How Much Should You Pay Your Contractor
August 6, 2025
Choosing the right contractor is ‘kind of a big deal.’ There’s usually a big price tag involved. Most likely, you will live with the results for many years. And depending on the size of the project: the contractor may be in your life for weeks, or even months. So it’s important to know what factors to keep in mind as you search for the right contractor. We’d like to help you by suggesting these 6 aspects for your consideration.
- Cost –
How much is too much? How much is too little? - Clock –
When should we start? How long should it take? - Commodity –
What materials should be used? Why? - Control –
Who’s in charge of what? - Communication –
Can you hear me now? You know what I mean? - Consultation –
Failing to plan, is planning to fail. A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Cost
Long ago a wise man once taught about the wisdom of counting the cost before building a home. The same is still true for homeowners today, but you also need to consider how much of your decisions will be based on this one factor alone. For some, this is the single most influential part of all their decision making. Occasionally, someone may choose the highest price assuming that means they’re getting the best (which is not always true); but more commonly, people will often choose the lowest price with little or no thought to how it may affect other aspects of their project. For more on this, please see (insert blog); But for now, please know that we are a quality focused company, and frankly we’re not interested in the practices necessary to provide the lowest cost. If finding the lowest cost is your primary goal, then we’re probably not who you’re looking for. If you want quality results at a fair price, then we would love to hear about your project.
Clock
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (Tolkien) We understand that time is a valuable and irreplaceable resource of limited supply. For some, the desire to save time is the single greatest influence upon their decisions. While we do respect people’s time, we also believe that too little time invested now, could result in more time being required later; in which case, we haven’t saved any time. (The same can be true for money.) Because we believe in quality work, and doing the job right the first time, we give every project the time it needs now, to safeguard everyone’s time in the future. This means, we won’t be giving our time to any new projects, until our current projects have been given all the time they need; and the same would be true in your case. If your primary goal is just to get it done now, and get it done quickly, then we may not be who you’re looking for. If you want someone who is willing to invest their time into your home, then we look forward to hearing more about your project.
Commodities
A commodity is any reproducible and useful material or product that can be purchased and sold. Virtually every commodity is available in a wide range of qualities and prices. As a contractor, we are not in the retail business. However, the products and materials we use do bear a reflection upon our work and our reputation. It is not in our best interest to use low-cost/low-quality materials. Commodities do have a strong effect on total cost; however, we’re a quality focused business, and we want our customers to be happy with their investments for years. If you have little interest in the quality of the materials used on your home, then it’s possible we’re not who you’re looking for. If you want to invest in quality products that will last, then we want to talk about your project.
Control
There is a clever quote that says “the more you try to control something, the more it controls you.” In our experience we’ve seen a variety of customer’s approaches to their projects, from completely hands-on, to entirely absent and virtually unreachable. To be completely transparent, the absent and unreachable approach can be frustrating when waiting on a decision; but it doesn’t come close to the havoc the hands-on approach can cause. Our hope would be that we come to an understanding before the project begins, and our customers trust us to use our experience and our expertise, to transform their home to their full satisfaction. If you’re the sort to disappear during a project, that’s cool – just keep your phone on. If you’re the type who likes to hover and micromanage every detail of someone else’s profession, we’re probably not who you want. If you’re looking for someone who can apply their skills and knowledge to transform your home and make your vision a reality, then we look forward to helping you with your project.
Communication
“Communication works for those who work at it.” While it seems that everyone claims to understand the importance of communication, every one of us has a story about how someone else missed the mark. We have heard some dramatic tales about contractors who can’t seem to figure out how to communicate much of anything with their clients. We endeavor to be a company who excels in this area, by being proactive about phone calls, emails, conversations, etc. – to ensure our customers don’t feel lost in the shuffle. That said, communication is a two-way street, and it’s challenging to do business with customers and potential clients who are hard to reach or difficult to speak with. We view each project as an opportunity to build relationships with other members of our community, and we hope to work with others who feel the same way. Maybe you don’t feel the same way, and maybe this all sounds unnecessarily sentimental to you. If so: that’s fine, and you might be happier working with a ‘strictly business’ service provider. If your thoughts and feelings about communication are similar to ours, then we very much look forward to meeting you to discuss your project.
Consultation
“Those that consult more, make less mistakes.” We believe excellent results require an excellent plan. In our experience, most people fall in one of two categories: those that believe they know exactly what they want, and those who believe they have no idea what they want. In reality, it’s usually somewhere in the middle for everyone. Much like meal planning, we sometimes need help figuring out precisely what will satisfy our appetites. Consulting allows you to spend time with an experienced professional, discussing options and making a plan that will ensure you are happy with the end results. However, some customers overlook this critical step, and become hyper-focused on other aspects like timing and cost. Others seem surprised at the idea an experienced professional should be compensated for their time and knowledge. We believe this is an important step to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Perhaps you feel differently; that’s fine – there are plenty of other contractors just as prone to become hyper-focused on other aspects, and you may prefer working with them. If you’re like us, and you believe proper planning produces phenomenal results, then we want to meet you and learn more about your vision for your project.
As you can see, selecting a contractor is a multi-dimensional process. Foresight is dynamic, and knowledge is power; and you are now armed with more of both. We hope you find this article helpful as you navigate your way from initial contact, to a job well done. Of course, if you’re in the market for an exterior contractor, and you really like what you just read, we want to hear from you. Please submit a contact form, and let the process begin.
