When i used to be a residential contractor i found that most home owners were like that,always quoting prices from "Elmer Fudd Contracting" that they found advertising in the newspaper classified add's.
They'd try & talk me down in any way they could, all the while having a fleet of expensive cars in the drive of a million dollar home,i'm glad i gave up on residential contracting.
I hate that kind of thinking--the other people's, not yours!
We recently had our main bathroom remodeled--walls, floor, window, tub/shower, plumbing, toilet, everything. We wanted a good job. Some older friends recommended a contractor, saying that they'd used him, that he was by no means the cheapest, that he was honest, and that we would NOT have to hire anyone to fix his work. We asked him over for an estimate. He quoted us a lot more than we first planned on spending. We were shocked at first, and said we'd think about it. We trusted him, based on the friends' recommendations, asked him back to ask a few questions and do measurements, gave him a down payment, and asked when he could start the job. His crew and he were always on time, they did a super job, and he had no problem with us doing the painting to save a few hundred dollars. We've had this man back for some smaller projects, and have recommended him to friends. If I built a new house around here, I'd turn to him.
I'd be SCARED to use a cheap contractor, frankly!
But back to what you said, highfihoney, I'm amazed how some well-off people try to talk everything down to the last penny. I used to be a commercial photographer for many, many years. I had some clients pull tricks like this. I was in one man's showroom one day, giving him an estimate. He asked me to walk to his file cabinet, where he pulled out a purchase order for some other photography done by a cheap photographer. I couldn't match that price and told him so. I also told him what I could do that that other photographer couldn't do. He wasn't happy, so I thanked him and walked away.
Chris
