Dealing With Contractors – Draw A Picture
By: Paula Stone

Ever worked with a contractor on a home remodeling project and been unhappy with the results? You’re not alone.

However, this problem might have been avoided.

One of the most important things to know about contractors is that they are mostly visual or spatial thinkers. They are good at interpreting drawings, but not great at interpreting verbal information. But think. How good are most people at listening? Think about the game you may have played when you were a kid where you whispered something to the person next to you and so on and how it changed by the time it got to the last person.

You can talk to someone all day long, but they may not understand what you want them to do.

My husband and I once refaced a kitchen over a weekend. A cabinetmaker made the new doors without ever setting foot in the kitchen. We measured and drew out every door and run of cabinetry. He worked from our pictures and the doors turned out perfect. Everything went in exactly as we planned. We never even met the cabinetmaker but he did a great job.

What made it work was the picture. Talking him into a coma would not have worked nearly as well. The pictures really were worth a thousand words and saved us a lot of time and money. He knew exactly what we wanted because of our convenient diagram to help him with all of the details.

So stop talking and start measuring and drawing. Great planning for a job will save you a lot of time and money. Once you have your plan on paper don’t change a thing. Little changes will delay the work and cost you money. Planning and deciding your project before work even starts is important in managing costs and getting the results you want.

Drawings can also help you if you are a DIY person. Even if you’re only buying new furniture, draw yourself a picture. That way you’ll know the best furniture size for the space. You can even tape the furniture layout to the floor. It’s a wonderful visual aid.

So just decide and draw a picture! You’ll get much better results. If you can’t draw find someone who can. It’s really more about measurements and less about art. Graph or quadrille paper can help as they have grid lines that can help you make a scale drawing. You’ll find you get what you want and save money.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Paula Stone is a black belt home remodeler and former Realtor. She works with her husband Ron in his mortgage business. Their website is full of Free information about the mortgage process and real estate. Visit it at www.alabama-mortgage-specialists.com“>Alabama Mortgage

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