Mills Builders Blog

"The Economy is Gonna Be Just Swell Doris -Let's Remodel Right Away!

Have you ever wondered if the economy is influenced by our expectations?  What I mean to say is, if we all believe that the economy will be great next year at this time, might such beliefs - coupled with actions consistent with them - become self-fulfilling?  Might our expectations about our economic future actually operate to create it?

I hasten to inform the reader that I don't really know anything about economics. I might have attended three or four class meetings of the obligatory Econ 101 & 102 courses I completed as an undergradate.  When did attend, I was usually under the influence of intoxicants. Still, I have wondered - for quite a long time - if fears about the economy, taken together with negative talk, cut-backs on personal spending and investment, etc... might fuel or actually create economic downturns. Could it be that we actually make a horribly uncomfortable nest and then sleep fitfully in it until we begin to have happy thoughts about our financial future?  If so, is it rational to believe that when that happy day dawns, a virtual explosion of home remodeling, new-business start-ups, and brisk retail sales will result?

What Were We Thinking?

Indeed!  What were these ladies thinking? They appear to be annoyed. Perhaps they hired a contractor who turned out the be unsatisfactory in some way. Or, maybe the contractor abandoned the job-site.  Wouldn't that be exciting! 

There are many reasons that contractors and their clients argue and fight. Today, I'm going to address one issue that causes problems for contractors and their customers.  Just one.  Its very simple:  Many homeowners select the wrong kind of contractor.  That's right, the wrong kind of contractor.

"How can this be", you ask? "Don't they all have the same license?  They have to be know what they are doing if they call themselves contractors, right? Doesn't the State of California require all contractors who accept work exceeding $500 to meet all sorts of qualifications?" I'll begin by addressing these questions.

"Negotiated Bidding? Hmm.... What's In It For Me?"

In my last post, I promised to discuss three (3) popular business models used in the remodeling industry today. These represent very different alternatives - each having good points and bad. At Mills Builders, we find that many homeowners are acquainted with only one such model - "competitive bidding". My goal for this series is to acquaint homeowners with all three.

Today, I'll review the "Negotiated-Bid" method and wrap up  in a few days with a third post that points-up the pros and cons of the  popular Design-Build option. With this said, let's get started!           

In the first installment of this series, we learned that the "competitive bid" model - is being challenged as inefficient, subject to abuse by unethical contractors and flawed in that it makes "apples to apples" comparisons of bids very difficult.

Even worse is the fact that many of the best contractors will no longer bid on a competitive basis.  The preparation of a good bid takes time and money.  The bigger the project, the greater the resources consumed in preparation of an accurate estimate.  Given the competitive disadvantages associated with the process - especially large numbers of competing bidders and those who submit "lowball" bids - there is often no good reason for a quality contractor to participate.

Negotiated Bidding provides a reasonable alternative to the many problems associated with Competitive Bidding.

Our First Post! Forward Together is Open For Business...

Paul Mills - Editor

Welcome to our blog, Forward Together!

Forward Together is written and published by the dauntless band of able craftsmen, design professionals and other capable folk at Mills Builders, Inc. Mills Builders is a family owned and operated remodeling contractor based in Sacramento, CA. Our special expertise lies in remodeling and renovation of older homes  using the Design-Build method. This simply means that we both design and build our projects.  Our work is diverse and includes whole-house rennovations, room additions, new kitchens and baths, outdoor living spaces and more.

So... what is Forward Together really about? You may be thinking, "ahhgh...this is  just a big sales pitch disguised as a blog". So... is this a marketing tool? Certainly. I would be lying if I said we might flog one another if you should - for whatever reason -choose us to build your project. But wait, there's more to the story! We really do have additional motives and goals.