Make your mistakes on paper Many times I get calls from prospective clients wanting to remodel their kitchen or bath, finish a basement, or put on an addition. I enjoy meeting with them but they have no concrete plans, just a vision. So I have to explain that they need to do some preliminary work before I can give them a price to do the job. This preliminary step is so important: A consultation with a designer or architect, if a major structural change is planned. Have them prepare scaled drawings and a detailed materials list. Why spend the money on a designer/ architect? Because it's much more cost effective to make changes on paper than in the field Have it all sketched out by a professional. Choose all the materials and fixtures you want to use, determine a realistic budget then, call the general contractors in to bid on the job. How else are you supposed to know if one contractor is going to use the same materials and fixtures as the next? If the end product is going to be what you envisioned? Then you are comparing one contractor's proposal to another's equally: apples to apples. When you bought your last car, you knew exactly what options were include. You had a list of items that you could compare from one to the next. This enabled you to go from one dealer to the next and actually compare and decide who gave you the best value for what you wanted. Going to a designer or architect before calling in contractors could be the most cost effective way to get what you really want. Next time we'll discuss how to choose the right general contractor. Submitted by Chris Frasco General Contractor