First off, enjoy this whole process!

You’re most likely turning a space into something you’re going to enjoy, and you want it to be perfect. Sometimes things will go wrong…the paint you chose won’t look exactly like you hoped it would in the space, the sink you desperately wanted is backordered, or it rains and we can’t paint the outside of your house right away. The moral of the story is this: everything will be ok! Your project will get finished, and you’re probably going to love how it turns out. Don’t get so caught up stressing over the details that you forget to enjoy this!

Trust your contractor.

If you don’t feel like you can trust someone, that’s probably a good indication that you shouldn’t be hiring them. We want you to ask questions so you can understand your project and the process, and will do our best to answer them thoroughly and honestly. If you choose to work with Golden Rule, we aim to exceed your expectations and leave a good impression. We know what we’re doing, and we can’t wait to make your designs a reality!

We use the products we use for a reason.

You found the same thing online for $1,500 less? Probably not. The fixtures we use are high quality, and quality appliances cost more money for a reason. Why? They last longer! The things you see online might have plastic fittings instead of metal, high shipping costs, pieces missing, parts broken, a delay in shipping, etc. Cheaper is not always your best option.

We aren’t trying to rake you over the coals.

We absolutely love what we get to do, but we have to make a living too! Swindling you out of your hard-earned money is never our goal, but we do our work because we need to make a living. When we take on a project we have to pay for the products that you want, and then we have to pay the manufacturer’s margin. We have to pay to have your materials delivered, and for the delivery fee. We have to pay someone to install your material, to paint your material, to oversee your project, and all of those people need money to put food on their family’s tables too! Your contractor isn’t trying to dupe you, he’s just trying to make a living, and ensure everyone else makes one too.

“I could do this way cheaper myself.”

You might be right! If you want to measure your dining room floor, go buy your wood, cut it, sand it, lay it, staple it, stain it, seal it, etc. go for it. Just don’t forget the subfloors, the vapor barrier, and the right colored wood putty!

If you DON’T want to watch 22 hours of youtube tutorials and deal with every beginner’s trial and error, it might be a good choice for you to hire a contractor. Of course you could do it yourself and save the cost of all the labor involved, but hiring an expert will save your time, certain repairs down the road, and it might save your sanity!

Your budget is how much?

$5,000 won’t cover us painting the exterior of your house, the new shutters, the landscaping, pouring your asphalt driveway, and a new deck. Remember when we talked about every person involved needing a living wage? Things cost money, and the things you saw on Pinterest don’t come for free.

Speaking of Pinterest…

Just because you saw something on Pinterest doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good idea for your home. We aren’t about to put a chandelier over your indoor pool… We have state and local codes to follow! Some of the things you saved on Pinterest were photoshopped, anyway. But, we are always up for a challenge and new idea too! If you saw a cool picture online, show us and we’ll see what we can do!

Please ask questions and be involved.

Again, we WANT you to understand your project, because we want you to be thrilled with the finished product! If we finish your kitchen and you thought your sink was going to be where your stove is, you’re going to be thrown off and more than a little bit confused. When you pay attention to your plans and the direction your project is headed, we can ensure that you’re happy with the end result. If you assume we can read your mind, you’re going to be left disappointed.

It might be a good idea to include a designer.

Not everyone can be Joanna Gaines, so if you’re needing a little more inspiration or direction for your project, we can help with that! A designer can take a lot of the stress of planning a project off your back and can potentially provide some less expensive alternatives to what you may have been previously considering.

We can’t control everything.

Even though we’ve been planning on pouring asphalt for your driveway on Thursday the 18th, there’s nothing we can do about it if it’s raining on Thursday the 18th. Even though we want to start developing your land in June, there’s nothing we can do if the city hasn’t given us the go-ahead. Like government permits and Kansas weather, sometimes there are going to be things that are outside of our control.

Don’t panic if your bathroom isn’t looking like you hoped it would.

Your shower tile looks weird next to the floor? That’s because we’ve only finished the subfloor, and it makes the tile you picked look a lot darker. The brass faucet is clashing with the walls? The primer on the walls isn’t the same tone as your final paint color. No need to get worked up, we aren’t done here! Remember that you and your designer made the decisions you made for a reason, and your finished project is going to look amazing!

Trust us… This is going to be good!

You hopefully hired Golden Rule because you trust us. We work hard, and we’re committed to treating other people the way that we would want to be treated ourselves. It’s so exciting to design, create, and build something together, so let’s have fun and create something stunning!