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Designing and Building Mid-Illinois through Choosing the Right Contractor Before You Sign · Designing and Building the Midwest One Community at a Time

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to Design and Building Mid-Ellinois, one home at a time with Big Dog Construction.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_04: The podcast you didn't know you needed.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's Chris Hartzuck and Caitlin Morgini.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_03: Join us as we explore the stories, expertise, and projects shaping the future right here in Mid-Ellinois.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_04: Whether you're planning to build, curious about the latest trends, or just love innovative ideas, we've got insights and inspiration coming your way.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_04: And some laughs too.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go.
• 0:24
  unknown: Big dog!
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: In the military, there's no such thing as good enough.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: You either do the job the right way or you don't do it at all.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Blake Middleton of Elite Roofing Professionals at Exteriors.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a veteran and I brought the same mission first mindset back to Illinois.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: While others talk about the way it's always been done, my team focuses on the technical precision of how a roof should be built.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: We use the best materials, the best technology, and a level of communication you won't find anywhere else.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: Your home isn't just a job, it's a commitment.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: Elite roofing, high standards, zero compromise, clear communication.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Give us a call today.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, welcome back to Designing Building Mid-Illinois, one home at a time.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: I am your host, Chris, with Big Dog Construction, your local window depot.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: And back again with me is Caitlin.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_04: Hi.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, if you've been following along with the series, we've been building a roadmap for successful remodeling projects in episode one of the Big Dog Game Plan, and we talked about planning before you build.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: Episode two focused on creating a realistic budget.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: Episode three covered the difference between DIY and hiring a professional.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: Two weeks ago, we discussed defining the scope of your project before the first hammer swings.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_03: And we took a gap because we had our special guest, Kyle Dixon, KD83 on us, the newest New England Patriot.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_03: So we appreciated his time in the big dog studio.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: That was awesome.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: So awesome.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_03: It was.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, today we are tackling one of the biggest decisions you'll make in your entire remodeling journey.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_03: Really, the entire remodeling journey.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: Choosing the right contractor, right?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_03: Because here's the truth a great contractor can make your modeling remodeling project one of the best investments you'll ever make.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_03: A bad contractor can turn your dream project into a financial and emotional nightmare.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: Been there, done that.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: Today we will show you exactly how to tell the difference.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: But first, let's pay some bills, right?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_03: Pay some bills.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_03: Make it rain.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_03: Make it rain up in the hill.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, we want to talk about our 10x partner, elite roofing professionals out of Litchfield, Illinois, and also Springfield, Illinois.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: They have a location as well, covering central Illinois for us.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, at Elite Professionals, they believe your roof shouldn't be a question mark.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_03: It should be a peace of mind.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: And you can call Elite Roofing Professionals today, and they will give you a free roof inspection and let you know that your home is covered or what they can do to help you make sure your roof is covered.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: Choose elite roofing professionals and experience excellence from the top down, right?
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_03: Call them today at 217-851-3836 for your free estimate and find them on the interweb at eliteroofingprofessionals.com.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, let's get into it.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: We paid those bills, made that happy.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: We are glad to have them as 10x partners as we keep adding more 10x partners to our big dog family.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: And we will share some of that coming up later.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, so first thing we're going to talk about is why choosing the cheapest bid can cost you more, right?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_03: Everyone thinks if I'm going low price, bottom, that's it.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: That's what I'm doing, right?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_03: But the biggest thing is shopping only by price.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_03: I get it while people do it, right?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_03: Money, yeah, you gotta have to have the money, right?
