31 Mar So you think the cheap landscape lighting bid is the right bid….think again
By Mike Gambino
I have been in the home improvement contracting business in various forms dating back almost 40 years. Almost three quarters of my lifetime has been spent working with property owners and fellow contractors on new construction and remodel landscape and of course for the past 27 years landscape lighting projects. And after all of these years I have seen some amazing work from some top notch craftsman who take pride in their work like I and my company does and I have seen some true horror stories. Usually those stories begin with the buyer/property owner choosing what was the lower bid thinking they were getting the same quality materials and workmanship at the lower price. Of course this is very rarely the case. The low bid comes about for a various number of reasons.
#1- The contractor is green- Inexperienced, hasn’t been around long enough to truly know the difference between quality materials and lower quality materials because they haven’t been around long enough to personally vet them. If they don’t learn fast and make the proper corrections in their business then they will not be around for you when everything falls apart and you are left holding the bag. And even if they are around they typically become a ghost and won’t return your calls because they cannot financial afford to stand behind their jobs so any warranty written or implied becomes worthless.
#2- The contractor does not know the true cost of operating their business- This could be that they are more trade technically savvy then business savvy. If they don’t pay their employees enough or on time they will lose them. Good help is always in high demand. If they are not making enough on jobs to pay key employees or pay required costs such as insurance and licensing and of course taxes they are not going to be around for the long run.
#3- On rare occasions the low bid comes about for competitive reasons- One contractor trying to take the job out from under another and are willing to forego any profit to do so. This may seem like a benefit to the buyer however this is very rarely ever the case. Corners can get cut in ways that can go undetected to the property owner until failure occurs. And once again the owner is going to experience significant inconvenience and expense to get it fixed. Let’s face it contractors are human and like most are motivated by profit (money). After all they are not in business to do your job to just brake even especially when they can work somewhere else and realize necessary profit to build their business and keep the doors open.
The three scenarios above come about by the actions of the contractor however that is not always the case in the low bid home improvement project. Sometimes and in fact many times problems from the low bid are brought about by the buyer himself. This can happen when-
#1- The buyer makes it clear they are interested in the lowest price and will only hire the low bidder- Buying home improvement projects are not like going to a store or online to make a commodity product purchase. It is almost impossible to make apples to apples comparisons between contractors as no two companies, individuals or product/package offerings are ever the same. There are simply just too many variables to consider. Buying on price alone is almost always the wrong consideration.
#2- Buyers have done no due diligence- It is the responsibility of the buyer to do their own homework and vet prospective service providers on their own. The internet has made it much easier to do so but it still takes time and work. It is also important that they recognize superior products over inferior ones so they do not have to rely upon contractors recommendation only.
#3- Buyer has no value for and believes all contractors are the same- This is a huge mistake as the contractor is going to be the single most important aspect of your home improvement project especially landscape lighting. Since low voltage landscape lighting for the most part requires no permit or city inspections and there are literally no agreed upon industry build standards not only safety can be compromised but the quality of every aspect of your project could be adversely affected by this.
So what can go wrong when low build standards are employed?
Power cable direct buried outside of protective conduit pipe can and will get damaged.
Wire connections made in the ground without weatherproofing that go bad shutting down fixtures or sections of lights.
Cheap stakes that break easily and create nuisance and costly service calls. Or out of adjustment fixtures because mounts are insufficient.
Cheap fixtures do not keep moisture out causing premature lamp failure which can be very costly in the case of LED. Cheap fixtures do not last.
Transformers that trip breakers and GFI’s can result from faulty transformers, poor wire connections, overloading and or moisture getting into the system.
Performance problems like Dim ineffective lighting can result from electrical problems created by novice installers without proper electrical understanding or training. Or incorrect lamp choice or fixture quantity and positioning. Or just plain poor design practices.
This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all 
rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 27 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.Gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .
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