There is a saying in the renovation business: "Good, fast, and cheap - pick two." Many renovation tasks abide by this rule of tradoffs where you have determine what your priorities are for a specific task.

For example, take drywall mudding and taping. This is a labor intensive task that requires some amount of skill and/or effort to do well.

• If you pay your buddy Chris $50 and a case of Bud Light to help you finish the drywall, the two of you may be able to bang it out in a weekend. It will be cheap and fast, but unless you both have experience finishing drywall, chances are it won't be good.

• An experienced contractor that is good and cheap will probably also be in great demand and you may have to wait to get on his or her schedule.
• A contractor who is both good and fast will probably charge a premium for such service so it won't be cheap.

There will be that needle in a haystack contractor, of course, who is all three. If you ever find such a contractor, best not to tell anyone because the busier he or she gets, the more likely it is one of the three will give...