American home owners spent
more than $130 billion on
remodeling projects last year, but
many weren't satisfied with the results. The offices of state
attorneys general are bombarded with complaints about home improvement
contractors. Only auto mechanics and phone companies are complained
about more often.
These strategies can help you find a contractor you can trust...
Ask other building professionals for recommendations.
Many home owners ask friends for recommendations, but asking
a pro is better. Plumbers, roofers and electricians deal with
contractors every day. Your friend may have only dealt with
a contractor once, and that project might have been very different
from yours. If a recommended contractor tells you he's too busy
to take your job, ask him to refer one or two of his peers.
Get specific customer references.
Ask the contractor for the names and phone numbers of three
customers for whom he/she has done similar projects in the past
two years. By limiting both the time frame and the job type,
you make it difficult for a contractor with a low customer satisfaction
rate to cherry pick his rare successes.
Call all three references. Ask what they liked and didn't like
about the contractor. Be sure to ask if they would use the contractor
again for another home improvement project.
Check on licenses, insurance and permits.
Contact your county offices to find out which licenses and
permits contractors in your region are required to have, and
confirm that your contractor has them. He should have a minimum
of $1 million in general liability insurance.
Discuss you improvement. Are you
the "take charge of every detail" type...or the "leave it to
the experts" type? Be upfront with potential contractors about
how involved you want to be on your remodeling project, and
ask contractors to be frank about the amount of customer involvement
they favor. If your answers aren't compatible or you have a
bad feeling about the contractor, find someone else. A good
match goes a long way to determining whether you will conclude
the project feeling happy.
Ask for specifics in writing. Questionable
contractors generally try to avoid leaving detailed paper trails.
Don't just get a written cost estimate before you sign on, insist
that the contractor also provide written details about the materials
he'll use and the schedule he'll follow, including the estimated
completion date.
Most contractors ask for about 30% of the total price up front...30%
halfway through the project...and 30% upon completion, with
the last 10% paid when all the details are completed to your
satisfaction.
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