Weighing Cost Against Competence

I've consulted two tile installers in regards to my master bathroom renovation.  One, Mr. Red, gave me an initial installation price of $1500.  The second, Mr. Blue, gave me an estimate of $1900.  Comparing the prices alone I'd immediately go with Mr. Red, but then again there are other factors to consider.

My father has worked exclusively with Mr. Blue in the past when it came to renovations in his home.  The bathrooms came out beautifully, and Mr. Blue completed the job in a minimal amount of time.  Mr. Red, however, is recommended by a friend of a friend - the only examples that I've seen of his work are in pictures.  Also, Mr. Red expressed concern over being able to properly cut the tile I'm using; he explained that the tile has the consistency of marble (even though it isn't marble) and he doesn't have the tools that are commonly used to work with tile of that nature.  Mr. Red was also the one who stated that he was nervous about working in my shower since the back wall is slanted inward due to the odd design of the roof.  All of this does not exactly instill confidence in me, and more and more I am thinking that perhaps going with the more expensive Mr. Blue will afford me greater peace of mind with this project.

I still have to call both men back to my new home for a final consultation and it's possible that Mr. Red will bow out of the job altogether (or even worse, either man could raise their initial estimate!), but I will be definitely judging the confidence of both of these guys in doing the job correctly.  This renovation is already costing me and my family an arm and a leg - I don't want to ruin it with shoddy installation.

Comments

[Nirvi]

Hey Amanda, if it were me, I'd go with the slightly more expensive guy. The $400 difference will seem less than say $1,000 later should the guy you're less confident in screw things up so badly you have to pay to have even more work done!