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: Gotta have the mood law.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: Uh or we gotta get three estimates.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_03: You line them up, here's the lowest one, we're gonna go with that.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: But what happens is when one comes in ten or twenty thousand dollars less than everyone else, it feels like you're saving money.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_03: But here's the questions I I always ask are you comparing the same project scope?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_04: If I see something that is that much less, that is a major red flag to me.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: It is what the other people forget.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_04: I don't understand.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I sometimes I won't even look at the sale rack because I think, did they put it there?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_04: Because something's wrong with it.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm talking about clothes right now, but oh now she's talking about clothes.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_04: Even like invest that huge investment.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_04: I want somebody who is extremely intelligent, friendly, and ready to calmly walk me through.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_03: And knowledgeable, knowledgeable, yeah.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_04: Walk me through any of the challenges that might come up in in this project.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: Well, like we talked about two weeks ago, it's like defining the scope of the project, right?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_03: And you want a contractor that can identify what that scope is, help even potentially identify roadblocks that may come up.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_04: How many times did you say it?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, if we're gonna move this wall, it may or may not be load bearing.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_03: If it is load bearing, we're gonna have to put in a support beam.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_04: This is what's gonna happen here.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_04: This is what's gonna happen here.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_03: And so that's why, like we just said, line up your bids side by side.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_03: If you're getting three bids, great.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: No problem.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we just do you do?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_03: You know, here's the thing.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_03: Again, I've said this before, and I will go to my dying breath of saying this.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_03: Price is only an issue in absence of value.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_03: If the perceived value is not there, it doesn't matter what that price is.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_03: Right, people aren't gonna pay it.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_03: So it just comes down to that.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_03: So never buy remodeling by price alone.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_03: Buy on confidence, communication, craftsmanship, and value.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: We tell our clients all the time, potential clients um all the time, we're not gonna be the most expensive, we're not gonna be the least expensive.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna be the best quality for the best price, which is your best value.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_04: I the bet the best value, value right there.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_04: That's all really you need to know.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's what buyers or homeowners are looking for realistically.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's just not remodeling projects.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_03: You can apply that same principle with value and price on anything you do.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_03: Buying a used car, new car, buying groceries, buying clothes, buying whatever.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_03: If if the value isn't there, don't matter.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_03: You know, but it's also it's like, oh my God, I gotta have it, I gotta have it, I gotta have it.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: I don't care what that price is.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: I gotta have it, I gotta have it.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, that's another thing.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_04: Is is this on the list too?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_04: Because I feel like a lot of people will just go with the contractor that's available firstly.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: That is something, and we're gonna talk, yeah, we're gonna be talking about that because you know, here's five questions every homeowner should ask, right?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_03: And the first question is, are you licensed?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_03: So in the state of Illinois, in the state of Illinois, there's two licenses you have to hold roofing and plumbing.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: That is it.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah, that's right.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_04: We talk about this all the time.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_04: So you don't have to.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: Fire beware when they're on there.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: We these contractors, we're licensed and insured.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: Insured is great, right?
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_03: But licensed, you only need a license for roofing and plumbing.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_03: If your project doesn't have one of those two, and someone's coming in, oh, I'm licensed, licensed contractor.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_03: What are you licensed in?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: Because the state of Illinois, you don't have to be licensed.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, possibly, right?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_03: And then are you insured, right?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: That's kind of question one altogether.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_03: License, insured, and can you provide proof?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_03: So if you are having a roofing project done, you can go to the state of Illinois' website and check for valid uh roofing license numbers.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, that's helpful to know.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, you can go on there on anything.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_03: You can do that public health.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_03: You can go and check restaurants.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_03: Restaurants, yeah.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_03: What their score is with public health and all that.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_03: So license insured, and can you provide proof?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: Some homeowners, which is fine, we do it in our business, they want a certificate of insurance.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_03: A certificate of insurance is actually a document from your insurance company that says this company has the following coverage work comp, general liability, auto, whatever it is.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: And it and it shows their limits, what they are.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_04: So does that make the homeowner feel more comfortable?
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: Like if somebody gets hurt on the job or if something happens that it doesn't come back on the correct, it protects the homeowner from any liability from uh employee or somebody suing them if they were to get hurt on their property.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_03: And that then at the bottom it says certificate holder.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: So you literally the insurance company will put the the client's name in there that they hold that certificate of insurance that shows proof that the client or the contractor working on the property has proper insurance.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_04: See, I like that.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_04: That makes me feel like that's a really professional thing to do.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_03: Another question that you should ask is who is actually doing the work?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: Employees, subcontractors, and how long have you worked together, right?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_04: That's a good question.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: Because again, as a general contractor like we are, we do have subcontractors that come in and do certain parts of projects.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: Also, but they have to they have to fall under our quality specifications, right?
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_03: Every subcontractor we use signs an agreement with us that sort of follow the same quality of standards.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: I was gonna say, do you use the same subcontractors like typically, but we're always looking to add to our big dogs production.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's what I was saying.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: You know, W-2s and 1099s.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_03: Employee versus subcontractor.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_03: W twos versus 1099.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: And so we're always looking to grow the family with additional quality people that want to do that, right?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_03: And look, I left that up on the screen for us.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: Perfect.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's all good.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't matter, right?
