How To Find a Good Contractor

A contractor is the person in charge of your home improvement project. If you decide to do it yourself, then you're the contractor. However, most people do not have the time, experience, or inclination to tackle such a project by themselves, especially if it is very large. If you are one of those people, you need to find someone who can help you plan and find the necessary subcontractors to do the work. Because home improvements can be expensive, finding the right contractor for the job is crucial to your success.

Be Proactive

If you wait long enough, you might eventually receive a sales call from a contractor. However, while this is possible, it is not very probable. Even if it happens, you may have to wait a long time, and the one who calls may not even be the right contractor for your project. It is up to you to go out and find the right contractor.

Get Recommendations and Referrals

You can research contractors through their yellow-page ads or their websites, but neither is likely to give you the whole story. Understandably, people who are trying to do business with you often only give you the best of themselves. You need a more objective picture, so you should seek recommendations from trustworthy sources.

Start with the people who are closest to you, such as family and friends. Chances are good that you know more than one person who has had a home project done before. You can ask who they hired as a contractor and whether they were satisfied with the service they received. In this way, you can collect the names of some likely candidates. The goal is to start with a long list and then start narrowing down the candidates gradually. It is helpful if you can talk to people who have had work done that is similar to the job you need so that you know they can handle it.

Another trustworthy source of information is the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. This is the professional organization for contractors. Members have to meet the association's standards for professionalism and confidence. You can ask for a list of members in your area and then compare it to the recommendations that you collected to see who is on the list.

Call Your Prospects

Once you have your list, you should choose some to call for a quick phone conversation. You should ask specific questions about how long they have worked with their subcontractors, whether they take projects of your size, and how many other projects they work on at the same time. The contractors' time is valuable so you shouldn't keep them tied up on the phone for too long, but you should ask if they are willing to provide references from financial institutions or former clients. You should then follow up on these to find out as much as you can.

Have a Face-to-Face Discussion

Once you have narrowed down your list to a handful of prospects, it is important to find out how well you communicate with each and how comfortable you feel in their presence. During this initial consultation, you should discuss your ideas for the project and receive an estimate of how much it will cost. The contractor should be able to answer all your questions to your satisfaction and not try to co-opt your vision by being too pushy.

Ask for Bids

An estimate is an educated guess at how much your project will cost. Rather than accepting the lowest estimate, you should ask contractors to make a bid, i.e., a proposal for your project that includes how much you are expected to pay. Analyze each bid carefully to be sure the numbers make sense.

Set a Payment Schedule

Before you finalize the arrangement, work out a payment schedule with the contractor. You should not have to pay any more than 10% of the total cost at the beginning of the project. If your contractor asks for more, it may signify a lack of confidence in your ability to pay or indicate that the contractor is experiencing financial problems.

Hiring a contractor initiates a business relationship that takes effort to maintain, as with any other.