Alleviate your fears about hiring a contractor

 When planning your home remodel, whether a one – room effort or a major overhaul, did you remember the importance of getting a guarantee on the workmanship and materials? It’s fun to pick out plumbing fixtures, cabinets and flooring, but it is the contractor doing the work that will determine the outcome. The quality of craftsmanship, timeliness of work, the stress and final cost are impacted by the quality of the contractor doing the work.

There are so many things to consider when planning a remodel that it’s possible you might overlook this vital part of the project. The contractor should provide a written guarantee on work performed and there should be guarantees on materials from the manufacturer. With a contractor’s written guarantee you can jump into your home improvement project with confidence.

On the House Logic website the National Association of Realtors posted an excellent article providing a simple 5 list “how – to” on contractor hiring.

A brief outline of the list is shown here; for more information, you can check out the source article:

1. Have contractor itemize your bid; you can compare contractor’s prices better and if you have to cut down the project it shows what you can delete for a future project.

2. Find out if the bid is an estimate or a fixed price.

3. How long has the contractor been doing business in your town. A local contractor who has been in business for 10 or more years has a local reputation to uphold and a network of local suppliers.

4. Who are the main suppliers for this contractor. 5. Meet the job foreman and visit a project he’s running. You want to feel comfortable around the foreman and the crew that will be working in your home. You need to know that he is a good communicator and you both understand each other.