Shopping Around
by Sal Alfano
Construction is a competitive
business. You compete for contracts,
employees, and subcontractors, and
much of the race is run on the
bottom line, where the lowest price
takes all. It seems odd, then, that
while so many builders complain
about losing jobs solely on the basis
of price, they turn around and
choose suppliers the same way. They
pay close attention to price, and all
but ignore factors like reliability,
honesty, and service.
You can purchase 80 or 90 percent
of all the materials you need to
construct a house (excluding
foundation and systems) from a
single lumberyard. You pay suppliers
the largest percentage of your gross
receipts, and the service you receive
should be better than