As you start your spring remodeling projects, you may also be starting your search for a good, reliable contractor for that bathroom or kitchen renovation. As many know or have experienced, working with a contractor can be very rewarding or very frustrating. Being the daughter of a contractor and hiring contractors myself, I've learned many invaluable lessons when working with contractors.
Remodeling can be exhausting, but should be fun. Educate yourself on the in's and out's with working with contractors and you will save yourself heartache and a little cash. I comprised a list of the best advice I was given from my father - a contractor.
- Sign a contract. No matter how small the job, always obtain a contract. Please trust me on this one, it is always important to have the terms of the project in writing.
- Set a Start and End Date. A start and end date should be determined and written in the contract. Many contractors have many remodeling projects that they work on simultaneously. If you don't set a definitive end date, your project might lose priority over another homeowner's job.
- Get Multiple Quotes. This may seem like the obvious, but contractors are salesmen and will try to sell you on their services to eliminate the competition. Also, be aware that the lowest quote is not always the best deal because the work may not be the level of quality that you expect.
- Ask for References. Spend the extra time and call each of the references and ask various questions regarding the quality of the work, work ethic of the contractor, etc. It is also helpful to see examples of previous work to see to determine quality control and abilities.
- Specify Handyman or Contractor. There is a strong distinction from a handyman vs. a contractor. You can usually find all around handyman on Craigslist or from another local source. Handymen are typically individuals who are not licensed, don't have a specialization, and don't work in construction full-time. Contractors should be licensed, know the building codes, have many years of experience, and work in remodeling or construction full-time.
- Set the Terms for Payment. Have you ever paid a contractor in full or given him the final payment too early only to have to stalk him later? The best policy regarding pay is to split the payment into either half to start and the other half at the end of completion (small projects) or pay in increments (larger projects). Regarding the method of payment, contractors who work for themselves usually prefer cash or a check. They will usually give you a lower quote for the inconvenience of not being able to charge the project. When working with a construction or installation company vs. an individual, they will usually provide a couple methods of payment including a payment plan and payment by credit card. The trade-off, however, is generally a higher price for their services.
- Ask for a Contractor License. Legit contractors should be licensed and know the local building codes.
- Determine their Speciality. Most contractors have a speciality such as finish work, framing, plumbing, electrical, etc. Hire a contractor within his speciality to produce the best possible results. Also, note that plumbing and electrical contractors have to be licensed in their specialty and no other type of contractor can do their work.
- Provide your Own Materials when Appropriate. Contractors have a practice of marking up the price of materials they use for the job. If it is a small job, ask if you can provide your own materials which will help you control costs and eliminate the mystery behind the final price.
- Determine if they work by the hour or a flat rate. If they work by the hour, create a timesheet that hangs on the wall so you are both on the same page all along regarding the accumulation of hours. We generally prefer a flat rate, so we can budget appropriately.
- Know the Jargon. If you are knowledgeable and familiar with the remodeling process, you are more likely to be respected and given a better price. This is always a great way to keep from a fast one being pulled on you.
- Check in Frequently. When the boss is away at your office, how productive are you? The same principle coincides with a remodeling job. Checking in is also a preventative measure for catching any mistakes early on.
Other Helpful Remodeling Posts:
- How to Keep Your Neighbors Sane During Renovations
- Schedule a Fix-It Day
- Marie's Home Improvement Guide
(Image: Flickr member dani0010 licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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Marcia, do you recommend angie's list? we got frustrated with huge range of bids via craigslist & lack of references among our friends so we just signed up last weekend. do you have any thoughts about them?
Hi Craftscafeonetsy - I have heard of Angie's list, but I don't know anyone who has used them. I would give them a try and just follow some of the tips in the post when interviewing the contractor. In particular, ask for the following - a contractor license, samples of previous work, and references. It is important to be thorough and do the extra work up front. What is the project you want to hire someone for? Maybe I can give you more specific tips related to the job.
Great advice Marcia! During these times when so many people are out of work, I'm certain there are many "handymen" who think that they can provide a service just from their experiences from working on their own home. What a big mistake. Home remodeling, like any profession, requires years of training and experience. From personal experience, I know that hiring your "guy-next-door type" that's a one-man show, nearly always turns out to be more of a headache and poor workmanship than any amount of money that is saved. I totally agree with you, that a person needs to do their research before hiring a contractor. Your home is a huge investment and don't settle for anything less than a pro to work on it. Thanks for bringing this topic and information to our attention.
A lot of sound advice here! Following all of these steps will certainly help ensure a smooth reno. If I could add one more I would say make sure the contractor gets permits where required, especially if it is an extensive reno.
