Page 7 - TR Home Lawn & Garden March 2017

HOME, LAWN & GARDEN • THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 7SS
relationships, the subcontractors have loyalty to the contractor in a way they may not for a first-time client. Contractors know the order in which each job should be completed, so there will be no time wasted trying to determine the next step.”
INSPIRATION
One often-overlooked benefit of working with professional contractors is the likelihood that they can draw up ideas for projects that homeowners might otherwise never have thought up on their own. Homeowners who do not have specific ideas in mind can ask contractors to come up with various scenar- ios before committing to a particular one. Veteran contractors can draw on years of experience to create designs that DIYers might be incapable of coming up with and/ or incapable of seeing through to completion.
COST
Conventional wisdom suggests it’s less expensive to do something yourself than to hire someone else to do it for you, but that’s not necessarily true of home- improvement projects. Labor costs typically ac- count for a substantial amount of professionally
contracted projects, but homeowners can cut those costs by volunteering to do some of the simpler tasks themselves. In addition, contractors can often purchase materials at a much lower cost than individual homeown- ers because contractors buy in bulk. So while labor costs might be lower on DIY projects, the cost of materials can offset those savings.
“Unfortunately, there can be pitfalls when building a home, but a contractor runs into these issues all the time and knows how to find solutions easily,” Watson said. “Also, be- cause experienced general contractors know which complications are likely to happen, they can likely anticipate and prevent them.”
TRAINING
Another aspect that is important when contracting different projects is training in specific fields. For example, a professional air-conditioning company will have techni- cians trained by manufacturers to work on specific units. These types of projects could be difficult for those working on their own.
“Things are changing drastically with technology now,” said Mark Eaton, owner of Air Care in Searcy. “We also do the sheet metal for each system, so it’s basically customized.”
RESALE VALUE
Many homeowners renovate their homes with thoughts of improving the resale value of those homes. But if homeowners want to showcase a newly remodeled kitchen when selling their homes, they should be prepared for prospective buyers to ask who worked on the project. Fearing potential problems down the road, some buyers might be put off by homes that were remodeled by DIYers instead of professional contractors.
LICENSING
When choosing a contractor, looking for a licensed contractor can be a good way to make sure the job is done properly. A license means the state has vetted the contractor’s credentials. This also means the contractor will be up to date on any building codes that need to be followed.
“Just knowing that they’re licensed, at least you know they’re meeting certain crite- ria,” said Steve Ward, owner of Steve Ward Construction in Searcy. “There’s a lot of lit- tle stuff that, if you’re doing it yourself, you may not realize [needs to be done]. Codes change all the time.”
Renovating a home on your own can be
While hiring a contractor might sound expen- sive, contractors can often purchase materials at a much lower cost than homeowners.
a rewarding project for homeowners. But it’s important that they recognize the many ben- efits of working with professional contractors before making any final decisions regarding who will tackle the home's next project.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative, with contributions by Cody Graves, special sections writer