Should a Homeowner Supply Materials?

It’s not uncommon for homeowners to have a collection of materials left over from home renovation projects they tried to DIY. If they enjoy shopping at building supply stores, there’s an even better chance of having materials on hand. This leads many homeowners to offer to supply materials for the project or to secure them on their own to try to save money. While we won’t turn down a project over this, we highly recommend that you leave the hard work of finding materials to us here at Sosna. We can put our many years of expertise as designers and contractors to good use by securing everything you need for your entire renovation project. 

In our experience, we have found it to be more efficient and cost-effective (not to mention less stressful to the homeowner!) for the contractor to handle the purchasing of all materials. This is not to say you will be uninvolved in the process. On the contrary, you’ll have your attention and time freed up for making the important decisions and sitting with your options to get a feel for what’s right. Let us do the work of securing the project materials and rest assured that we’ll involve you in every choice without putting the stress of the procurement process on you. 

Responsibilities of Purchasing Supply Materials

There are multiple responsibilities involved in purchasing supplies for a renovation project. By passing the work on to us, you’re freeing yourself of most of them so you can reserve your attention for the decisions you need to make. Some of the many responsibilities related to purchasing building materials include: 

Ensuring the order is accurate. 

You’d be surprised at how easy it is to miss a single small detail and end up with a sink or toilet that won’t fit in your design. We use our expertise and experience with the construction process to ensure everything we order fits the needs of the project from the start. 

Staying in contact with the supplier throughout the processing and delivery of the order. 

This is especially important when ordering specialty materials or custom pieces. Late arrival of materials can disrupt the renovation schedule, which can cause cost increases and a delayed completion date. 

Coordinating the deliveries to the work site, organizing the materials to prevent access issues or damage, and securing everything until it can be installed. 

You need someone present to physically accept the orders, but why wait around all day when we can handle it? We’ll organize all of the delivered materials so they’re out of the way and yet still ready to use as we get to them.

Unpacking the materials and organizing them. 

Many larger items like vanities, cabinets, and kitchen sinks arrive protected by a volume of packing material even greater than the building materials you ordered. We’ll handle the careful unwrapping of everything and dispose of those packing materials without charging you anything extra. 

Inspecting the materials to ensure they meet your specifications.

Every tile, flooring plank, and bucket of paint needs immediate inspection to verify it’s what you ordered. We’ll check in detail to make sure that there are no missing parts or damage to the materials. If there are issues, we’ll solve them with the supplier so there is little to no delay to the project. When you order and receive the materials yourself, you’re also responsible for doing all the inspections and follow ups yourself. 

Installing the materials. 

Inspections to verify the quality of the materials don’t end with its acceptance. We also test out the products after installing them and then take it up with the supplier if there are any issues. You won’t have to deal with any of that stress, only enjoying the finished renovation with high quality materials that look and function just like you expect. If you order the materials and they fail to work, you’ll have to deal with following up with the manufacturer or supplier for a replacement. It tends to take far longer for a homeowner to achieve this than a contractor who has a high volume of orders with the company. 

Meeting all warranty terms. 

When you supply your own materials, we can’t always extend our contractor’s warranty to them because of the unknown quality and condition. Likewise, the original manufacturer’s warranty terms often only covered fixtures and materials installed by professionals. Even ordering your own materials could interfere with making a claim against the warranty. You don’t want to end up responsible for repairing or replacing any fixture or material after installation. 

Why Let Sosna Order The Materials For Your Renovation? 

Aside from moving the above responsibilities to our shoulders, you can also access a number of benefits by letting the contractors order the materials. 

Expertise and Accuracy

First, we can verify that all the details are correct thanks to our training and experience in construction. We’ll spot little discrepancies that could interfere with installation, such as a part measuring 1.5 inches when there is only clearance for a 1 inch component. 

Cost Savings and Bulk Purchasing

Second, we can secure great deals for you by purchasing materials in bulk that we’ll use across multiple projects. You only pay for what’s used in your renovation, saving money in the long run. 

Quality Material Selection

Finally, we know what to look for when it comes to low cost materials that are surprisingly high quality. Our expert eye will assess if something is really a good deal or if it’s just a low quality alternative that will wear out too quickly. You can trust that anything we recommend to trim down the material costs of your project is still durable and luxurious enough to give you the results you want. 

Are You Ready To Get Started?

In our experience, homeowners are more likely to stay on budget and within schedule when their renovation contractor orders the materials. Additionally, they will experience less of the stress associated with material ordering logistics. You can trust Sosna to pair you up with the best materials available at the fairest prices. Want to discuss your next home renovation project? Contact us to get started!