Here are the top 10 things to look at when trying to find a residential contractor.

How do you find a residential contractor? Which contractor is the best? How do you keep from getting ripped off? Picking the right contractor can make the difference between a pleasant and a miserable experience.

Using a professional may make a lot of sense. It’s great to have that “I did it myself” feeling but it may be even better to have that “It’s done right” feeling. Two words are significant here: done and right. Some of us (I am a member in good standing of this group-ask my wife) have a habit of turning short projects into “long term” projects. Getting it right is as important as getting it finished. You may be a quick learner but remember that we learn from our mistakes. Do you really want to live with those mistakes? Experts are experts for a reason: experience. The first one is always practice, whether it’s pancakes or projects.

The truth is that the majority of residential contractors will do a good job for you. A few will do an exceptional job and a few can be a nightmare. When it comes time to find a residential contractor the trick is to make sure to avoid the ones that give all contractors a bad name.

Here are two places to start

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• It’s FREE
• They provide several quotes for your project
• You are under no obligated if you don’t like the deal or any of the contractors
• These contractors are prescreened
• It’s quick and easy

ReliableRemodeler.com

Needcontractor

Before signing your name on the dotted line.

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• Get multiple bids or quotes. The more the better. 3 or more bids will give you a rough idea of the going rate for your project. Ask if they are hard quotes or estimates. What happens if they go over an estimate? 10% may be a reasonable overrun, 30% is probably not.
• Get references and actually call them. You can ask questions like:
  -On a scale of 1-10 how satisfied were you?
  -Did they finish on time or were there long delays?
  -Was the worksite kept safe and clean?
  -How close was the final cost to the estimate?
  -If you had another project to do, how likely would you be to use this contractor again?
  -Was the contractor on the site him/herself, or did a different crew do most of the work?
• Are they licensed and insured? Are all of the employees covered? A professional residential contractor should have workers compensation, general liability and auto insurance.
• Do they intend to cover everything, including pulling permits, getting materials, drawing up blueprints, etc. If it’s a sauna you are making, be sure to have input in the materials acquisition, there is some junk out there.
• What is their experience? Any residential contractor that has survived 5 or more years working in the same area probably does reasonable work. Also look at experience doing projects like the one you are proposing. A plumbing expert might not be good at electrical work.
• Are they members of any trade associations?
• Disputes do arise. Find out ahead of time how they will be settled. It should be in the contract that disputes will go to mediation or arbitration instead of the through our expensive legal system.
• This is your project. Be sure things will get done the way you want them. Any good residential contractor will have suggestions and ideas (one advantage of hiring a contractor is access to their experience) but in the end you need to be the final word. Be sure you and the contractor are on the same page here.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau. Their website is: www.bbb.org
• In the long run cheaper is not always better. You will be living with the results for a long time. The few bucks you save now may be long forgotten down the road but poor quality work can annoy you indefinitely.
• Hey face it "stuff happens". Subcontractors don’t show up, materials need to be replaced, weather slows progress, and any number of problems can come up. The key is that if you are reasonable and you are working with a reasonable contractor that you trust, things can be worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. (OK this is actually number 11 if you are counting)

ReliableRemodeler.com

Needcontractor

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