I have found that some contractors will offer a discount if you do not get permits. This is not really designed to help you. I have found several contractors will cut corners when they know nobody is coming from the building department to look over their shoulder.
Some people want to avoid getting re-assessed due to a renovation and will avoid permits for that reason. It has been my experience that this will often cost you more in the long run when you end up correcting the issues that should never have happened in the first place. Certainly making sure you have a contractor with a strong reputation helps avoid this problem but even that is no guaranty and most issues will not come to light until after the contractor is paid and on to the next one.....
Thanks somewhatperplexed. Great point, this is another issue to cover and you are right on with your comments.
julip8 - as always, your comments are very insightful and add depth to the topic. Yes, it is very true what you are discussing about the "guy-next-door-type." Thanks for the comments.
The word contractor's is not the plural form of the word contractor.
I'm pretty sure you meant contractors most of the time in your post.
Please proofread! All those apostrophes made this hard to read - I kept doubling back and re-reading to make sure I hadn't missed something that the contractors possessed!
Before my first, lone renovation I read you can get only two of the three from contractors: quality, speed, price. Think that's still true? I did get only two really (speed, price), though some of the less-than-perfect finishes may be balanced by the comfort my contractor gave me with hand-holding through the process (though maybe I'm just naive or stupid and should have made him redo)...
It's worth noting that most contractor's get discounts on materials. I mark up my mill work and trim by 15% and it's still cheaper (for the most part) than if the customer purchased it themselves at Home Depot. For instance, a simple, paint grade, flat stock casing that retails for $1.20 at Rona will cost me $0.43 at one of my mill work suppliers.
Get material quotes from both suppliers and contractors before you make a decision.
somewhatperplexed - I would run far far away from a contractor who tries to convince you to work without a permit. A homeowner explicitly choosing not to pull permits is a slightly different situation and I think the contractor should be a bit leery of that job.
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A start/end date only works if there are no change orders or unforeseen hold-ups with the project or if you're going to include bonus/penalty clauses. I think it would actually be better to ask for a timeline with good faith estimates (GFE) as to when each phase of the job is expected to be started/completed. This would also give a GFE of the targeted completion date.
I would add that when you're looking at your various bids, make sure that the contractors are bidding on exactly the same thing - a line item bid would be helpful here so you can see apples to apples and better understand where the numbers are coming from. A huge discrepancy in pricing would be more likely to mean something is being left out vs. a quality issues (provided the contractors are also comparatively experienced).
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Elizabeth II - Quality work takes time and it costs money. You absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to construction. If you got a better price but rushed your contractor I would expect to see some minor issues here and there. You still would have been right to ask him to fix any mistakes.
I am having foundation work done on my house, it was built in 1943 and the foundation has sunk after the crazy amount of rain we have had here lately. Because of this my bathroom tile is cracked and my walls are going to have to be completely redone in the bathroom. I'm thinking its a good oppurtunity to do a complete redo :)
I'm so scared to hire a contractor. I dont have the first idea where to start even. Thank you for the tips in this article. Maybe I'll have the courage to start the search later today.
Thanks for the great post, Marcia. It's refreshing to see a post on AT that's informative and very helpful to people who don't hire contractors on a regular basis, which is probably the majority of the AT community.
Another point about permits, if your city/municipality requires them, don't try to elude the city by not getting them. It could come back to bite you in the end. When you ultimately sell your home, if the city then finds out you had work done to your home without required permits they can fine you and make you bring the work up to code compliance. Worst case, they could make you tear out all of the work that wasn't properly permitted.
Great post! In addition we highly recommend contractors that use a proper dust containment system because once the job is done; you don’t want to be dealing with a big mess. We find that contractors who use a well-designed dust containment system typically take greater pride in their work. If you’re working with a contractor who doesn’t have a commercial dust containment system please mentions the ZipPole or ZipWall products. If you’d like to find a contractor or learn more about ZipPole visit us here: http://zipwall.com/lp/zippole.html
Very true John. Any type of construction always involves lots of dust and you really do need a commercial dust containment system.
My husband and I are just starting to make appointments to have contractors come out to look and then bid for our master bath reno (complete, including plumbing).
We have lived in our home for 4 years and our neighborhood homes are from the 1960s (meaning, a large number have required updates and been renovated). None of our neighbors or coworkers could wholeheartedly recommend their contractor for our job. We ended up buying a groupon for a home show in a nearby suburb. For $9, we were able to check out 5 different contractors, see examples of their work, talk one-on-one with both "construction guys" (husband liked this) and "designers" (me likey). First appointments this week and next week so I'm hoping we end up with a good contractor team.