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How to Choose the Right Contractor for Your Remodel

Written by Posted On Sunday, 20 March 2016 13:16
How to Choose the Right Contractor for Your Remodel

 

You’ve decided it’s time to update your kitchen or make a second floor addition and realize that this is an undertaking a bit too large for your skills. Certainly, you can handle putting a coat of paint on the walls, even a new carpet. However, with electrical, plumbing and framing involved, you decide it’s time to call in the big guns: a contractor.

If you have never hired a contractor before, finding the right one is more involved than surfing the Web and picking a name that sounds good. Remember the work he does will remain for years. If you’re less than thrilled with the outcome, you may need to hire another contractor to fix the errors or poor craftsmanship. Not to mention the extra fees involved with hiring another person redo the work and the added time on your part if you should decide to take legal action against the first one. The good news is there are measures you can take to prevent hiring a less-than-worthy contractor.

You can start your search by asking family and friends. Most people, especially relatives, are quite honest about the time it took, costs involved and results. Since they don’t usually have a direct connection with this person, you can count on a thumbs up if they did a good job and the price for their services was in line with other estimates. 

Another source that you may want to check into is the local lumber store. A contractor who has a good business is going to need supplies. Managers and workers see them all the time and get to know them. Some stores allow the contractor to leaves cards in the event someone asks where to find one. You should also check the Better Business Bureau, Angie’s List, Craigslist, Yelp and others to get a sense of their relationship with past clients. If they have up and down reviews or more than a small percent of negative reviews, take them off your list.

The general unspoken rule is that you should narrow your search to three viable candidates and set up interviews. Again, remember this is your home they will be remodeling and it’s something you’re going to have to look at for many years. For the interview, they should have a book with sample photos of before and after shots, proof of their insurance, reviews from prior clients and a “true” estimate of the cost for the remodel. Of course, if you make changes as you move along you would expect a higher fee for services. Even then, you should get the additional cost in writing.

Before making your final decision, take into account the contractor personality. While work is in progress, you must be able to talk with the contractor and feel free to ask questions. If you are not able to approach this person because you feel intimidated, you’re not going to be happy. Unfortunately, not every personality matches, and while this may seem to be trivial now, you don’t want it to become a big deal after you’re signed a contract. Once you’ve selected the contractor that offers the best fit for you, you can set a start date and a completion date.

Whether you are planning to remodel a room or an entire floor, hiring the right contractor from the start will save you time and money. This allows you to remain excited about having the room of your dreams instead of having to hire another or contact an attorney. If you follow the necessary steps your remodel will go smoothly.

 

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Ryan Kh

Ryan Kh is a big data and analytic expert, marketing digital products on Amazon’s Envato. He is not just passionate about latest buzz and tech stuff but in fact he’s totally into it. Follow Ryan’s daily posts on Forumsmix. Email him at ryankh14@icloud.com, and follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr.

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