Choose your savings WISELY when embarking on a remodel...How Cutting Costs on a Contractor Can Cost You More in the End

We get it!  When you’re planning a major remodel and the numbers start to feel like Santa Barbara Monopoly money, the first question is usually, “How can we bring this cost down?” Sometimes saving money is necessary. The work needs to happen, and the budget is what it is. No shame in that. 

This is a good humored but honest look at where contractors often reduce costs, and how those savings can end up being passed on to you in ways that aren’t ideal. There are plenty of valid ways to manage a budget, this isn’t a knock on honoring the thrifter in all of us (we admire that part of ourselves too... respect). Our hope is that by the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of where you're comfortable taking risks, and where it might be worth handing off the stress, liability, and thousands of decisions to a team that treats your home as if it were their own, and your stress as if it were theirs too.

If that sounds like the kind of team you'd want in your corner, we invite you to explore how we do things differently at Kellow Construction. Check out our FAQs and learn more about our unique approach at kellowconstruction.com.

(Photo of a sad couple who saved unwisely on a remodel)

Design: Skimp the Plans
Complete plans take time and money, especially when interior and landscape design are involved. When a builder says, “We don’t need full plans, we can figure it out,” it might sound great. Kind of like a surgeon saying, “Let’s skip the MRI and just see what we find.” The details in those plans are not fluff, they are your road map, your contract with trades, and your decision making lifeline. 

At Kellow Construction, we do a lot of our own plans, and all plans we generate or collaborate on are audited and reviewed by Kiel, our owner. We refine every detail until we are confident enough to provide a fixed price contract we can stick to. This level of preparation saves time, stress, and money down the road.

Overhead: Have Your GC Wear Every Hat
Some builders run lean, no office, no admin, maybe not even email. Just a truck, a preference for texts, and a handshake. Proudly “old school.” And while we respect that approach (both of us have family who still do it that way), it only works when everything goes smoothly. When things go sideways, and they often do, a smart, capable team is what keeps your project on track. Without that structure, you may find yourself more involved than you expected and constantly unsure of what's next.

Project Management: Do It Yourself
Project managers are the conductors of the remodeling orchestra. They coordinate trades, track budgets, keep timelines, and protect your investment. Some homeowners take this on themselves, it can work if you have extra hours each week and thrive under pressure. Otherwise, cutting this role means becoming the general contractor. 

At Kellow Construction, our project management is strong, organized, and directly overseen by the owner. Our clients have his personal cell phone number. There is no passing the buck, just clear accountability and trusted leadership.  Hard to beat!

Site Supervision: Let the Trades Figure It Out
Your lead carpenter or site supervisor is the first to arrive and the last to leave. They know the language of the jobsite, track progress, and quietly solve problems before they escalate. If this role is eliminated, trades are left to interpret the design on their own, and that rarely ends well. Without an experienced point person on site each day, who’s really in charge?

Subcontractors: Go with the Lowest Bidder
Everyone loves a deal. But if your contractor is not checking licenses, verifying insurance, requesting lien waivers, and staying on top of contract terms, those savings can come with costly headaches. 

At Kellow, we know our subs inside and out, and they know us. We do not operate on a net 30 structure. We pay fast once all pay application requirements have been met, communicate clearly, and do good business. Because of that, our subcontractors prioritize our projects and show up with their best work.

Communication?  That's for Wimps!
Weekly updates, photos, change order tracking, calendar invites, these all take time and resources. It’s tempting to skip them, until a window shows up the wrong size and no one tells you why. Cutting communication might save a little upfront, but it can cost a lot later.  Responsiveness is one of our core values, and we extend it to every person on our team, every vendor we work with, and yes, we even expect this quality from our clients. If communication isn’t a two-way street, we move on. Because that kind of misalignment is not something we can build around.

Quality: Lower the Expectations
Everyone says they want high quality. Not everyone hires for it. Quality is not just in finishes, it’s in clean framing, waterproofing, site cleanliness, and the pride the crew takes in their work. If you’re questioning whether your contractor truly cares about you or your home, the answer usually shows in time.

Labor: Invest Less in the Workforce
Some contractors (like us!) provide health insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, retirement and dependent care savings matches, bonuses and more. Others don’t. We do. Because how a company treats its workers shows up on site. Teams that are overworked and underpaid rarely go the extra mile. We want every person on our sites to take pride in the work, and in the company they work for.

Financial Competence: Hire the Optimist "Sure we can make that work!"
A contractor who bids low and promises the world can be so, so tempting, but if they don’t have a firm grip on job costing, cash flow, and construction specific bookkeeping, things can unravel fast. Missed payments, budget gaps, and stalled projects are often signs of a back office that isn’t built for the realities of running a strong construction business.

Construction bookkeeping and numbers are a very unique complex bear. It’s not intuitive, and when it’s off, the cracks show quickly. At Kellow, we know our numbers. We leverage tools like QuickBooks Online and JobTread to keep our company lean and our numbers straight. Strong bookkeeping, and accurate forecasting are the backbone of how we run our business, and a huge reason our projects stay on track and our clients trust the process.

Safety and Site Organization: Safety Third
A clean, organized site with labeled materials and clear safety protocols costs more. But it also prevents injuries, lost materials, and expensive mistakes. If safety is not clearly prioritized, it’s worth asking what else is being skipped.


So What’s the Point?
Yes, you can remodel for less. And sometimes those tradeoffs are worth it. But often, cutting corners leads to more stress, more costs, and a project experience no one wants to repeat.

At Kellow Construction, we bring design, value engineering, and construction into one integrated process. The people designing your home work hand in hand with the people building it, which means fewer surprises and a finished result that feels like it was always meant to be.

If you, or someone you know, is planning a remodel and looking for a team who does things right, we’d love to hear from you.
Schedule a consultation, we’ve got you.

Most sincerely,
All of us at Kellow Construction