The folks at Bankrate.com are here with another article stuff full of remodeling wisdom:

“I see a lot of homeowners who are eager to get to the end result of a finished product, but they’re not as eager to do the proper preplanning and prescreening of contractors, says Monica Higgins, founder of Renovation Planners, a Los Angeles-based certified construction management firm.
“The reality is, with remodeling jobs, you need to go through a thorough process in order to get to a satisfying finish,” she says. “Too many homeowners are hiring contractors for jobs, and they’re finding the work doesn’t meet their expectations.”