Why We Cost More Than Other Tallahassee Contractors

Why We Might Cost More 

Labor and material costs affect the budget but also level of service, experience and warranty. 

Our view is this: most people remodel a kitchen or bathroom once every 15 years and once complete things are hard to change. 

So we want to make sure you get things right the first time. Our expertise and design build process ensures we get things right from the start so you can remodel with confidence. 

Summary

Q1: Why does McManus Kitchen and Bath cost more than other contractors in Tallahassee?

A1: McManus Kitchen and Bath costs more because they offer a higher level of service, including a turnkey design-build approach, a dedicated project manager, a detailed and accurate budget, vetted subcontractors, and an excellent warranty.

Q2: What is the design-build approach mentioned by McManus Kitchen and Bath?

A2: The design-build approach is a method of home renovation that emphasizes teamwork and planning, providing a one-stop shop for design and construction. It ensures seamless collaboration, high-quality workmanship, and a great remodeling experience.

Q3: What are the benefits of having an in-house showroom?

A3: The in-house showroom allows clients to meet with the design team, make selections from curated options, and feel confident in their choices. It helps clients stay within budget and simplifies the selection process.

Q4: How does McManus Kitchen and Bath ensure good communication during a project?

A4: McManus Kitchen and Bath ensures good communication through organized and helpful support staff who keep clients updated on the schedule and any changes. Each client also gets an online portal where they can access all their proejct details easily. 

Q5: What kind of warranty does McManus Kitchen and Bath offer?

A5: McManus Kitchen and Bath offers a five-year warranty, with an initial check-in six months after project completion and annual follow-ups. This warranty demonstrates their confidence in their work and commitment to client satisfaction.

Why We Might Cost More. 

Staff Expertise

We place a high value on having a staff that are experienced and well-trained. Our staff is organized, helpful, and ready to make your project a success.

Monthly Training and Conferences

The remodeling world is always changing. Trends come and go, codes change, and building practices evolve. Because of this, we invest in regular training for our team to ensure that they are always growing and learning, staying current, and becoming the best they can be. 

Our Support Staff

On often overlooked part of the remodeling process is the support staff needed in additional to the designers and project managers.

Our warehouse managers and design assistants are critical to providing consistent service. They make sure materials arrive on time, help with communcation and help keep jobsites stay clean and organized.

A Team Approach

We collaborate and problem-solve together in order to make both your experience and your final product the very best they can be.

And our communication with you as our client is excellent as well. You can expect to be kept up-to-date on the preconstruction and construction schedule, as well as any changes that arise during the process. 

A High Level of Service

We offer a turnkey approach to remodeling your home. We have an in-house team of designers, our own showroom, and contractors to coordinate and do the work you need. 

With other remodeling companies, you are coordinating several different teams. You might work with a design company and make a plan. Then you have several different contractors out to bid on your project.

After you hire a general contractor, you give him your plan and expect him and his team to execute it. But if there are problems, or changes that need to be made, there’s no collaboration between the builders and the designers.

You’re on your own trying to manage. We offer a much better way. 

Design-build is a method of home renovation and construction that emphasizes teamwork and planning, high-quality workmanship, and a great remodeling experience for you by helping you through every step of the process ourselves. For more about what design-build remodeling means, click here and here.

We Choose Our Subs and Installers Carefully  

We have carefully vetted every subcontractor we work with. We know the success of your project depends on the excellence of their work, and we stand behind it. 

The Problem

Most trades do not require a license so there is no requirement for experience or continuing education and literally anyone can call themselves a tile installer, drywall contracotr, handyman etc… which makes it challenging to find qualified installers.

Common Approaches

Many contractors bid their work out and choose the lowest bid so they can maximize their profit. This also means they are changing who they work with on every project. This often leads to quality control issues and poor warranty and follow up.

Some contractors also hire handymen or self perform many of the trades in house… which usually means they are qualitifed at one of two things and not great at others. This can lead to very inconsistent quality of work.

Our Approach

We take time to carefully vett our trade partners and develop long term relationships with them that includes additional training and sharing of ways to improve.