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_05: It's me.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_05: It's me again.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: It's all good.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: And then how long they've worked together, you know, that's important, I think, too.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_03: I've been in this industry almost 30 years.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, 30 years now.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_03: And we're in our 14th year as big dog.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's me calling the shots and running the show.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_03: And I have some subcontractors that we use that I have been with for 28 years or so that we use in because I know their quality, I know what they could do, I know their trust, you know, trust, trust.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_04: And you guys know how to work together, you know how to anticipate what's going on, and I think it just makes the whole project go smoother.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_04: So that is a good question.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_04: I wouldn't think to even ask that.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it is.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: You know, some people do ask that now.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: And yes, we do have Hispanics at work on our on our some of our subcrews.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_03: We get it, you know what?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_03: But if everyone else would just freaking step up, yeah, they're legal.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_03: If everyone in it would just step up and want to work, right?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_03: It'd be a different story, but that's a whole nother episode.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_04: That is a whole nother episode.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_04: A whole nother episode.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, oh yeah, remembering episode.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: Question three of the five, right?
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_03: And again, qu the category, five categories.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_03: How do you communicate as in prontactor to the customer?
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: Weekly updates, phone calls, emails, uh, do you use project management software?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like I know elite roofing professionals actually, you can the client can log into a portal, see their status of the project, see pictures of the project, and all that.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_04: First of all, that's amazing.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_04: I didn't even realize that.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: We have that, we have that capability as well here at Big Dog Construction.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_03: And then because communication solves problems before they become expensive, right?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: You want to do that.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: We've got our our team here uh in the big dog showroom that we try, we we try to get better every day.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_03: We try to communicate with our clients because daily our client list increases.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we have we have two more clients that are signing up today for jobs.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we are constantly adding to our our uh big dog fans.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_04: I do feel like you're a very excellent communicator.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_04: I don't feel like that would ever be a problem for big dogs.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: We try.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: We we have some things sometimes when you get in the minutiae of everyday grind, you forget about an outlier project, like, oh crap, I still let them know.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: It happens.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: You have it.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: You got it, right?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: It does happen.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_04: But it's the ones that go missing for several days.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, the rest of the year.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_04: Several weeks.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you got say it, plumbers and other trades that, you know, plumbers and and electricians and HVAC guys, they really get the rap because they're usually a one-to-two-person show and they're doing all they can to work in the field, their phone's ringing all day, their voicemail gets filled up, and at the end of the night, when they get home, they just want to relax and not have to deal with their stuff.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: And they deserve it.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: They do.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: And so the communication sometimes slips through the crack and they get to the point.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_03: Some of them get pretty hard, and it's like, look, I'll get to you when I get to you.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_03: If that works for you, great.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_03: If not, go get on someone else's list.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_03: Right, because their list is already and we're trying not to be that way here at Big Dog.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: But hey, question four in this group is what kind of warranty do you provide?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: If they believe in their craftsmanship, they shouldn't hesitate to explain it, right?
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: And this isn't just big dog.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_03: This is talking about any contractor.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right, right.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_03: Because this isn't pitching big dog.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_03: This is about making sure you, the client, chooses the right thing.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_03: You, the listeners.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_03: Right, exactly.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, warranty.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_03: You know, uh, do you have a labor warranty?
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have a material warranty?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_03: Most all contractors are gonna be your material warranties, are what the manufacturer has, right?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: Your windows, lifetime warranty.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: That's I was gonna just ask, like, what do you mean by that?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: 25 year shingles can be 30, 35, 50, or lifetime warranties on them.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_03: All materials are gonna have their own warranties.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_03: And like in our contract, it says all material warranties are handled between the client and the manufacturer.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_04: Like, what's a labor warranty?
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_03: Labor warranty would be that we, the contractor, will warrant our work, our craftsmanship up to a certain amount of period of time.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: After that time, we can't we can't be liable for how you live in your home.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_03: We can't be liable for if your kids are coming in and throwing it.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_03: I would never would have a drop zone and stuff like that.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_04: I would have never thought to do that.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_04: So, like if something like falls apart after a certain amount of time.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: Correct.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's a labor warranty.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, learn something new every day.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: Every day, every day, right?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_03: Number five in these five questions is can I speak with recent customers, right?
