Our Neighbor's House

A Guide to Hiring a Contractor for Your Project

When it comes time to work on your home, the first step towards getting the greatest value for your money is choosing the right company. In most cases, home owners are handing over their most important asset to a company with the intent of making significant changes or alterations. Good contractors take the pressure off and alleviate some of the worry. Professional contractors should always add value to your home and not leave customers with shoddy workmanship, half completed jobs, or a project that was not what was agreed upon in the contract. Here's a guide to choosing not just any professional, but the right professional.

Insurance and licensing are a must

First of all, the most important step in hiring a contractor to work on any home, is to hire a licensed contractor and one who has full liability insurance. Prior to start, ask that an insurance certificate be issued in your name provided by the insurance company directly. There are many home contractors out there who will work without proper city licensing or insurance for themselves or their workers. This can bring the price of the job down, but it will increase your liability significantly. If someone falls off a roof or city officials happen to drive by, you might face a large fine, or worse, an expensive and time-consuming lawsuit. Always choose contractors with the proper licensing and insurance. More importantly, a contract entered with an unlicensed contractor is not a valid contract. So, if the “contractor” decides to walk off an incomplete job, the contract is unenforceable. The contractor may be liable for civil or other penalties, and likewise, the consumer is not obligated to terms of the agreement. (consult your attorney). As I have written elsewhere, hiring unlicensed contractors contributes to an illegal underground economy. There seems to be a low threshold for entering the trades (not talking about licensed electricians, master plumbers, or skilled tradesmen), but almost anyone can put a shingle on their door and call themselves a contractor, regardless of skill, knowledge and just as important, business acumen. 

Experience in your neighborhood or area

A contractor should have plenty of experience working on your type of home. Not all homes are built the same and that is certainly true of homes built in the early 1900's versus post war housing. If you have a balloon framed home, and the contractor only has experience with post war housing, he may not be the right fit.

Furthermore, you'll want a contractor who has a reputation to protect in your neighborhood or region. This will ensure two critical things. One, it'll ensure the contractor understands the home style where you live. Perhaps more importantly, it will ensure your contractor works hard and finishes the job. When there's something to lose, the contractor's more likely to treat you well.

A contractor who listens

Your home improvement project is ultimately your own, even if a home contractor is doing the work. There's nothing worse than coming to your home to find that a contractor strayed from the agreed upon contract. You'll then have the headache of having to re-do the work and find a new person for the job. You can assess the likelihood of your contractor going rogue by considering his listening skills. Is he taking in what you're saying or is he trying to convince you to do things a different way? 

Good contractors always listen well.

The world of contracting is dominated by males (with few exceptions). We have heard of plenty of situations where men tend to talk over female clients. This is unfortunate, especially given that female clients are often the most informed about current design trends, environmental and green remodeling, and more often, technical information some men may have taken for granted. The best or most successful projects are where the contractor and the client have collaborated, and not dominated by one side or the other.

Finally, you should feel comfortable with your contractor meaning: ideally, you should expect to hand over the keys to your house, and feel confident that if you left for a three week vacation, and upon your return you would feel that your house was in good hands. That's is a high level of service accompanied by a high level of trust. Honestly, most of the professional contractors in the market have and deserve this level of trust, but like any profession, there are bad eggs. Which brings up the very last issue; price. Price driven consumers will end up with the level and quality of project they have bargained for, nearly every time. In other words, if cost is the main determining factor in choosing your contractor, the quality

Once its taken apart, can it be put back in a timely and professional manner?

should commensurate with the cost. The lowest bid should almost always be thrown out, especially wildly underbid projects. In these cases, there was probably a mistake or the contracts weren't apples to apples. 

Summary:

• Get references for similar jobs
• Call or contact the Better Business Bureau. Usually, an A plus rating says a lot
• Review sites aren't always accurate or legitimate.
• Check whether the license is current
• Get a certificate of insurance directly from the insurance company issued in your name
• Avoid unlicensed contractors (most horror stories revolve around this one point)
• Avoid paying more than 1/3 down payment: NEVER pay everything up front. If a contract has such language, even from large/big box companies, show them the door.
• Have a written, legal contract. 
• Place value, not cost further up the list of importance.
• During your meeting, did you or the contractor speak more at the consultation? Listening is a virtue, and it suggests your ideas are valued.