Hire a Contractor or Do it Yourself?

 The immediate response is, “It’s cheaper to do it myself. I’ll go buy the materials and get
started this Saturday.” 

And possibly, as even I have done in the past, “I’ll pocket the insurance money and come out ahead.”
This is a valid dilemma that many people face. It pays to take the time to do a more lengthy analysis of the situation.I will take a model from ethics and apply it to the situation. Be patient with the process and the cream will rise to the top!

1.       Review the facts: There is a home improvement to be made that requires, labor, expertise, accurate materials, adequate tools, miscellaneous sundries and possibly a timeline for completion.

2.       Estimate the Problem: Setting aside that a contractor will have more in depth knowledge of the best materials to purchase for the situation, and already own the tools; the main conflict is paying for the contractor’s labor versus spending one’s own time.

3.       Solutions that could be possible: Do it myself, hire a contractor, or pay the unemployed neighbor/brother-in-law/uncle – cash.

4.       Outcomes of each solution above:

a.       Do it myself: The job gets done using my time in the denomination of labor. Any unexpected findings or mistakes took more time and money. My level of expertise shows in the outcome. Best case scenario: money was saved by my time and I am happy with the outcome.

b.      Pay the unemployed neighbor/brother-in-law/uncle – cash: The job may or may not have the desired outcome. Either guilt or pleasure with the job outcome could have implications for the future of said relationship: awkward or friendly. Money may have been saved – with the reality pending on the quality of the job outcome. Risk of job outcome and risk with relationship were taken.

c.       Hire a contractor: Two outcomes emerge depending on the quality of the contractor – which is why referrals are important. First and best outcome is that expectations were met and exceeded. There may be a realization during the job process that more detail and skill was required than originally thought. Your home was disrupted for less time. You spent your time doing profitable things (both for the soul and the wallet). Risk was very low because contractor carried insurances to guard you against any injuries occurring on your property, any job related mistakes with costly repairs and many other things that fall under liability and worker’s compensation insurance.

The second outcome is that you are disappointed with a shoddy job or the poor ethics of the contractor choice you made.

5.       Likely impact of each outcome listed above:

a.       Do it myself: If the job goes well, the impact is one of pride and though time was spent and unexpected issues arose, you felt you came out ahead by spending your extra time rather than cash, to do the job yourself.

b.      Pay the unemployed neighbor/brother-in-law/uncle – cash: The cash helps said person through a tough time. You are happy or not so happy with the results. The relationship in the future with this person hinges on the job outcome. Want to take that risk?

c.       Contractor: If you did your homework and hired a qualified contractor, you are happy with the outcome and no longer feel any sting of spending the money on hired labor because you realize the job has a professional appearance, the unexpected findings were remedied with more skill and ease than you would have been able to deal with, and the timeline allowed you to enjoy your home sooner than if you had tackled the project yourself. Invisible risk benefits like injury or damage liability were realized.

6.       Value of each outcome: Without belaboring any point already mentioned, if one simply looks at the value that the money path followed, it speaks for itself.
In the do-it-yourself scenario, even if the lowest amount of money spent is the outcome, there is a risk that the quality of the job may not last as long as having it professionally done, which means the lower amount spent was not a good investment in the long run.
Cash payment to a friend in need will bring them a short term benefit but the relationship is at risk pending the outcome.

Payment to a contractor helps Main Street keep tradespeople employed and able to maintain health benefits. An employer stays in business and the employees spend their earnings on taxes and on consuming goods that create a strong economy. Notice how the money path in this scenario included insurance, safeguarding you against risk and putting money into that sector as well. The money also flowed to the manufacturer who had the best material solution for your project. For each additional maintenance free year you gain from the money paid to a contractor, the return on investment increases.

7.       The next steps are to evaluate all of the above, make a decision and then defend your decision against its main weaknesses. This is called the RESOLVEDD (yes, two D’s) method (Pfeiffer & Forsberg, 2005).

I hope you enjoyed this lesson in Dilemma Solving 101 – and happy home improvements to you!

References:

1.      Pfeiffer, Raymond F. and Forsberg, Ralph P. Ethics On The Job, 3^rd ed. ( Wadsworth, 2005).

Sometimes it Pays to be The Painter's Wife

Merry Christmas! We'll be back after the holidays.

The front entry gets a fresh coat in time for the holidays!

Homeowners Have Changed

The PW Asks: How have homeowners changed over the last 30 years?

The Painter: The internet has made them dangerous. They have usually read just enough to ask a question that they think they know more about than you know. They “quiz” you. They research something that they’ve never had any experience working with and they will say, “It says to do it this way.” That doesn’t mean it’s the best way, because there’s a learning curve with every coatings product.

There are different driers in each coatings product and the chemical make-ups are different from one product to the next. Each paint or finishing product goes down differently. Thirty years ago, people trusted you because you were a professional.

PW: I think every profession has experienced this to some degree, from doctors and lawyers to painters! Long live the internet. I prefer it to those tan and brown encyclopedias we had when I was a kid.

Painting Changes Over 30 Years in Business

The PW Asks: How have application procedures changed over the last 30 years?

The Painter Says: Thirty years ago there were no small sprayers with variable pressure. The airless sprayer came into being and brought all different sizes, pressure capabilities, and could handle everything from heavy bodied materials to lightweight materials. Reversible tips made it easy to clean tips.

PW: Have you changed how you paint a wall?

Painter: Roller skin technology has changed from polyester to lamb’s wool to a blend of the two to carry paint. The paints require the wall to be painted differently based on “open” time of the paint. Some you have to cut the room in and let that dry before rolling the wall. Other paints require a wet edge. Depending on the sheen of the paint, it will require different applications to get a uniform looking wall. For example, flat paint is not as critical to keep a wet edge as eggshell or semi-gloss sheens. Imperfections in the sheen will be seen when the paint dries down if a wet edge was not maintained.

PW: So painting is not a fool proof process?     

Painter: You've got to know what you’re doing to get it to look right.