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have any references?
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: And we're not talking about references for 10, 15 years ago.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_03: People you've worked recently with have references.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_03: And we're like, 100%.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_03: I don't want to do that, you know, then kind of be leery, right?
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_03: And I've admitted it before.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_03: We've been doing this podcast a long time now, Caitlin.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_03: I've admitted we have clients that weren't happy when we were done.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_03: It happens.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_03: That's why we do interviews before.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: Sometimes it's not a right mix.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_03: Sometimes another subcontractor will come in, something goes south, and the whole project feels like you're fighting an uphill battle.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_03: It happens.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously, they're not gonna be on our reference list.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_04: So hey, it's happened.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: But I'll explain it to people.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I'll explain.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm telling now, right?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: I'm telling our clients now.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_04: I also want to think a lot of contractors, if they're good or bad, it travels quick by word of mouth.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_04: And now we got the interweb.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_03: So y'all better Good God to interweb, right?
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: Well, hey, red flags that should stop you immediately when choosing a contractor, right?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_03: Red flags.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: If they pressure you to sign today.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_04: Like when you they come give a bid.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_04: Yep, yeah.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_03: Price is good for till I walk out that door.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_04: See ya, bye.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, you know, not good.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they refuse to answer questions.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_03: They skirt around them, they won't answer them direct, right?
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: Their proposal is vague.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_03: Kitchen remodel.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_03: $20,000 signed here.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we're not doing that.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: Am I getting cabinets, countertop?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: Flooring?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_03: Right, exactly.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: Everything is verbal.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_03: Never, ever, ever agree on a project that is verbal.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_04: Really?
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_04: Anything.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: If anything, write it on a damn napkin and sign it.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, we will do this work here, here, here, and here for this amount of money and sign it.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: Who cares?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: It's just get the legal pad.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_03: Get something down there, right?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: Legal pad.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_03: Put it on your phone, text each other, whatever.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: They want large cash payments or made out to their personal name.
• 15:38
  unknown: Yeah.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_03: It's a big red flag.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_03: If they're truly legit in business, right?
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: It needs to be in their business name.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_03: Now, if it's, you know, Chris Hartshook LLC construction or Chris Hartsuck Construction LLC.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I know it's the name of the company.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: But if they're working for the company.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: Make that out to Chris Hartshook.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: Shading.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's shading.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_03: Or or they won't discuss permits.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: We've talked permits a little bit in the past.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: Nowhere in McCuban County requires permits, right?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: They just don't.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_03: Sangaman County does, Litchfield does.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: You just check your mini municipalities on that.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_03: So, like on our agreements that we send out to clients, it says obtain necessary permits.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: And so if there's no necessary permits needed, then we won't be able to do that, right?
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: Also, uh, they don't return calls.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_03: Big red flag.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: Big red flag on that.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_04: Biggest red flag of a lifetime.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: Their online reputation is full of unresolved complaints.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_03: What I mean?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: That's a big red flag.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: So if you've got online issues or you see stuff on there and they're unresolved or the contractor doesn't list anything on there, then that's right.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's good when the business comes back to like a negative review and tries to, you know, in in a professional way.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: I'm glad you said that.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_03: So, real quick on this, what makes a professional proposal?
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, scope of work is called out, products, materials, timeline.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_03: Sometimes timeline can be vague based on lead time of materials you may not know in the beginning.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_03: Payment schedule.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: Always have that payment schedule laid out there.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: You know, like ours is so much a down payment, so much bi-weekly, depending on the size of the project, or third and third.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: So people know when they're going to need to pay on projects.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_04: And that's very helpful.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: Warranty is called out on that proposal.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_03: Permit responsibilities, because we have on our base in there, if not called out above, permits are the responsibility of the homeowner.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_03: Again, because a lot of areas, it's not required.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll we'll put that in there.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_04: And like you said, everything in writing.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Everything.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Cleanup, change order process, final walkthrough.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_03: Make sure that is on there to make a professional proposal.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, real quick, remodeling is about relationships.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's kind of ties in that communication.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_03: How does that contractor communicate with you?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: Do they have a brick and mortar?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have the place they can stop by?
