How To Find A Reliable Home Contractor

Renovation can be nerve-wracking, expensive and involve surprises that may be unpleasant even with a good contractor. It’s that struggle of finding & hiring a quality contractor that will perform well from start to finish. When planning on doing a big project, you’ll need a general contractor, who may hire subcontractors for specialty work such as plumbing and electrical projects.

Find out how you can work with your contractor to ensure a livable and smooth remodeling experience with these essential tips: 

Understand What You Want Before Getting Any Estimates

Start with a plan and share any ideas, desires and needs with your contractor. You’ll get a more precise estimate if you can be very specific with what you want done and the materials you would like. Once the contractor takes these factors into consideration, they estimate how much your project could cost.As a homeowner, you also need to ask the right questions and communicate your specific requirements to the contractor, ensuring a smoother, more comfortable experience for everyone involved.

Ask For & Always Check References

Ask your friends, family and co-workers for referrals and references and be sure to check online reviews and social platforms. Read reviews carefully and verify the contractor is the right person for your job. Once you narrow your search, interview a few different contractors. Ask questions and get a written proposal from each one. When you compare bids, make sure each one includes the same materials and the same undertakings, so you’re comparing equivalent services. By getting several bids you’ll learn something from each. Finally, don’t be afraid to negotiate – be prepared to do most of the negotiation after you get the bid and before you sign the contract.

Choose The Right Contractor For The Right Project

Ultimately, you want to find a company that consistently does the kind of project you want done. Check licenses, complaints and litigation history. General contractors and most subcontractors should be licensed.

Sign A Detailed Contract

Make sure your contract spells out exactly what will be done, including deadlines, progress payments, the exact materials that will be used down to the model number and who will provide which materials. Your job is doing your due diligence before you sign, making sure that you understand everything in the contract and that it’s written to your satisfaction.

Establish Clear Rules

Discuss what hours the contractor can work at your home, what kind of notice you’ll get, as well as what bathroom the workers will use. Clean up must be done at the end of every workday.

Don’t Make The Final Payment Until The Job Is 100% Complete

Some contractors are known for finishing most of the job and then moving on before they get to the final details. Don’t make the final payment until you are completely satisfied with the work and have all the lien releases and receipts.

How Can You Help The Contractor In This Process?

That’s right — you, the homeowner — can be a help or hindrance to the progress of the project. Find out what you can do to make it go as smoothly as possible. Try not to distract or hover over your remodeling team so that they can work safely and efficiently.