Homeowner Sweat Equity Jobs
DEAR TIM: I'm quite resourceful and handy. I have the ability to install the electric and plumbing in my room addition project. I feel that this will help me save money and allow me to invest some 'sweat equity' into my project. However, the contractors who I have contacted are not interested in working with me. Why am I encountering so much resistance? V. N.
DEAR V. N.: If you put yourself in the shoes of the contractor, you will quickly realize why. The contractors are afraid that you possibly will not complete your work on schedule, and / or will not pass the required inspections. Either of these situations will cause delays in the project.
Professional contractors tightly schedule their project. Projects that run smoothly are beneficial for many reasons. They allow the contractor to maximize his profit. Projects without delays allow the contractor to show up on time for the next job. Remember, you are probably only interested in your job. I doubt that you have much interest in the contractors' other commitments.
The business of contracting is very difficult. There are many, many variables that are beyond the direct control of the contractor. Delays can be catastrophic. They have a ripple effect, much like throwing a rock in a pond. A delay that you cause by not meeting a deadline will not cost you a thing. However, the delay will cost your contractor money.
Delays have a dramatic effect on the pocketbook of a contractor. Most contractors and homeowners fail to realize this. Contractors basically have only one commodity that they can sell. That commodity is time. Contracting is a service industry based upon time.
Employees are paid by the hour, even sub-contractors calculate their payroll by the hour. Because of this axiom, a contractor can realistically only work so many hours in his or her lifetime. Delays cause future work to be pushed farther into the future. This means less income over a lifetime.
Delays often hurt the credibility of a contractor. Try to realize that builders and contractors are constantly negotiating for the job that starts after the current one is complete. The next customer is anxious to know when his or her job will start. Everyone is generally excited about the beginning of a remodeling or building project.
Surely you have heard stories of builders or remodelers who did not start a job on time. Few homeowners are sympathetic. They don't care to hear about someone else's problems. Any delay that you cause will make the next customer upset with your contractor. No contractor that I know of wants to start a job with an unhappy customer.
There possibly is a compromise to this problem. Consider investing your 'sweat equity' at the beginning or end of the project. This allows the contractor to control his or her destiny.
In fact, most contractors will negotiate for you to perform tasks at the end of a project. That way they can start the job, run it as smoothly as possible, and then turn it over to you to complete. The contractor can then go on to the next job, while you finish the job at your own pace.
However, keep in mind several things before you attempt this. Be sure to allow enough time to adequately complete tasks. Homeowners often vastly underestimate the amount of time it takes to perform finishing tasks.
Also, be sure that you have accurately estimated the cost of what you need to purchase. Frequently, homeowners run out of money at the end of a project. Beware, those last few weeks of work can often stretch into months or years.
A great book that is loaded with sweat equity jobs that the average to serious do-it-yourselfer can handle is Adding Value To Your Home. In this book you'll learn do-it-yourself projects that add value to your house and yard while saving you money.
This book gives a clear idea about what type of home - improvement projects will give the highest yield on investments. CLICK THE IMAGE to order the book now.
It is also written for those homeowners who need the basic skills instruction, clearly explaining step-by-step what to do as well as how to do it. The illustrations and photos in this book are just fabulous.
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