is the major consideration, there are any number of ways to save money on a remodeling project. Unfortunately, some of them can lead to trouble. A prime example of that is hiring an unlicensed contractor because they offer a lower price. While they might be fully capable of doing the work, there are potential risks to you that would outweigh any benefits gained by the decreased cost.

Those risks can include financial liability if the worker is injured, property damage if something goes wrong and the risk of the job being left unfinished, not to mention responsibility for bills from the contractor’s unpaid suppliers. Generally, a contractor’s license is a good indication that the company is serious about its business and, assuming that the required bond and insurance is in place, provides the homeowner with needed protection. Of course, a license is no guarantee that a job will be performed in a professional and workmanlike manner, but if it isn’t, you at least have the Contractor’s State License Board complaint procedure to assist you in rectifying any problems.

There are other ways to keep the costs down that don’t pose such big problems. For example, choosing less expensive materials (tile for the kitchen counters instead of granite) or doing part of the work yourself (interior painting is a common choice). While these choices can help you achieve the goal of a less expensive project, it’s pretty safe to say that you are probably not as skilled a painter as the pro who does it all day everyday, so the quality of the work will not be as good. In addition, if you are planning to do some of the work yourself, you will likely be fitting it in at night and on the weekends, so you’ll be sacrificing “fast”.

In my experience, the most successful projects are those where there is a balance between these three considerations. If you have a realistic expectation about how long a well-done job will take, if you choose your contractors and materials wisely, and if you have a budget that will allow for those things, then I think you have a very good chance of being satisfied with the outcome of your remodeling project. 

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