Why Contractors Aren't Calling You Back
One common complaint of homeowners itching to get a project started is that contractors are not calling them back or providing them with quotes. There are three major reasons why you may have been left hanging.
1. There isn’t a finalized design
This one seems to be the least obvious problem to homeowners, but the most obvious to interior designers and contractors.
Don’t try to hand-wave your way through a renovation. What do I mean by that? Let me give you an example—I once provided a consult to a client that complained that none of the contractors were responsive and the ones that did were all giving completely different numbers.
Then they proceeded to tell me about two completely different layouts they were considering for a new bathroom. These involved different plumbing and electrical situations, different tile designs and perhaps the removal or replacement of a window. I immediately knew what the problem was. The design was completely up in the air!
Contractors aren’t mind-readers and remodels shouldn’t be a guessing game. When there’s guessing involved, professionals throw money at the problem to cover themselves.
You should have a plan in place before you talk to contractors so they know what to expect and you can compare their quotes apples to apples.
2. It’s last Minute
If you are calling a contractor for a kitchen remodel that you want done before a surprise 50th birthday party in two weeks, this is seen as a red flag. If a timeline is unrealistic and most professionals would rather not take a job, than take a job, not complete it in time and disappoint the client.
Also, good professionals aren’t waiting around for you to call. Contractors in particular are typically on a construction site focused on directing sub-contractors or using power tools—so their not always immediately available by phone or email.
On top of that, good contractors are usually booked at least a few months out. If they ‘re always available, they probably aren’t that good.
Be a bit more flexible on your timeline. Also, remember that it’s usually better to wait for the good contractor. Otherwise, you’ll need to hire the good contractor later to fix the shoddy work by the first contractor that you may have hired just because they were available.
3. Some Professionals (in any profession) are just terrible at follow-up
I would be lying if I told you that there aren’t times when I wonder how some companies stay in business because they don’t call back potential clients. However, in my experience, if you have a solid plan you shouldn’t have trouble getting a contractor to call back or getting quotes to review. Keep in mind that contractors will often take a few days to get back to you. That being said, if you are chasing after a contractor before the renovation has even started, they probably aren’t worth working with anyway.
When our East Falls, Philadelphia client told us that she wanted a bathroom reno that would help alleviate her migraines, the project became much more interesting.