There is a confusion about cheap and expensive goods and cheap ones and them expensive services. When it comes to material goods, it is easier to understand that if you buy a very cheap garment, then you will soon need to replace it. Whereas if he buys a relatively expensive and good quality garment it will last longer and therefore in the long run, based on the use he will have made it will have cost him less overall.
In this equation, some key parameters are not calculated which are the ones that have created the confusion in the market. There are some brands that are eye-wateringly expensive, beyond any quality of materials, workmanship and aesthetics, simply because they meet the need of importance of the person who will acquire it. In the hyper-consumer society we live in, where fashions are constantly changing and one of the negative vehicles to meet the need for importance is consumerism, there is a possibility that any quality good will cease to be used for reasons other than because it has become obsolete. So an important variable is missing in the above equation. There is a belief that it can be lost, or broken, or stolen, and therefore it is better to give a little money and not have any scruples than to pay for something more expensive. So in material goods, both sides are right and the decision is made based on personal, social, financial and any other criteria by each individual.
However, when it comes to services, and especially the architectures I'm going to talk about, things are different. One of the many phenomena of the "crisis" is a new consumer "culture" where the businessman is now considered "hungry" and therefore should "undress" to the customer because he needs him.
So what happens when someone decides to do the architectural study of their new home or the renovation of the existing one? Because my colleagues will laugh at the new study (since very few building permits are issued in Greece), the truth is that those very few who dare to start building their own house at this time are people who have the aesthetic education and use architect and pay for good services rendered. Let's go to someone who decides to renovate his apartment. The tendency is to find the cheapest offer, after of course he collects not a dime as if he is looking for a refrigerator and goes to department stores. Without anyone taking into account that a serious office spends many unpaid working hours to measure, plan, make calculations, get offers from workshops. In this, of course, the entire branch of architects and engineers has a great responsibility. Because think if the same thing happened to doctors. If I had to visit five doctors, they would examine me, make a diagnosis, and then choose who I want...
The cheap solution carries risks. When someone is chasing the lowest price, the one who will offer it to them is hardly able to provide high quality, service and support. So, although the principle of cooperation seems to be low cost, in the long run it turns out to be just the opposite.
Rarely, then, is the hidden cost of the cheap solution apparent from the outset. And while it seems like a great opportunity, it costs a lot in the long run. Because renovation is something that, unlike clothes or products, someone does a few times in their life, when they realize it is already too late. Anyone who has used both of these options knows well that an "exact" price is actually anything but accurate. Without this, of course, excluding the case of someone succeeding a bad professional, and regardless of what he pays, he does not receive a good result. In this, human intuition plays an important role, which is also the most perfect tool available to man.
If the person opposite you inspires you, inspires you with confidence, the works he has already done satisfy you and his passion for what he does motivates you, then remember... that good investing is done once, but done right.
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The article was published on epixeiro.gr in the Culture Hub column: www.epixeiro.gr/article/67183
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