How To Choose a Contractor
Did you know that over 50% of people are dissatisfied with their overall experience during home renovations? Home renovations can be stressful even when everything goes according to plan. The best way to protect yourself from a poor home improvement experience is to properly vet your contractor. Your vetting process should begin with the initial contact and continue all the way up until you make your decision to sign a contract. Below is a simple checklist that could save you thousands of dollars and hours of headaches.
- Make note of how quickly they respond to your initial inquiry. If they don’t respond in a timely manner, that means they don’t have any back-office support or they’re a bad communicator. This does not end well for you.
- If they responded quickly and you set up an appointment: Did they show up on time? How were they dressed? Were they driving an appropriate work vehicle? Were they prepared with information and sample photos regarding the type of work you’re looking to get done? These are all great indicators of the type of experience you will receive.
- The contractor showed up on time to your appointment, they dressed the part, pulled up in a nice pickup truck and answered all of your questions. You’re feeling good. Now what? Confirm that they are licensed and insured. Ask for their current Certificate of Insurance and their PA HIC license number and confirm at hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov
- You’ve had a pleasant experience so far. The contractor has checked off all of the previous boxes. You review the official estimate and you’re not sure how you feel about it. That’s totally normal! In fact, even the pros who have been in this business for years still get 3 estimates for everything. Yes, you heard that right – you now need to go ahead and repeat the first few steps 2 more times. It’s worth it, trust me.
- Sign a contract. Your chosen contractor should have a contract drawn up that explains exactly what the scope of the project is, when the project is going to start, which party is responsible for which items, and a payment schedule based on project completion milestones.
Finally, you’ve found your perfect contractor! They’re responsive. They’re professional. They run a legitimate business. They provided you with a thorough scope of work and accurate estimate. They have a contract that protects both you as a client and themselves as a business. Most importantly, they left you feeling more comfortable than any other contractor that you invited into your home!