Do I Want To Remain A Client?    or    Do I Want To Be A Contractor?  What's the difference you ask?  I have witnessed the following almost daily as a service contractor on small home repair projects.

As a Client, after you identify a problem;

• You locate a professional through a family member, friend or neighbor who has had a similar experience, the yellow pages or a service provider network who provides the services you need to correct your problem.
• You contact the professional and schedule a job site visit.
• The professional will review the problem and diagnose a solution(s).
• The professional will give you pricing and confirm a scope of work to correct the problem.
• This allow you the client to make a buying decision.  Do I want the professional to proceed or do I want a second opinion?
• As the client, whether its the first or second opinion you go with the problem is fixed, you pay the bill and move forward.
• At any time during the warranty period, if you have a problem with the repair, you pick up the phone, call the contractor and problem is addressed at his expense.
• This allows you to put your time towards family, friends, entertainment or work as you choose.

If you decide to do the repair yourself, you are no longer a Client, you are now a Contractor, after you identify a problem, depending on your level of experience;

• You contact family members, friends or neighbors who had a similar experience to see how they handled it.
• After several conversations and non-professional recommendations, you put a plan together to tackle the project on your weekend off or after work.
• You create a list of materials you plan on using and pick them up at your local lumber yard, hardware store or super store.
• You review your plan with the clerk, who may or may not have experience with your problem as you begin gathering the materials on your list.  You add a few items suggested by the clerk and head to the check out counter.
• You load up your vehicle, flag the pieces sticking out the window and head home.
• You dig out the assortment of tools you have on hand.  Retrieve those borrowed by the kids and prepare to begin to work.
• You disconnect or take apart your problem with the assortment of tools you have and carefully remember how everything came apart.  Setting it aside just in case you need any of the parts.
• You take the new pieces and begin to assemble things back together.  You pause to compare the new pieces to the old pieces to see there are a few differences.
• You make a few slight adjustments to your plan and head back to the lumber yard, hardware or super store for a few more items before they close.
• You load back up in the car and head home with your new purchases.
• You continue with the repairs with one of the two most common scenarios;
• Least common - you wrap up your repair, pick up your tools, clean up the mess and finish what time is left in your evening or weekend on what you really wanted to do.
• Most common - you run out of time, it gets late and you have to plan on finishing the problem the next day or evening.  Usually the following day or the next day at the latest you finish your project and move on with your normal day to day routine.
• If there are any problems with the repair you made or a part you purchased is defective, you have to take it off and drive it back to where you purchased it.  Pick up the replacement and return home after work or on the weekend to do the repair over.
• or if the problem continues, you end up calling a professional to come in and finish the project.

The above is not written to be malicious or exaggerated, but actual scenarios we see daily.  There are some individuals although they have not been trained or apprenticed in a specific type of service, they have good mechanical abilities and understand how to use their tools and specifically to purchase the right tools for a project.  Most individual do not have the tools, the mechanical ability or the knowledge to complete most home repairs.  That does not even take into consideration the value of "your" time spent when you decide to become a Contractor instead of remaining a client.

As a service contractor in our industry, 57% of the phone calls we receive are clients who tried to be a contractor and attempted to repair the problem themselves before they seek out a professional to either complete their repair or to correct it.  Most of these individuals went in this direction to save money.  The only reasons that a client wants to become a contractor is to;

• save time
• save money
• maintain control

If you review each of these desires the client uses to become a contractor, you will see the best way to save time is to let a professional do it with the right knowledge and the right tools.  The best way to save money is by hiring a professional you only pay once for the repair.  A good professional who is client oriented will immediately come back to correct any problems or replace defective parts at their expense.  If you have a contractor who won't come back or gives you the run a round you have not done your home work and hired a professional.  It is imperative you know who you are bringing into your home and who your are paying your money too.  Prevent Home Disasters. Ask for references.   How long have they been in business?  How much trouble did you have getting them on the phone?  How responsive were they to your schedule?  A professional is going to be easy to get on the phone, easy to schedule an appointment to meet your needs, provide pricing for your approval before any work begins, provide a written guarantee on the completed repairs and most importantly ask you to recommend their company to your family, friends and neighbors.  This is professional who wants your business and will do all that it takes to keep you as a client (their client) instead of a contractor.