Too Expensive?

I recently received an email from a prospective client saying that the quote I had provided "was more than they had budgeted for" and that they had "found another Architect who could do the plans for less" While this didn't surprise me (and to be honest I don't think I was the right Architect for the Job) it did start me thinking...

You get what you pay for is a common adage. People instinctively know that a car priced at £20,000 is likely to offer more than one priced at £10,000, both in terms of features and in status. Clothes are another good example, cheap clothes invariably look cheap and expensive clothes are more likely to be well made and be of quality materials. It's not rocket science - a cheap product or service will still have to provide the company with some profit so corners will have to be cut.

It surprises me that people would want to save a few quid (even a few thousand pounds) when dealing with their biggest asset - their house! A good Architect, who is well paid, will easily make up the deficit by providing clever and imaginative design solutions. I will leave you with a quote from John Ruskin which I think illustrates my point very well.

"There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man's lawful prey."