• We have a rigorous process for onboaring new installers and trade partners that includes an in person interview, background check and reference check.
• We make sure our subs have valid liabilty insurance, commerical auto and workers compensations. We keep copies of their insurance on file and make sure it is kept up to date.
• We start new installers on very small jobs while we learn more about them and test their skill level and professionalism.

We’ve worked with the same installers for many years and consider them an part of the McManus Kitchen and Bath team. We get them involved during the design process so they can provide their expertise during project development.

We Provide Fixed Price Contracts with No Surprises

We finalize all design decisions and orders all your materials before the project starts. This ensures our project finish on time and on budget. 

Creating fixed price prosals with no allowances or contigencies is more time consuming but it is the only way to consistenly complete projects on time and on budget. 

The Problem

Determining the cost of a remodeling projects is complicated and time consuming. It requires a lot of work in the design phase to make sure there are not costs increases or surprises during the project.

How Most Contractors Do It

The most common is to ‘guestimate’ the labor costs and provide material allowances to the client.

During the project they try to hire subcontractors to do the work for less than they estimated and that is how they make money. The problem here is if they ‘guestimate’ wrong they will try to take shortcuts during the project, even abandon the project to take on a higher paying one.

Using materail allowaces relieves them of the work of choosing materials and shifts the risk of increased costs to you.

Another approach is using a cost plus contract.

This is where the contractor provides an initial ‘guestimate’ but bills the client for actual labor and materails costs every few weeks during the project. Most construction lawsuits involve this type of contract.

Both these methods make things faster and easier for the contractor but puts a lot of burden and risk on the client.

It is common for the contractor to ‘guestimate’ low in order to win the job even though they know the actual cost will be much higher.

Our Approach

We create fixed price proposals for all our projects that include a detailed description of work, finalized material selections and no allowances. Our contract price is the price you will pay.

Curated Materials From Quality Vendors 

Today there are more material options than every before. All these options can be overwhelming and it’s hard to know what materials are quality and which ones are not. 

Because we have our own showroom we are able to carefully vett our vendors to make sure we are only offering quality options. We also host regular product knowledge training with our vendor reps to make sure we stay up to date.

We curate our selections using a ‘good, better, best’ system so you have budget options, upgrades and unique designer options as well. 

Other Important Factors

Project Management

We prioritize having a dedicated project manager for each project. A project manager is the person who holds the many moving parts of a construction project together, ensuring that everyone has what they need, everyone stays on schedule, and any problems are addressed. A project manager is at the job site every day making sure the site stays clean, everyone is doing what they need to be doing, and any changes that need to be made are clearly communicated to you and to the team.

A project manager deals with scheduling, quality control, change orders, and more. Having a dedicated project manager handle your project gives you the peace of mind that everything is under control and moving along as it should.

Ordering and Storage

One of the reasons we believe that it’s better to hire a turnkey company than to be your own general contractor has to do with ordering and storage. Your project will be so much easier and less stressful for you because we are the ones who order the building supplies, tile, cabinets, countertops, and whatever else you need. We deal directly with our vendors and ensure that the right materials are ordered in the right amounts and at the right stages of the project.

We also store all your materials in our warehouse until they’re needed. You won’t have to be living on top of stacks of lumber or trying to find your way through boxes of cabinets that aren’t ready to be installed yet. We keep your site clean and organized and your materials safely stored out of your way.

Our Warranty

Unlike many contractors, we guarantee our work. About six months after your project is complete, we will contact you to see if there is anything that needs adjusting or touching up. We also provide a five-year warranty during which time we check in with you annually. This is a great warranty that shows you how much we believe in our work and how much we value your satisfaction!

So Why Might We Cost More?

We provide a high level of service that many companies don’t. We prioritize great communication with you and among our team.

We value on-time completion, clean and organized workspaces, a high level of quality, and a great warranty.

This does mean that we cost more than many contractors in Tallahassee, but it also means that you will be happier with the finished product.

Your home is your biggest investment and the place where you spend your time and make your memories–it deserves the best you can give it.

If you’d like to talk more about what makes us unique, or if you’re ready to get started on a remodel for your home, contact us today. We’d love to knock your socks off with our great service and excellent workmanship.