Wondering if you should DIY or hire a pro for your home renovation? Contractors are experts in home construction and can preempt any potential roadblocks to ensure your house project goes smoothly by relying on their years of professional experience and knowledge — something even the most ambitious and well-meaning DIY home renovators don’t have to fall back on.
What Is A Contractor?
A general contractor, also known as simply a “contractor,” is a professional hired to supervise and coordinate the day-to-day aspects of a construction project. Hiring a contractor for your home renovation project means you can:
- Save time and money by using a professional to manage your budget, resources, payment schedules, etc.
- Delegate project management to an expert so you can focus on your daily life instead of project details.
- Leverage professional relationships your contractor has already established with trusted subcontractors and suppliers.
- Ensure the job gets done right the first time by relying on your contractor’s significant experience and ability to proactively plan for every stage of the project.
- Enjoy peace of mind knowing your contractor is handling all licensing, insurance, permits, codes, etc.
If you’re looking for a contractor, it’s important to do your research to confirm you’re hiring a trained professional. As in most industries, the best service providers take the initiative to join their local professional associations. The Central Minnesota Builders Association (CMBA) represents the best local contractors in our area, Certified Master Builders who have the licenses, training, connections and knowledge to perform home renovations safely, consistently, and with a high degree of professionalism. Hiring a CMBA contractor for your home renovation ensures you’ll receive the highest quality workmanship, project management, and communication at every stage.
Furthermore, there can be hidden downsides and disadvantages to DIY home renovations that homeowners may not fully consider before diving into a project. DIY house projects have a high risk of error, which can lead to unexpected costs that can quickly get out of hand. There’s also the potential for physical danger, as DIYers do not have the jobsite safety training of a professional contractor. Hiring a CMBA contractor means you do not have to take on these risks and responsibilities personally. Ultimately, hiring a professional contractor for your home project will likely save you time and money in the long run.
To help give you an even deeper understanding of the risks of DIY home renovation — and the rewards of hiring a contractor instead — let’s dive into some myths about DIY home renovations, and the value of hiring a local, professional home renovator for your next project.
Myths About DIY Home Renovations
There are many pervasive myths about DIY home renovations, most having to do with the misconception that DIY projects allow homeowners to save money. Unfortunately for DIY-minded folks, this is largely untrue. While homeowners may feel more in control of their budget and spend by self-contracting, in reality, they will most likely end up spending more than they would have if they simply hired a professional.
In negotiations for labor and materials, for example, a contractor has buying power and relationships that the average homeowner does not. Contractors have more room to negotiate pricing and availability, knowledge regarding reputable suppliers, and existing relationships to leverage to get better prices on necessary materials.
Your contractor will also have plenty of experience planning projects of similar scope and implementing proper sequencing to save you time and money. While you may have other responsibilities on your plate day to day, like your career, family, or other commitments, managing your project is your contractor’s sole job. They’re skilled at juggling timelines, interfacing with subcontractors, and scheduling work in the most efficient order to ensure your project stays within budget and time constraints. Without their steady hand guiding these processes, it’s all too easy for DIY project costs and timelines to balloon out of control.
Finally, it’s common for homeowners to overlook the many details required to bring a home renovation project to completion. Keeping up with the latest code updates, handling unsatisfactory work from subcontractors, managing the financial aspects, avoiding risk to one’s self and liability exposure of hired workers, cleaning the jobsite — these are all elements that, without a general contractor, homeowners will have to navigate themselves throughout their DIY project. To avoid headaches and make your home renovation as smooth and stress-free as possible, it is well worth it to hire a professional.
The Value Of Hiring A Professional Home Renovator
Hiring a CMBA builder for your home renovation project may not be as expensive as you might expect. While these builders are the cream of the crop among local contractors, hiring one can often deliver cost savings in the form of better buying power, through their knowledge of the latest codes and industry best practices, and existing relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, inspectors and other industry professionals. Home renovation projects require a variety of subcontractors depending on the type of project and scope of work. Common subcontractors for home improvement projects and home renovations include:
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CMBA builders have established relationships with many trades’ subcontractors, so you can rely on their expert recommendations rather than seek out appropriate subcontractors on your own.
As your home renovation project reaches the finish line, your CMBA contractor will continue to work on your behalf to proactively address any outstanding issues or items that need addressing. They’ll create and implement a post-project “punch list,” which is a comprehensive list of necessary fixes and requested changes on the jobsite that must be seen to before the project can close. This is an important step in the project closeout process, as it ties up all remaining loose ends and helps to ensure customer satisfaction with the finished job.
Hiring a CMBA contractor also ensures you receive a strong builders warranty, covering the materials and workmanship on your renovation for a set period of time. This gives homeowners the peace of mind that, should they require any repairs after the initial project has completed, they have proper coverage. The builder’s insurance held by CMBA contractors offers coverage for liability exposures inherent to construction projects, like injury, theft, fire, and general builder risk. Without this insurance, homeowners taking on DIY projects are liable for all these risks themselves.
Advantages Of Hiring Local For Your Home Renovation Project
We recommend working with a CMBA contractor not just because of the many benefits to doing so, but because CMBA is a local association representing local builders. It’s important to do business locally whenever possible, as it helps ensure your hard-earned money stays within your community. By investing in services offered by local businesses, you’re helping to bolster your community through improved commerce, stronger small businesses, and greater financial stability. What’s more, your local contractor will be exceptionally well-versed in your area’s codes and regulations, helping to streamline those parts of the construction process on your behalf.
Choose A Local Certified Master Builder
The importance — and benefits — of hiring a contractor cannot be overstated. By choosing a local Certified Master Builder for your next construction project, you can save time and money while protecting yourself and your subcontractors from risk and liability. Perhaps most compelling, though, is a general contractor’s ability to take the weight of planning, budgeting, managing and executing a home renovation off your shoulders, handling the project from start to finish with your best interests at heart.
If you’re ready to get started on your next home renovation project, contact Simonson Lumber to connect with professional, CMBA contractors who can help, or visit your nearest Simonson Lumber location. We look forward to assisting you in bringing your project to life!