If you’ve heard recently that lumber shortages will keep you from getting the deck or porch you want, we can put your mind at ease. You don’t need to let that kind of news put a damper on your plans! When you select the right builder— Archadeck of Birmingham —you can move ahead to add your dream deck or perfect porch to your home. As Birmingham’s premier deck and porch builder, we can access the materials needed for your project. What’s more, we can lock in your pricing when you sign a contract for us to build it.
What Are the Advantages of Working with Archadeck?
There are more than a few benefits to working with Archadeck of Birmingham, especially now. Usually we talk about our custom designs tailored to your specific needs and the outstanding quality of our work. We also like to mention our warranties. Today, though, we want to focus on discussing materials, avoiding price increases, and working with a builder who gives you a firm quote, not an estimate. These are your hot-button reasons to select Archadeck to design and build your outdoor living projects. When? Now! This fall and winter, and the sooner the better.
How Does Archadeck Access Materials?
The relationships we have built with lumberyards and decking manufacturers give us an advantage. We don’t purchase materials for your outdoor living projects from the big box stores. We get higher quality materials and better pricing when we purchase directly from the source.
You may hear about materials shortages in the news. You may visit the big box stores and see low stock levels. When you work with us, though, you won’t be affected by those situations. Many of our clients are surprised to learn that the big warehouse-type building supply stores don’t necessarily carry top quality materials. A similar scenario you may be more familiar with is buying salon hair care products at discount stores. These stores usually stock inferior or lower-grade products. Your more seasoned builders—Archadeck!—still have access to the top-quality products we use on our projects.
How Does Archadeck “Lock In” Prices?
One of the advantages to working with Archadeck of Birmingham is that we are seasoned builders. We know what quantities of materials to order for each project—when to order them. It starts when we meet with you, the homeowner, to discuss the project you have in mind. When we design your outdoor living project, we may go through a few design iterations. Then, when we nail the design and you sign a contract, we order the materials needed to build it. Because we buy the materials at that time, our price doesn’t change later. This will be the case whether we’re building your deck or porch with cedar, premium pressure-treated pine or low-maintenance composite decking.
It’s true that prices for some building materials have increased this year with more homeowners staying home and tackling “quarantine projects.” It’s also true that, in this industry, manufacturers traditionally implement pricing increases after the first of the year. That’s why we encourage our clients to move ahead with a design and a contract as soon as possible. No one can accurately predict if and when prices of materials may increase. By getting your design finalized and contract signed as soon as possible, you can lock in pricing for your project now. In the event prices DO increase early in 2021, you will not be affected.
How Does a “Quote” Differ from an “Estimate”?
If you’ve talked with other builders, they may have offered to give you an estimate for the project you have in mind. What exactly does that mean? Ask around, and you’ll hear horror stories about builders who priced a job using an estimate—and then raised the price part-way through the project. What happened? An unscrupulous builder may low-ball your estimate just to get your business, actually planning to raise the price before completion! An unseasoned builder may mislead you through a lack of communication, experience and knowledge of the materials and/or structure you’re having them build. These things do happen, but not with Archadeck of Birmingham!
At Archadeck, we don’t give estimates. We’re not comfortable with that much uncertainty, and we don’t expect you to be, either. Our quote is just that—an actual, firm quote. We gather enough information about your outdoor living project when we design it that we literally know how much it will cost to build it. We base our quote on those costs and put it into our contract. If you sign a contract within a prescribed time period, the quote will not change. So, don’t delay!
If you’re getting a lower bid on your project from another builder, is that because it’s an estimate and not a firm quote? This is one situation where it is better NOT to go with the lowest bid—especially if you aren’t interested in change-as-you-go pricing. At Archadeck of Birmingham, we stand true to our contract agreements.
When you hear advice about waiting until after winter to let the supply and demand of building materials level out, don’t be swayed. The best time to move forward with your outdoor living project is right now.
If you are looking for a deck, open porch or screened porch solution for the way you want to live outdoors in the Birmingham area, call us now at (205) 576-5780 or email us at birmingham@archadeck.net.
Derek and Carissa Crews, owners Archadeck of Birmingham
