Renovation Tip #1

When you are paying people (e.g., architects, contractors) by the hour, your off-hand comments might end up costing you lots of money. I don't mean to say that you shouldn't be yourself when talking to them, but just to be aware of the situation. You are paying them money for every minute that you talk to them. The minutes that these off-hand comments take up might not account for much, but the work that they go off and do might. A comment that you made about how you weren't completely satisfied with the TV placement might mean that your architect spends hours (charging you > $100/hour) thinking about a better situation. I'm also not saying that they are trying to screw you. It's just that your idea of what you're willing to pay for perfection and theirs might be totally different. Be very explicit about the boundaries of your working relationship.