Homeowner guide to choosing a repair or remodeling contractor

Are you looking to upgrade your home? Does your home need some major repairs or minor projects completed? You’ve looked on line, in the yellow pages and ask friends for referrals on whom to use for your projects. You think you’re ready? Well before you make a costly mistake, let’s look at some common mistakes that homeowners make.

Do I really need multiple estimates? The short answer; YES! Price is not the only reason for multiply estimates. The best price is not always the best price. The person you are dealing with is a lot more important sometimes than the price. If someone quotes you a low price, then doesn’t show up, how good was the price? On the other hand, if you get a price that is way out of line how will you know? If the job is a small repair job, this may not be as important, but, expect to pay a decent wage to someone for the work. Remember, they are using their tools, their knowledge and their time. On jobs over twenty five hundred dollars, you better talk to at least three people. Find the person that you are comfortable with, this will mean a lot once the job begins. The main reasons you need to talk to at least three contractors. One is to check for promptness. If you make an appointment for someone to show up and they don’t show up on time, will they show up to work on time?

Do your personalities clash? When you are hiring a person to work on a project around your house, remember, that he will be there a lot. If you are not sure that you like that person, this can cause a lot heart aches. The person’s knowledge is the most important thing however. If you talk to a person and you see a lot of hesitations in his answers, beware, he or she is searching for way to cover. Though nobody knows everything about everything, a good contractor that has been in the business over 10 years will have seen and done most common thing around your house. Also, an honest person will simply say, “I don’t know”, if they don’t, and not try to bull his way through it. Use caution.

What is their reputation? Check their references; you need a least three references of similar types of work you are seeking. If you are looking to have a basement finished, look for someone who has done several basements. If they don’t have references for that kind of work, don’t be surprised if a problem arises. However, if you on plan on project that involves several types of work, a contractor that has a complete resume of custom projects may be the one you’re looking for. But, remember you have to check his or her references very carefully. Though, no one can be one hundred percent perfect on every job, your chances of running into problems will lessen if you get good references from their previous jobs.

Then there are contracts and insurance; expect to sign a contract for the job. The professional contractor will include a complete scope of work to be done. Be wary of vague contracts that don’t include certain items. The contract should also include a draw schedule on big jobs. The contractor should only request draw after the work is completed, not before. The only thing that may vary is a deposit clause. The deposit clause is to protect the contractor on material orders. If the job requires special order items, they usually can’t be returned to the vendor once ordered, so be prepared to pay for these items up front. If you are not comfortable with this, consider paying for the items and having the items delivered to your home. This way if the contractor fails to show up you still have the product.

Insurance is a very important part of the process. All reputable contractors will carry liability and workman’s compensation insurance. Liability insurance will cover any losses you incur if something were to happen. Take for instance, if during the process, the contractor accidentally hits a water line hidden inside a wall and your home floods, he would be responsible for the repairs. If you have seen the news lately, you know that flooding can cause a lot of damage. I recommend you check the contractor’s policy very carefully and call the agent listed on the policy to verify that the policy is in effect. Make sure that you are listed as insured on the policy, if you are not listed on the policy, the insurance is worthless.

Workman’s compensation insurance is just as critical. If the contractor doesn’t have a policy that list compensation insurance, and a worker is injured at your house you are responsible and you can be sued. Once again, check the policy and call the agent to insure the comp portion of the policy is in effect.  Don’t take their word for it! Being sued for hospital bills and time off can be very expensive; don’t let this happen to you, it has happened before.

As with any thing, there are no fool proof methods to insure that you are going to be happy with the job. But, a reputable contractor will do everything within their power to make you completely satisfied before leaving. Also, make a punch list before final payment is made. A punch list is a comprehensive list of items that you are not satisfied with. Make sure you cover everything; the contractor will expect final payment once the list is completed.

Finally, warranties and coverage’s for work completed. The contract should include a warranty clause somewhere in the agreement. Read this section carefully and ask a lot of questions if there is anything that you are not sure about. Most contractors will offer a one year warranty on material and workmanship, this should be the minimum. Some will offer life time warranties on workmanship, be wary of this however, not all contactor’s make it a lifetime in the business. If you do have a problem, make sure you call as soon as possible. A busy contractor will have to schedule someone to come and take care of it. Unless it’s an emergency situation, water leak, electrical or gas leak; don’t expect someone there right away. If it is an emergency, emphasize this and they should be able to make accommodations immediately, even if they have to hire outside help to come and temporarily stop a leak or cut power.

Hopefully, this will provide you with some guidelines to hiring your next contractor. Remember it’s always buyer beware in any profession. Whether you’re buying a car or hiring a contractor, do your research. Good luck and may your next project be a wonderful experience.