Experience vs. Expertise: Choosing The Right Renovation Contractor
Expertise and experience are crucial for successful home renovations.
Bay Point Contracting delivers both.
Is Experience Enough?
Looking for expertise in your residential home renovation in Barrie? You might be unsure of what expertise really is or how to find it.
You might think experience and expertise are the same thing. They’re not.
Expertise is about mastering a craft, but it's often confused with experience. You frequently hear people boast about their years of experience: 10 years, 20 years, even 40 years! It sounds impressive, but what does it really mean?
Does their expertise align with the specific type of work, renovation, or addition you need?
Are the contractor's credentials genuine and relevant?
Remember: Experience is how long someone has been doing something. You can have years of experience at something but not be good at it. Expertise means a person has mastered their craft and are reliable - they know what they are doing.
Understanding Expertise For Home Renovations
Think about this: Expertise involves experiencing failures repeatedly, learning from them, seeing the goal, identifying challenges, and figuring out how to overcome them to consistently achieve successful outcomes.
You want fantastic renovation results but are not sure where to start?
You definitely need to stay away from the contractor who has decades of experience but is still working on expertise. Otherwise, they are practicing on your job.
You can’t just hire an experienced contractor and hope for the best.
The Jones Family
The Jones family hired a whole home renovation contractor from Orillia who had many years of experience. To their dismay, shortly after the work started, they realized they had a big problem.
What they needed was expertise. What they got was experience. That mistake is ongoing and costing hundreds of thousands as it runs through the courts.
This post on experience has similarities to our article Quality Matters: Excellence in Home Renovations. We’ve written about them separately because they are very different but equally important for a successful renovation. Conversely, they share the same pitfalls if not obtained.
DNA Doesn’t Change
When we interview potential employees at Bay Point Contracting, our interview process draws people with up to 40 years of experience. However, what surprises us is their lack of expertise, which becomes evident during our discussion.
I’m surprised that my raised eyebrow doesn’t give it away each time I hear their responses.
These candidates often consider themselves highly experienced, having decades of work under their belts. They claim expertise as general contractors in Barrie and the surrounding area, yet when asked how many times they've performed specific tasks, the answer is often "once".
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true!
You're not paying for contractors to train or learn on the job during your home renovation.
What's worse, some contractors may genuinely have decades of experience in specific tasks and believe they have gained expertise...but have never truly obtained it.
It’s a really dangerous combination. Maybe they just don’t have an eye for detail, disregard quality results, or prioritize quick profits - all of which pose serious concerns.
But this is who they are. DNA just can’t be changed.
"We train people, we can teach people, but we can’t change their DNA"
- Herb Kelleher
The Attitude
Experience has shown us time and again: for some contractors, the longer their experience, the more they struggle to obtain excellence.
The more you insist on quality and adherence to standards of excellence as a client, the more likely you are to receive subpar work, excuses, a bad attitude, or even unfinished projects.
Some contractors repeat the same mistakes, expecting different results - the true definition of insanity.
Contractors lacking true expertise can become defensive. They blame homeowners for being demanding, rather than striving for better outcomes. They may argue and become difficult when pushed for higher standards.
At some point these contractors will cut corners, hide poor results, lie, make excuses, or explode with some strong expletives before walking out.
This is not rare. It’s the norm. It’s a predictable recipe for disaster.
This is what happened to the Sturgeon Family in Newmarket, and so many others we’ve helped after their first contractor walked away from the job.
Whether dealing with past renovation disasters or struggling with a bad contractor, their experiences show how important it is to choose the right professionals.
Home Renovation Pain 2.0
When a renovation goes poorly, frustration often erupts, either from the owner or the contractor, and legal action usually follows. One day, you might wake up to find a lien on your home. Without notice! This means you can’t sell or remortgage without clearing the lien first.
On top of that, the work you were promised remains incomplete or unsatisfactory. The stress and anxiety increases.
Your carefully planned budget spirals out of control. Now there are repairs, another contractor to finish the job, legal fees, and more. It’s a painful situation.
I hate the experiences these homeowners find themselves in, and my heart goes out to them.
You deserve a positive renovation experience.
Whether you are renovating one room or your entire home, you need a contractor with the right expertise.
Everything you need to know about finding the right home renovation contractor is here. Click on the link now to download our guide to Confidence in the Expertise of your Contractors.
Want to Learn More?
Download Our Must Have Guide!
This comprehensive guide will cover the problems and provide solutions that homeowners face throughout the home renovation process. Mastering Home Renovations: A Homeowner’s Guide to Overcoming Renovation Fears, is a must have guide for navigating your home renovation.
Ready to renovate your home?
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