Cheapest doesn't always mean worst, and most expensive doesn't always mean you are going to get the best.
A common mistake when evaluating contractor quotes is that the cheapest is going to do a terrible job, and the most expensive is going to do the best job.
A good theory to believe in is that generally you get what you pay for, however we don't think it should be a hard and fast rule when it comes to strata building maintenance. Regardless of whether it's for painting maintenance, roofing repairs, or building refurbishments.
Sometimes it's really easy to understand why something is cheaper.
- It might be made offshore, with cheaper components and lower labour costs.
- It might be last years model, or be a "clearance" item to make way for new stock.
Sometimes it's hard to understand what the difference is: especially if you don't have technical experience with the item you are purchasing, and it's usually the case that you're getting what you pay for.
For example, I recently learned from a successful local aluminium boat building company, that when purchasing a boat you need to evaluate what's under the floor, not necessarily the engine size or the cup holders. There are different welding techniques, different standards in the structural construction of boats (ribs that hold the boat together), and different thicknesses of aluminium, and even different types of the aluminium in the boat's construction.
So when you are looking at getting some strata building maintenance done, and you have 3 quotes where the highest is literally double the price of the lowest, what are you supposed to do?
It's actually a really common problem we come across, especially with Bodies Corporate.
When we provide a quote, we follow a process called "estimating". It's called estimating because it's exactly just that, an estimate. If it was an exact science, it would be called "exacting" or something like that....
Sometimes as estimators we get it wrong, most times not (or we would be broke).
We use our industry knowledge and experience to estimate how long it will take, combined with a somewhat known measurements for materials, and then we work out how much profit we need to be able to run our business.
A lot of the time, different contractors will use different methods for reaching high and difficult places (scaffold, abseil, cherry pickers etc) which can also have a major factor in differentiating price.
Each and every business is different, and has different amounts of profit they need to be continue to trade. Often new business, with very low overhead's (like ours) can provide really cost effective quotes.
That doesn't mean you are going to get less or an inferior service, it means you are getting great value.
(This photo is from a recent job we did in East Brisbane. We were half the next cheapest quote, and the owners couldn't be happier)
Anyway, if you don't believe me, below are some short snippets of an interview we did with a recent client (the full interview runs for 10 mins, who has time for that??!).
This client is responsible for organising up to 25 different contractors across multiple trades a year, so he knows what he's talking about.
Contact us for a free, no obligation quote and find out why cheapest doesn't necessarily mean worst. We offer a full range of once-off building, painting and landscaping maintenance services, and also create preventative and ongoing maintenance programmes.
We operate in Brisbane, and on the Sunshine Coast, in the Wide Bay area and on the Gold Coast and offer expert solutions for schools, health care and hospitals, commercial and retail, strata complexes or retirement and aged care facilities.
Get in touch! There's no job too big or small for our qualified, experienced and insured team.