Planning to renovate your home? It’s obvious that the quality of the contractor you pick for your home renovation project will greatly determine the value of your investment—whether you’ll have to smile all through or experience a bunch of disappointments even after the project’s completion.
In that case, you should play it safe when it comes to choosing your preferred home contractor to work with—who of course should be highly qualified, competent, and reliable at the same time. However, bear in mind that even the seemingly good contractors can leave you with unpleasant surprises. Nasty surprises include changes in terms of pricing, dangerously done repairs, and disappointment.
Here are a few tips to help you find a high-quality contractor(s) without necessarily having to lose your mind:
Plan for the Entire Project
Planning ahead will help you get the right estimates (with regard to the cost), and hence simplifying the whole process especially when you know what budget to work with. Unfortunately, there are some bad contractors. If you leave them loopholes they might be tempted to overcharge you.
Being specific in what you want also helps you acquire the right home contractor considering that most of them have their specified specialization areas.
Get the Right Contractor for Your Project
It could be your windows or gutters you want to be replaced. Always consider settling for contractors with a proven track record specific to the nature of your project. You can ensure this by asking your friends or neighbors around who’ve executed similar projects to yours.
Check Online Reviews
Although this may not be a 100% guarantee of quality work, it helps to know other customers’ views and experiences with the contractor. You can do this while also checking on references.
If you can get the contractor’s most recent clients, the better—considering that they’ll offer you accurate and most recent information regarding their experiences with the contractor. This also provides you with a perfect opportunity to have a live view of their work samples.
Ensure Proper Licenses
Ideally, every contractor and of course his subcontractors should have proper licenses. Before you engage the contractor for any work, request for his/her license copy, just to be sure that you’re dealing with somebody who knows exactly what he/she is doing.
Plus, if he decides to bring in his subcontractors, ensure he provides you with their license copies as well to confirm that they have the skills as per your project’s requirements.
Fully Insured
Ensure that the company you’re contracting is fully insured—which then implies that you’re covered in case something goes amiss during or after the renovation process. Remember some materials may also get destroyed in the work process, and so you need to inquire about the company’s policy governing such occurrences.
Have a Contract in Place
Ensure that the contract clearly outlines all that you want to be done, how it should be done, payment modes and time, and any other issue relating to your project needs like the materials to be used. This is to deter any unexpected and uncalled for future changes to your agreement.
Only sign the contract after you’ve read and felt comfortable with all the terms therein.
Conclusion
In as much as you’re looking forward to getting a qualified and experienced contractor, also remember that you need to secure proper permits for your intended home renovation project. Ask your contractor to get you the permit.
Permits not only save you from the fines by the local authorities but are also a requirement when it comes to selling your home. Ensure quality work on your investment by choosing the right contractor for the right job, and keenly implementing the above-outlined measures.
Author Bio: Deborah Tayloe is a DIY blogger and content writer for GutterBrush. She loves to write about DIY ideas and is a particular fan of furniture restoration. When she’s not writing about DIY topics, she’s putting her knowledge to use renovating her 50-year-old home one room at a time.