Don't Always Go for the Cheapest Contractor Quote
A lower quote looks great on paper. But on a recent project, choosing the cheaper contractor ended up costing more in both money and time, and it's a pattern worth knowing about before you're the one making that call. It also comes back to how to find a reliable tradie in the first place, price is only one part of that picture.
What a reliable contractor actually provides
I've always used the same stonemason, and his service is five stars. He turns up with a digital measuring tool that maps out every point on the site, then sends through cutting diagrams by email showing exactly how each piece gets cut from the slab, nested to keep wastage to a minimum. The quote you get upfront is accurate, because it's built from real measurements and real cutting layouts, not a guess. He's punctual, and if anything comes up after the job, he comes back and sorts it out. He's not the cheapest option out there. But every box gets ticked.
A client wanted to save money
On this particular project, the client wanted to save some money and asked if his own stonemason could quote alongside mine, so he could compare and decide. It's not something I normally do, but he was a friend, so I made the exception. His stonemason came in cheaper, and promised a faster turnaround too. Both were big incentives, so the client went with his guy.
Why the cheaper quote ended up dearer
The first measurement visit got pushed back, no big deal on its own. When his stonemason did turn up, he came with a pen and paper. No digital equipment, no cutting diagrams, nothing like what my usual stonemason provides.
About a week and a half later, once he'd taken his final on-site measurements, two things came up that weren't accounted for in his original price. First, we actually needed two extra slabs. Second, the sinks were undermount, which meant extra fabrication work he hadn't priced in. Between the two, his price ended up around $1,100 dearer than what my usual stonemason had quoted from the start, all done through proper measurement and CAD files from day one.
The install date slipped too. By the end, the job ran three weeks behind what my usual stonemason would have needed.
The work was fine, the process wasn't
To be clear, the finished job was done to a satisfactory standard. This isn't about bad workmanship. It's about what you're actually paying for when you pick a contractor. My usual stonemason's price reflects the equipment, the accuracy, and the process behind it. Pen and paper measurements might get the job done, but they come with more guesswork, and in this case, that guesswork cost more than the cheaper quote ever saved.
How SiteCred helps
A quote doesn't tell you about reliability, turnaround, or how a contractor handles defect rectification. SiteCred identifies all of this, so you're not just choosing based on the number on the page. It's the same reason ABN verification only tells you a contractor's legitimate, not whether they're actually good to work with.
Keep reading: chasing trades to fix defects, and how to avoid a bad builder.