With double-digit numbers of aisles, at least two and sometimes three deep, not to mention a selection of products extensive enough to meet the needs of entire buildings, both inside and out, the most user-friendly home-improvement megastore can be a little overwhelming to the average homeowner. A privately-owned hardware store is definitely easier to navigate (in most cases), but the selection is, of necessity, proportionately smaller, and prices are often higher, as well.
So, what is the remodeling-minded homeowner to do? Probably the simplest solution is to pay someone else to handle the entire project and avoid the issue altogether. For some of us, the project is as massive as the budget is miniscule, so hiring anyone is completely out of the question. For many people, though, hiring a general contractor is just the ticket, especially for the larger projects. In the Washington, D.C. suburbs, for example, there are home remodelers in Gaithersburg and the surrounding area that will take care of an entire project, from start (the planning stage) to finish (the fixture-installation stage)–also known as the “Design Build” system. With this set-up, the contractor handles even the permit phase (ranking right up there with intimidating megastores). Another benefit is that contractors like D.R. Hartman Construction, Inc. have relationships with suppliers of building material in the Washington, D.C. area, so they can get better deals than the average home owner in a retail store, and the contractors can pass that savings along to their customers.
Granted, for some of us, an all-evening trip to Lowe’s is quite a treat (a rare date, in some cases)–far more enticing than any amount of time that must be spent in Old Navy–but there are a number of people who would much rather have personal shoppers take care of any and all business to be transacted anywhere outside the mall. Even for those who aren’t quite so extreme in their likes and dislikes, the time and possible frustration involved with a D-I-Y project may make a home renovator in Bethesda seem like a much better option. Especially for someone planning home renovation in the Washington, D.C. area, some professional assistance would probably be most welcome. After all, many of the folks that live in these suburbs are spending a lot of time commuting to D.C. and Baltimore, and the last thing they’ll want to do will be to fight more traffic up and down the aisles of a massive home-improvement store.
As many people (referring to different scenarios) have pointed out, “It takes all kinds….” Some of us are more geared toward tools and hardware, and others are more passionate about shoes and shirt styles. For those who are less familiar with all that a home-improvement megastore can offer, construction and remodeling/renovating companies like D.R. Hartman Construction, Inc. (web link) are a perfect match–they focus on meeting their customers’ needs and making the projects easier, which may mean saving people a whole lot of time wandering many aisles with really high shelving units…leaving that time available for a little longer stay at the mall.
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