Clear Communication of Costs
- Often times the way information is presented is confusing. Sometimes this is intentional to get a job. Most of the time what makes sense to someone in the construction industry may not be clear to a client. When presenting costs, I will show a range of costs broken down into 2 categories:
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​Category 1 – base costs that will not vary based on fixtures or equipment selected for the project.
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Category 2 – costs that can range based on owner driven decisions. ​​
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When changes vary during construction, whether due to site conditions or owner changes, pricing will be presented with either a hard cost or a potential range if costs cannot be immediately determined.
Why Choose Cooper Custom Builds?
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Continuity of Information Throughout Project
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When construction companies get larger the potential for loss of information at handoffs increases. When the person coordinating the project is not present from start to finish, he/she is not privy to the desires and wishes that led to final construction documents and budgets. This can lead to misdirection/delays in the field as the project progresses. Having a single point of responsibility minimizes the potential for information to fall through the cracks.
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Simplicity of Accounting and Organization Processes
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It is becoming popular to use one of many organizational, and or, accounting software programs available to “set us apart” from our competitors. Superficially, this sounds like a great idea, and it can be, if used to its full capability. The problem is, they rarely are. Or, if they are, it is because they are spending a lot of time inputting information or there is someone in the company whose sole job is maintaining the database. Again, this can lead to more issues with information loss and confusion for the customer. The more time spent updating the database is less time focused on the actual project. Also, the more people an organization needs to accomplish its day to day tasks, the more projects they will need to do to stay afloat and this inevitably leads to less time spent on individual projects.
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Ability to Focus on Projects
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Too many people fall into the trap of “bigger is better”. The lure of more work and more revenues is very tempting. However, the more companies grow the harder it is to really give individual projects the attention they need. If one project goes off track, more time and attention is given to that project to the detriment of others. Having seen that spiral with other contractors, I have committed myself to staying small and focusing on quality rather than quantity.
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Quality Subcontractors​
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No matter how focused, organized and clear the GC is, subcontractors can make or break a project. I’ve worked for several years to gather a group of subs that I feel provide a quality product for a fair price. The subs I have elected to work with provide honest pricing for the project regardless of the zip code. Too often subs want to know where the work is to take place before they give a price. This is not fair to clients. It is important to use quality subs to ensure there are no problems with projects in the future, but that does not mean that is should cost more in one neighborhood versus another.
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