It is time to do some work on our old house.
Well, it is always time to do work on this house,
but it takes a while to save the money to do it.
Save we have and the work has begun.
We take it one side at a time and this time it's the east wall.
When it comes to remodeling there is one extremely significant player:
the general contractor.
Let me introduce you to Mr. Mark Bisig,
owner of Home Sweet Home Productions,
our friend and one of the finest men I've ever known.
Choosing a contractor is not a place to cut corners.
With the cost of wood and materials, mistakes are very expensive, so finding someone with experience whom you can trust is essential.
A few wrong cuts can cost hundreds of dollars.
And if the contractor isn't trustworthy, these errors can easily be hidden to cost you more or create huge problems in the future when the unreliable contractor is long gone.
Believe me the horror stories are frightening.
Once again we find this truism of shopping locally and small:
it is about developing relationships,
knowing each other well enough to trust and respect one another.
A part of this is understanding the need for these folks to make a living wage.
An independent contractor has no insurance-retirement benefit package, no paid vacation, no paid lunch hour and break.
They are responsible for the purchase of van, tools, uniform, office equipment and space. They handle all marketing, paper work, customer service issues AND know how to fix or build most anything.
Oh, and I haven't even mentioned keeping up with the ever changing government regulations that dog their every step.
A quick example: next week during a contractor's busiest season, it is necessary for Mr. Bisig to take two "vacation" days (unpaid, of course) to drive to Chicago (all expenses are his, of course). While in Chicago he will attend classes to keep him apprised of the changed government regulations since he attended the class last year. Things such as: the $700 vacuum we required you to buy last year is no longer safe enough, so you'll need to buy this new $800 machine, or if you would rather not spend every penny you earned this last week, we will need to fine you $10,000 dollars.
So if their hourly rate seems high, these are good things to remember.
On the other hand, you are trusting your home to this person, so it is essential to protect yourself by doing your homework and finding someone who is both capable and honorable. Once you've found this person, appreciate them....for they are rare.
And don't worry if the bill is a little higher; what you save by avoiding problems later is definitely worth it.
You might take a few minutes to visit Mark's website posted at the top of this page.
There is a great story about him that will introduce him better than I ever could.
Whether you need remodeling work or not, it is just nice to know there are people like
Mr. Bisig in the world.
Mark offers a fringe benefit that is hard to beat...my personal favorite.
Since our sons have been big enough to hold a plastic hammer they have been along side Mark, learning the many things he has to teach them:
how to drive a nail,
how to treat customers fairly,
how to paint a wall,
how to work long and hard to fulfill a commitment,
how to hang a ceiling,
and most of all the knowledge that honesty is a basic human virtue
and if it is missing not much else matters.
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