Did You Know!?

Did you know most contractors’ mark-up the price of materials they purchase for your home by 15 to 20%. If the kitchen cabinets cost the contractor $18,000, they may charge you $21,600 or more. 

How we are different  -

Williamson Woodworking doesn’t mark-up the price of materials. You pay exactly what we pay. In fact, we furnish you a copy of the receipt for every purchase. The other guys will never show you a receipt. 

Did you know most contractors’ will give you an “Estimate” or all inclusive price for your project. They will estimate their total cost for all labor and all materials and then multiply that number by 1.6 or 1.8. That makes your cost 60 – 80% more than the actual cost. The reason they do this is many construction companies have a lot of overhead to pay out every month; such as their offices, the owner’s salary, the  secretary’s salary, the salesperson salary & commission, etc. 

How we are different  -

Williamson Woodworking doesn’t have much overhead. The owner IS the secretary, the sales person, the bookkeeper, the accountant, and one of the workmen working on your project. 

Lower overhead = lower cost to you

Did you know that occasionally contractors’ find rotten wood or other damage inside the walls that could not be anticipated and isn’t in the contracts’ scope of work. Changes to the total cost have to be made after you and your contractor have already agreed on a total price. So, another contract will be drawn up called a “change order” outlining the work and the additional cost to fix the problem. This often creates delays in the progress of your project. Worse, some contractors take advantage of that situation and inflate the added cost, increasing their profit. 

How we are different  -

Williamson Woodworking doesn’t do change orders. We just fix the problem. Same terms, no rate hikes, no delays.

Did you know when a contractor gives you an “Estimate” or all-inclusive price to complete your project, it will likely have spending limits on specified items. If you choose something more costly than those limits, your cost will increase. You may be asked to choose items only from vendors of their choosing, cabinet hardware for example. The chosen vendors would be vendors with whom the contractor can purchase items at a huge discount and can charge you as much as 200% more than the contractors’ cost. His selection of cabinet hardware may not be your style. 

How we are different  -

Williamson Woodworking doesn’t mark-up the price of materials. You pay exactly what we pay. In fact, we furnish you a copy of the receipt for every purchase. If we get a discount, that discount is passed on to you.

Did you know some contractors’ will schedule a proposed start date for your project that fits your expectations, knowing all along that they have multiple jobs already waiting and too few qualified people to work all of them. To ensure you won’t cancel the contract while waiting for them to start, they may “Spike the job”. Meaning, they take a couple of  people off another job just for a day or two to start your project. They may not be back working on your project for weeks. If you have a signed contract with them and they have already started the work, it becomes more difficult to back out of a contract without losing your deposit. By law, you have 5 business days to revoke your contract. 

How we are different -

Williamson Woodworking doesn’t leave your project until it’s finished. We won’t start your project until we have finished all others. It is unacceptable to leave someone’s kitchen or bathroom unfinished and unusable for weeks and weeks. 

Did you know a contractor may overlook something in their all-inclusive estimate that is vital to the completion of the project - after your contract is signed. But, the most frequent mistake is under estimating  the amount of labor needed and cost of materials required. Often this results in a “hurry up” attitude affecting the quality of the workmanship. Additionally, the contractor may use cheaper materials which may not adhere to current building requirements. 

How we are different  -

Typically, Williamson Woodworking avoids “All-Inclusive Estimates”. We prefer a more fair and honest method doing business, simply just a “Time & Material” contract. There is NO mark-up on the price of your materials. You pay exactly what we pay. In fact, we furnish you a copy of the receipt for every purchase. If we get a discount, that discount is passed on to you. There are NO change orders to deal with, we just fix the problem as it occurs. At the same terms, no rate hikes, no delays. And, we won’t leave your project until it’s finished.