Nothing is more satisfactory than a job well done and fairly charged for. Nothing less satisfactory than one badly done which must be redone, and paid for over again. If you are going to spend money with contractors, why not think about it a little bit? It is possible that you might spend twice as much as needed, or get what you want done for half as much. It does take thought.

One thing you should understand from the beginning is that you should not try to be too cheap. Good workmen are not bought too cheaply; they may even be repelled by a captious customer; and only good workmen put real value into what they do.

If you do not correctly judge the job to be done and look only for a bargain you are very likely to fall victim to the kind of contractor who allows his salesperson to underbid. Then, having got the contract, there are three courses he can pursue: 1) He can persist in trying to get you to up the price as the job progresses. 2) He can cover his low bid by using unsatisfactory materials - and that can cost you a lot of money as time goes on. 3) He can sell the contract to a subcontractor who may not be able to do it with even a small amount of skill.

You must know that the law of our land is strong for the workman and the contractor. This comes from colonial days and our early pride in our artisans. In many legal disputes you will find the law on the contractor’s side, not yours. So your best course is to hire the best available person or company, preferably one who specializes in just what you want done, and get it done right the first time.

A schemer knows many ways to turn a shoddy buck. He can leave the insulation out under the window-seat where you’ll never look for it; he can put the linoleum down over plywood - and when it cracks you have no floor: He can blow only half the necessary insulation into the wall; lay the thinnest plywood down right over a cement floor - and you’ll freeze!

Occasionally a tricky builder, perhaps forced to cut corners by slow-moving sales, will put his all into a model home and put all sorts of fake stuff in the house down the street that you’re really buying. This has sometimes led to public outcries and in recent months some builders have even announced that they are not going to sell with model homes, partly for that reason, partly for the saving.