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know, some of them don't.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like Big Dog has.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's it's very unusual to have a contractor that has brick and mortar.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: There's nothing wrong with the ones that don't, but you need to know how to get a hold of them.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, right.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: But you make sure it's about those relationships, right?
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the last thing is let's talk about the big dog difference.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's my sales pitch, right?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_03: Might as well, right?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's my it's my podcast.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Might as well.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_04: Well, after this, I have a sales pitch for it too.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_04: Go ahead.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, um, you know, we plan for construction, we define expectations, we discuss budgets honestly, review, we review materials.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's why we have a showroom to bring people in to show them different remodeling things.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_03: We talk through timelines, we explain every phase of the project because surprises belong at birthday parties, not at remodeling projects.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: Quite frankly.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that's the big thing on that.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: And hey, the big dog takeaway from today is the cheapest contractor isn't always the best contractor.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_03: The busiest contractor isn't automatically the best contractor.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: The contractor of the biggest advertisements isn't necessarily the best contractor.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: Choose a contractor who gives due confidence before construction ever begins.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: But have that feeling.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: Flip back to the Grant Cardone message here is the best known beats best.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_04: I and I'm not trying to be mean, I agree with that, but I have to say one more thing.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, but I'll be about this.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_04: The big dog game plan truly has helped me reprioritize how I'm taking care of my home.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_04: And I want to tell you like there's nobody else that would do that.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_04: Like, and and I just think I wouldn't think that way.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_04: Like, for example, the vent that we just put up last night in my up above my shower with all the mold.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I never would have done that.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_04: I would have wanted to just paint paint over had I not learned this from you.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_04: So it's it's about saving money and educating their clients.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, and getting the right things.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_03: Again, if people want the big dog checklist, we will send that to them.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_04: The checklist helps so much.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so here's a little big dog homework, right?
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: Let's throw this out there.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_03: We're homework.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_03: Before signing any contract, ask yourself.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_03: We always like these ask yourself questions.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: Do I trust them?
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_03: Did they listen?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: Because a good contractor should listen, right?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: Did they educate me?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_03: Is everything clearly written?
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_03: Do I understand exactly what is included?
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_03: And would I confidently recommend them to my parents or my best friends?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: If the answer isn't yes, keep looking for the next contractor.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_04: We need to get those lists.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_04: That list has got to be out.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it is.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_03: In the interweb.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_03: We we can throw it in the show notes, right?
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: In our clips, show notes or whatever.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_03: Well, hey, anything else?
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_03: No, I just think it's a good idea.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_04: Because that's us.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_04: 10X and Through Life.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: 10X.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: I'm in hyper mode today.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: He really is, guys.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_04: I was laughing so hard before this began.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, well, thank you for joining us for another episode of Designing the Building Mid-Illinois, one home at a time, because this is the podcast you didn't even know you needed, right?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_04: And here it is.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_03: Our goal with this series isn't to convince you to hire Big Dog, it's to help you make smart, informed decisions, whether your project is with Big Dog or another qualified contractor, right?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_03: An educated homeowner is a confident homeowner, and confidence is the foundation of every successful remodel.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_03: If you found today's episode valuable, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who's getting ready to remodel.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: You might save them for making a very expensive mistake.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: If you're ready to start your own project, we'd love to welcome you to the Big Dog Design Build Showroom right here in Cornville, USA.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: That's Carlomville, USA.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_03: We also have an office in Springfield, Illinois.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, our team is here to help you create a plan that fits your vision, your budget, and your family's lifestyle.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: I am Chris with Caitlin.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: And remember, don't just build a house, build it with a plan, build it with a purpose, and build it right.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_03: And we will see you next time on the Big Dog Design to Build Podcast.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: Bye! Hey there.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Lisa Miller, managing broker and owner of First Choice Realty Pros.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: We don't just help you find a house, we help you discover home.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: My team and I are passionate about taking care of your needs, making the process smooth, and ensuring you get the personalized attention you deserve.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Ready for the next step?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: Call us at 217-825-3999.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_05: With First Choice Realty Pros, you've got a team that's got your back.com.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_03: Until next time, keep designing and building.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_04: See you soon.
• 23:22
  unknown: Big Dog.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: This episode was produced by Big Dog Media Group, delivering powerful creative for brands and creators everywhere.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: If you're looking to take your podcast to the next level or just get started, Big Dog Media Group has you covered.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for listening.