Hiring Reliable And Professional
Home Remodeling Contractors
Home Remodeling Contractors
When dealing with home remodeling contractors, you can encounter the entire spectrum of humanity from honest hardworking tradespeople to scam artists looking to make a quick buck.
But without knowing much about painting and home remodeling contractors how can you tell the honest from the dishonest and good work from bad? Fortunately, unethical contractors aren't the most creative lot and their misdeeds tend to fall into certain predictable patterns.
The best way to find a reputable contractor is through word of mouth. Ask friends, neighbors, co-workers and retail stores specializing in construction materials for references. Many of the larger hardware and home supply stores have business cards from qualified licensed and insured professionals that they recommend.
However, in a tight economy, even honest contractors can be tempted to put off work and take short cuts to complete a job as quickly as possible.
Here are some things to keep an eye on and some common rips-offs to watch out for.
Scope Creep:
A home remodeling contractor has agreed to install a new wall hung double vanity in your bathroom but when he's done you find yourself paying for an extra plumbing repair or a load bearing wall that he has accidentally knocked down, then you're the victim of a scope creep. Unscrupulous contractors see a small job as a foot in the door and then find reasons to tack on additional work at inflated prices.
When you hire home remodeling contractors or painting and decorating contractors, it's impossible to know in advance everything a job will entail, and it can be totally legitimate for a contractor to have to expand the scope of the work once the job has started.
In fact, if a newly discovered problem isn't addressed, you may have an emergency on your hands when those leaky pipes in your wall finally burst or your need to repair seriously damaged walls before painting.
However, any increase in cost should be explained to you before the work is done and any options thoroughly explained. An honest contractor will work out these sort of problems without gouging you.
The flip side of a scope creep is the homeowner who is always trying to add more items. "As long as you're in there working on the vanity, can you put a new ceiling light in? Oh, and the kitchen faucet leaks too, can you handle that?" If you ask for more work, you should be willing to pay for it.
The Sub-Contractor Shuffle:
Always get a written contract outlining the work.Make sure when dealing with home remodeling contractors that you get a phone number and a physical address. You need to to deal with a local contractor with verifiable references from satisfied customers. Also your contract should clearly state that it's your contractor's responsibility to obtain subcontractors who can perform the work within the contract's specified milestones.
Common on specialized and larger jobs, the sub-contractor shuffle involves dumping your project onto a smaller operation, who in turn dumps it onto someone else, who in turn....well, you get the picture.
The workers who finally show up to your home have never seen it before, aren't familiar with your vision and are getting paid a fraction of what's going to come out of your wallet. As a result, the quality of work will be inferior and you're not sure who to hold accountable. Make sure in the written contract that the main contractor is responsible for the quality of work being done by a sub-contractor.
Pay Me First:
If you can avoid paying any unfront monies for any home improvement projects so much the better. However some painting and home decorating contractors may negotiate a 20% down payment for painting and decorating supplies and for setting aside the time out of their busy schedules to work on your project.
Avoid Shady Contractor Tricks:
- Avoid door-to-door types who show up with an unmarked truck.
- Avoid those guys who can give you a "real deal" because they have some leftover materials from a previous job.
- A contractor who doesn't have a license because he's a "handyman."
- A contractor who can't give you any references or a business address.
Warranty and Protection:
Most home remodeling contractors offer some kind of warranty on their work, often for a year after completion. However, depending on your contractor's level of professionalism, it can be a very difficult task getting someone out to your home to make good on that warranty if something goes wrong.
Unfortunately, the only real protection is to research your contractor's reputation thoroughly before you make any financial commitments. Whenever you deal with a contractor, protect your consumer rights. If money changes hands, get a written contract which can be taken to court if you can't work out problems that may arise amicably.
Before checking out home remodeling contractors for any remodeling or decorating projects, have some idea of the color schemes you'd like to work with as well as the many wall decorating options and ideas available to you.
