In article . com, RicodJour
says...

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

I'm don't know about what others here think, but I'm not saying that many
contractors are crooks. However, it *is* a field which can attract people
who imagine themselves to be top-notch craftsmen. There are no regulations
for skill level.

Then, you have to consider what some people think is a ripoff. I got 3
roofing estimates. One was almost ten grand. The other two were $4700 and
$5300. The expensive guy came highly recommended by several people I know,
but these were people with money to burn. One of them watched the roofer's
work very closely, and explained why he thought he was worth so much more
money - insane attention to details that you'd never see after the shingles
were in place.

That is one of the more dangerous comments I've seen on this newsgroup.
It's kind of hard to believe that _you_ believe it. The things you
don't see are what kill you in construction every time. There are no
exceptions.

I'm not Joe, but I do mean he meant "insane" figuratively. He meant it as a
compliment to that roofer.



There is also no such thing as insane attention to detail. Ask any
architect, builder, construction manager, contractor, anyone, where the
majority of problems and cost overruns arise. It's always in the
details. Someone bent a piece of flashing the wrong way, somebody
compacted the base except for a tiny area, etc.

You can probably imagine some customers thinking Mr. High Price tried to rip
them off, right? But, it depends on whether they understand that they're
paying for what some might call a disorder - an obsessive fixation with
details which may or may not matter. If I could afford the guy, I'd use him.

And that last is the entire conundrum in remodeling and construction.
People don't know how to weigh the risks and benefits versus the cost.
They read a bit, dabble with Google, ask a couple of questions and then
feel that they have a good enough handle on the situation to make an
informed decision. I wish it were that simple.

I think that was his point....

Banty