How to Choose Your Contractor

You finally have that piece of property to build your dream home or you are ready to make the move to remodel the kitchen, but how do you begin the process of hiring a professional for your project? I will give you some guidelines to follow that should help you with your hiring process.

Typically, if your job requires more than three subcontractors, a general contractor may be a good idea. A general contractor can free you from such burdens as maintaining a work schedule, obtaining necessary permits, and resolving disputes with suppliers. He or she will have more leverage than you do with subcontractors, since you're only a one-time job. In a tight labor market, that could be important. With that being said, the best place to start is by getting recommendations from friends and family. Talk with the local building inspector to see which contractors routinely meet code requirements. Visit the lumberyard and talk to the salesmen about contractors that buy quality materials and pay their bills on time.
Once you've assembled a list, I recommend that you make a quick call to each of your prospects and ask them the following questions:

•  Do they take on projects of your size?

•  Can they give you a list of previous clients?
•  How many other projects would they have going at the same time?
• 
 How long have they worked with their subcontractors?

The answers to these questions will reveal the company's availability, reliability, how much attention they'll be able to give your project and how smoothly the work will go.

At this point you should choose a few contractors to meet with face to face. The contractor should be able to answer your questions satisfactorily and in a manner that puts you at ease. When you feel like you have narrowed down your list, it is time to take that list of previous clients and give them a call.Here are some questions to ask:

• Would you hire this contractor again?
• Were you satisfied with the quality of the work?
• How did the contractor handle cleanup each day?
• Was the contractor easy to talk to?
• How did the contractor handle differences and work changes?
• Was the job completed on time and at the bid? If not, why not?

You should now have a short list of contractors whose track records seem clean and whose work ethic looks responsible. It's time to now introduce your project. Most contractors will want a full set of drawings and a sense of  your decorating style and what you plan to spend. Having the contractor break out the cost of materials, labor & profit will help you to compare your bids 'apples to apples'. If you receive a bid that is considerably lower than the rest, throw it out! This contractor is either cutting corners or desperate for work and you will probably see additional costs on the back end of your project. 

Now that you came to a decision and shook hands, you need to make sure a contract is in place.

The contract should contain details on every step of your project, payment schedules, proof of insurance, specific materials/products to be used and start and completion dates.

You are hiring someone that will be in your home for a period of time and beyond technical competence, comfort should play an equal or greater role in your decision. 
Applying these tips to contractor selection should guide you in the proper direction of a successful project and beautiful new space-remember "There's No Place Like Home".