Meet Me at My Place There is no shortage of capable remodelers. The real challenge homeowners face is finding a remodeler with whom they can build not just a project but an actual partnership. People don’t buy a product in remodeling. They buy a process. And this process will touch the lives of everyone living in the home and working on the home. In a satisfying partnership, the homeowners and remodeler understand each other’s ideas on maximizing success and minimizing disruption.
Getting to Know You But good partners are hard to find. That’s why the initial meeting should be made in the remodeling contractor’s office. It gives homeowners a chance to interview their prospective partner without focusing on the details of the project. Homeowners can see the environment their new partner maintains and ask about key issues, such as the company’s culture and work habits. They learn that they are dealing with a professional organization with a history of success, not just “some guy with a truck.”
With so much at stake, it makes perfect sense for the homeowners to know the company before work begins, rather than to discover mid-project that they can’t work with the remodeler. An office interview is time-consuming. But the worst-case scenario is that homeowners spend a couple of hours learning that they don’t like what they see. This is a small price to pay for the amount of information and peace of mind gained. Some of our partnerships have even blossomed into friendships. Who could ask for anything more — in business or in life?
Bill Simone, CGR
Custom Design & Construction
Los Angeles
Big50 2002