We all want a deal. Especially since the recession, we look for
the Buy One Get One Free deals, the holiday sales and the coupons. Phone apps
like “Offer Up” and “Close 5” and the online Craigslist give us for sale by
owner deals. Sometimes we get lucky and find that item we want at deep
discounts.
As the owner of Design Build
Associates, I often get this request, “I need a GOOD, Cheap qualified licensed and insured electrician, plumber, general
contractor…” (Fill in the blank here).
The concept of good, fast, and
cheap pick the two you want, is often called the project management triangle,
the triple constant, or the iron triangle.
According to the diagram, here are your
choices:
Good + Fast = NOT Cheap
When you choose this option you
get the best quality materials and labor at the fastest speed. Your contractor
is typically respected in the community for doing excellent work and your job
is a priority. The job site is well maintained and is clean. There are very few
problems and the problems that arise are taken care of quickly and efficiently.
People who choose this option are usually very satisfied with the process and the
product. The saying “you get what you pay for” applies here.
Good + Cheap = NOT Fast
Cutting costs means something has
to be cheaper. Usually this means
cheaper and lower quality materials and either paying a contractor less or
paying a less qualified contractor. Your job will not have priority. Labor will
be performed only when the contractor has time to leave projects that are
paying full price. Problems that arise may take longer to finish or you may
have to deal with the problems yourself. The jobsite may not be cleaned well
each day. In the end you get a product that may be well executed but will still
be lower quality due to the materials used. At the end it may look good but it
won’t last as long. Doing a job this
way takes a very long time to finish.
Fast + Cheap = NOT Good
Think Band-aid. The contractor is
covering up a problem and making it look good temporarily. When you pick this
option the end product is inferior and in many cases has to be redone.
A New Way of Thinking?
Most people want to choose Good
and Fast, but the reality of economics demands a need for something between
good and fast and good and cheap. What
if there was a fourth option, something like “Good, Fast, and Reasonable”?
Since I can’t beat the GFC model, I’ve decided to change the
paradigm.
As an artist, designer and project manager, I
thought there must be some way to make the construction process better. This
was the catalyst behind the creation of Design Build Associates.
Is “Good, Fast, and Reasonable” possible? (The DBA Difference)-
I tell people I can do anything with time money
and people. I can literally pick up your house and spin it around and set it
back on the foundation, but that’s not reasonable.
I often meet with clients who have spent
thousands of dollars on a set of plans only to find they can’t afford to build
the project, or they do not understand the good, fast, and cheap model and have
hired cheap and fast or good and cheap only to find the money is now wasted and
they have to start over.
How can we have a project using top quality
materials and labor that is still reasonable? Since we want to use the best
materials possible, the key here is time. If a project is managed efficiently,
wasted time is eliminated and we can have Good, Fast and Reasonable.
The DBA difference
To achieve maximum efficiency, I have divided
any project into three steps.
Step 1- Budget: DBA meets with you,
discusses the project and formulates a budget for the project. You now know
what the project will cost. If the budget works, you move on to step 2.
Step 2- Design/Plans: DBA
creates plans for construction. You approve the plans. You now know a budget
cost and what the project is going to look like. You choose to move to step
three.
Step 3- The Project: DBA schedules and manages the contractors as your
representative. These contractors build your project using superior
construction methods in a timely manner.
The bottom line? The most
efficiently managed job is the key to achieving a good product with reasonable
costs in a timely manner.
Deals are great. I personally always shop for
the best price. I refer clients to websites where they can find discounts on
great products. When it comes to a construction project in your home, however,
a deal on a cheap contractor is not what you need. Instead, you need a project
manager who understands the intricacies of orchestrating a project using
qualified trades and the best materials to create a final product that you will
love with reasonable costs in a timely manner. I believe that this approach to
construction is the best way for you. This is the DBA difference.
For more information please visit the website, www.yourdesignbuildassociates.com.
