Today’s economic conditions are forcing many homeowners to repair or remodel their existing homes rather than buy a new home. Protecting or enhancing your home’s value is critical in today’s real estate market. Whether you’re trying to sell your home or are just trying to stop the downward trend in home values, choosing the right contractor for your remodeling project is an important decision.
A home remodeling project can be a stressful experience; you probably have a friend or relative who has suffered through a construction horror story. As a professional remodeling contractor in Springfield, MO., I have been asked to “clean-up” the nightmares created by other so-called professionals on more than one occasion. These days it seems like everyone with a pick-up truck and a hammer is my competition.
Examples of problems I hear about repeatedly are:
- The contractor offered to do work at an attractive price, only to request additional money for items that I thought were already included.
- The contractor started the job, but stopped working or would only work a couple of hours a day, leaving my job unfinished and unusable.
- The contractor’s work was sub-standard or the workmanship was of low quality and when I asked about a certain issue I only got excuses.
One extreme example I remedied in the Springfield, MO area involved a contractor removing part of a load-bearing wall, and then improperly restructuring the ceiling support system. Within weeks, the homeowner could not open numerous bedroom doors. All of the work had been done without a building permit. Unfortunately, in this instance the cost to repair the problem and satisfy the local building department almost doubled the original project’s cost.
These examples are all too common in the construction industry and are why choosing the right contractor for your project is so important. The following guidelines should help to ensure that your project runs smoothly and that you only spend your hard-earned money once.
Questions to ask before you even schedule an in-home estimate include: Is the contractor licensed? At a minimum the contractor should have a business or specialty trades license, he will not be able to get a building permit without one. Does the contractor have insurance? Liability insurance protects your home in the event the contractor makes a big mistake that he cannot rectify. Does the contractor have the experience and ability to actually do the work required? Experience is hard to verify over the phone, however the contractor should be able to communicate effectively about the nature of your particular project.
Inviting a contractor to look at your project requirements and requesting a written proposal are the next steps. Is the contractor courteous? Did he show up on time for the estimate, or at least call if he was delayed? Your time is valuable so don’t waste even more of it on a contractor who is not punctual. It usually indicates that he will repeat the same kind of behavior if given the actual job.
This first face-to-face meeting with a prospective contractor is your opportunity to assess how well you can communicate with him/her. Most full-service remodeling projects can take between two to six weeks or more to complete. Will you be able to work with this individual for an extended period of time? Are you both on the same page? One of the more difficult aspects about a project can be accurately providing the details a contractor needs to understand what it is you want the end result to look like. Communicating effectively in the beginning is critically important to achieving the desired result.
Always request a written proposal. The estimate a contractor gives you for your project can speak volumes about him/her. I am often asked for a verbal “estimate” when I visit a customers’ home, but I politely explain that there is no possible way to accurately guess at the cost of any particular job. No two remodeling jobs are ever the same. In addition to the actual labor costs, there are other variables that affect the final price. Material choices and options, existing damage needing repair, design and layout constraints all must be considered in a logical and methodical way in order to create a realistic proposal.
The proposal should be detailed enough to include: descriptions of the work proposed, specific materials that will be provided, the time anticipated for completion, and how the contractor expects to be compensated. My own proposals include payouts based on performance/task completion. Don’t even consider a one-page estimate for a large remodeling project. There simply is no way to adequately describe how I will completely gut your entire bathroom or finish your basement in three sentences.
References from completed projects are your single best source of information about a contractor’s ability and expertise. Ask for references and then CALL them. Many may even be willing to invite you over to take a look! Ask these references about the contractor’s professionalism, their workmanship, and whether they would recommend this contractor for your particular project. My past customers are always willing to talk about the experiences they have had with my services. In fact, often times I have to convince a prospective client that they did not just call my own mother.
Using the criteria explained above is certainly no guarantee of finding the perfect contractor, but I will guarantee that it will help you to avoid a bad one. When you decide to hire a remodeling contractor in the Springfield, Missouri area, I would welcome the opportunity to participate in the process.
Tim Andersen, Owner
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