EXT is right. Look at it this way, profit is the bottom line. (Hey, I made a funny!) Once a price is agreed upon, the income to the contractor is fixed, so the only way to make more profit is for him to lower the outgo, hence the incentive to use the cheapest materials and the cheapest labor (which means less labor skill). Guess who owns the outcome of all this scrimping?
As an electrician, I go over every job with the homeowner, not the general contractor. (I do clear this with the GC first) I go over every detail, locations of switches and fixtures, where to split-wite receptacles ( that means wire every receptacle in each room so the top half is always hot, and the bottom half is on a switch by the door, so one is not limited as to where a lamp or a clock or TV can be placed), how to control ceiling fans (chain or wall controls), etc.
Plus, sound distribution, phone, computer, cable and sattelite, outside lighting, automation, central vacuum, etc. I often make more doing extras for the homeowner than from the original contract.
The important thing is that the person who will be living there is happy, not the builder. He's only concerned with the 'bottom line'.
