Remodeling Talk... Maximize Value by Minimizing the Risks of LOW BIDS

from 2011 August Lakewood

You’re not in Pizza Hut anYmore

In this economy, builders know the allure of low bids, so it’s important to discern price from value. Since most qualified builders pay about the same for products and services, what you get when you pay less is usually…less. It may be less material. Sometimes it’s less labor, or less training in best practices (critical, but completely at the discretion of the builder).

How to get more value for your budget:

Interview Contractors

Texas has no contractor licensing or industry regulations, so you’ll need to check levels of professionalism, experience, and training. Rank three candidates and make your calls from the bottom up. Discuss their experience and training, your budget, how you envision the process, and the final outcome.

1. Best ways to create real long-term value within your budget

2. If the proposal will include transparent itemized costs and profit

3. Contact information for previous clients who have had similar projects completed

4. How they have increased cost-efficiency over the years

5. What they have delivered at a range of price points for this type of project lakewood.advocatemag.com

WHITE ROCK LAKE

LOCAL EVENT FEATURED IN NATIONAL MAGAZINE

07.05.11 Last August, on one of the hottest, sunniest days of the summer, something like 1,500 (arguably mentally unstable) people ran a half marathon, 13.1 miles, beginning at Norbuck Park near White Rock Lake.

A writer for Runner’s World magazine flew in from Long Island, N.Y., to test an array of fancy new gear intended to make exercise in extreme heat safer and easier.

It was hot — 90 degrees at the start and the temps kept crawling up. Writer John Hanc sported the number 108, representing the record high in Dallas in August.

A year later, the story appears in the publication’s August 2011 issue. Turns out that despite his access to a high-tech cooling vest and a personal assistant (Dallasite Matt Ganio, a Ph.D.

MEDIA KEY: facebook.com/LakewoodAdvocate

1. Proof of experience for the work you need

2. Proof as to the reliability of your quote

3. Objective tools to evaluate and compare the value of bids

SIGNS OF TROUBLE

A disturbing trend in this business, the “pyramid” is used by some businesses that aim to provide the lowest price to get your business, but lack the resources or ability to completely deliver on promises. Your deposit funds their next job. When deposits stop, the business is hit with liens from suppliers until it collapses, leaving you with a paid-for, but unfinished project. We have completed many of these, and the customers are always regretful.

Telltale signs of trouble include:

No office or place of business

Ads and sales pitches are focused on price

Answers to your questions are short on details, or evasive

Sketches and proposals are lacking in detail and precise language

Requests for sketches and customer contacts are denied twitter.com/Advocate_ED advocatemag.com/newsletter lakewood.advocatemag.com/blog lakewood.advocatemag.com/video

We hope these tips give you the confidence to select a builder that will deliver lasting value and maximize your budget while minimizing your risks. We’d love to be on your short list. Please call us to schedule an interview or an in-person visit to our design showroom right here in your neighborhood.

SENDWEBSUGGESTIONSTO crobinson@advocatemag.com

COURTESY OF HOTTESTHALF.COM and researcher at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at UTSouthwestern) to track his hydration and core body temperature, among other aids, Hanc suffered from dehydration and mild heat exhaustion and finished five minutes short of his goal time.

CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

Search: Hottest Half to read this blog post in full and to get a link to the Runner’s World story. The run begins at 8 a.m. Aug. 14 at Norbuck, located on Northwest Highway and Buckner.

WE’RE MOBILE!

When you sign a 30-year mortgage, you marry your home. So shouldn’t you be highly compatible with your home, or dare we say… almost in love?

Such affection may sound fanatical, but a home tailored to your wants and needs is a home built to make you a little bit happier every single day. You’re hard-wired to appreciate the subtle differences. It’s why you have a favorite pair of jeans.

So how exactly is a custom home floorplan tailored for your lifestyle? If it’s done right, the builder will learn how you live, down to very granular detail. He’ll want to know who will live in the home, and he’ll ask about each of your needs, daily tasks, and style preferences. He’ll ask about how you entertain, what purposes you have in mind for different rooms, and how you move from one room to another.

He’ll want to understand the frustrations you’ve had with your previous homes, and he’ll make it his mission to turn those shortcomings into your new home’s strengths.

The better you know yourself, the more enjoyment you’ll find in a custom home. It’s more than just a place to live. It’s a place that rewards you for all the living and all the learning you’ve ever done before. If you’d like to know more about whether a custom home is right for you, call us. It’s never too early in the process to learn.

Lakewood Shopping Center Sold

I see multi-story upscale retail and a parking garage a couple of years down the road [Advocate Back Talk blog, “Lakewood Shopping Center: What does the sale mean?”, June 22].

—PONDER PDQ

Maybe they will open another Italian restaurant?

—LAKEWOOD WRAT

I have to admit, I only drive past this shopping center on my way to Whole Foods, Ali Baba, Times Ten or a few other stores, but this shopping center already has its share of national brands (Radio Shack and Sports Clips, for example). The neighborhood has Starbucks, Papa John’s, etc. So it’s not some small-town fantasy neighborhood of exclusively local mom-and-pop stores. Hopefully Lincoln Property Co. will keep the tenant mix roughly the same, but by improving the building, attract the next Eno’s or Sushi Axiom, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, etc.

—DOWNTOWN_WORKER

I favor the sale. Some changes/updates to the center will be welcome. The key factor being how Lincoln may change the tenant mix going forward. I like the local, low-key orientation of tenancy as it exists now, but some improvements can be made. I don’t want a tenant base that is aimed at pulling in shoppers from much beyond the Lakewood/East Dallas radius. I don’t want to see nationally branded tenants. That would be a major negative, in my opinion.

—CITIZEN KANE

GROCERY SELF-CHECKOUT: A PASSING FAD?

When Albertsons removed the self-check lines at the Cityplace store last year, I asked why. I was told it was theft. [Advocate Back Talk blog, “Grocery self-checkout lines on the way out?”, July 8] I suspect all stores are losing to theft. The person assigned to monitor the self-check lanes is never there. Usually off talking to someone. The machines are constantly telling you to wait for assistance that isn’t there. I’ll miss the speed with which I can check and properly bag my own groceries.

—MONTEMALONE

I may be the only one, but I love the self-checkout feature. I use it whenever possible.

—AMC

Thank you, Albertson’s. I’ll now consider shopping at the Albertson’s at Mockingbird and Abrams again, which I stopped doing when you put in the self-checkout.

—JOHN M.

Bowling Alley Proposed For Lower Greenville

This is a great idea [Advocate Back Talk blog, “Bowling alley proposed for Lower Greenville”, July 6] and a welcome addition to a mostly abandoned area of Greenville. Can’t wait!

—MIKE

Great, but with rooftop time restrictions!

—MARC

This would be a fantastic addition to our neighborhood. I can’t wait. This would provide a nice entertainment option to anchor the Lower Greenville development. What I have seen is that owners plan a fantastic venue that is representative of the neighborhood. This is not another version of the booze-it-up bars currently in the neighborhood. We need to help make this happen and stop listening to a small group of neighborhood agitators. If they are looking for a more pastoral environment, they should move to Plano.

—RICKROGERS

PIZZERIAVENTI CLOSES

My husband and I were huge fans of this place [ Advocate Back Talk blog, “Pizzeria Venti has closed”, July 12]. We always found the staff to be polite and hardworking, not to mention the great food.

—KRIS

We only went once. We weren’t impressed with the food or the service. The wait staff seemed poorly trained. Hope something good happens with the space and that lawsuits/politics don’t stink up the shopping center.

—KELLIE to read and comment on this daily Back Talk blog updates. Comments may be printed in the magazine.