What to Look Out for When Hiring a Contractor ?

If you’ve had a bad experience with a contractor, you know that you need to be extra careful when hiring someone to remodel or repair something at your home. If, however, you haven’t had any negative experiences, you have the chance to learn from other people’s mistakes and learn what is important to know before you hire a contractor.

Make Sure They Are Insured and Registered to Work in Your Area

The first step when picking a contractor is to learn if they have all the necessary permits to conduct works you are interested in. Don’t just pick one company, take several local companies into consideration.

Another important thing you should not neglect is whether the company is insured. If they are not, you could be liable for any damage or injury to the workers. Typically, contractors will have a website which clearly shows their insurance, like in this example from KIC Restoration Inc of San Diego http://www.kicrestoration.com/insurance-clients/. Make sure you double check the company’s credentials before you commit to them.

Another good reason to pick a local restoration company is the cost. If the workers need to travel far every day, the costs of your projects can increase significantly. Additionally, if anything goes wrong later, it is more likely that locals will want to come back and repair whatever the problem was.

Look Up Their Work Beforehand

Another useful thing you can do to ensure that you have the right company is to look up their previous work. Most companies will display their work on their website. Not only can you see the quality of their work in the flesh, but you could also get an inspiration for your project as well.

Trust Recommendations

Ask your friends and family if they have done any restoration works and what their experiences were with contractors. Their personal recommendations should be enough for you to make up your mind.

However, if you are still unsure, consult various online forums, where you can read both good and bad reviews. Naturally, you should take these reviews with just a pinch of salt.

Get an Estimate

Most companies will gladly give you the rough estimate of how much the project is going to cost you. Get several quotes from different companies and compare them. You will end up with a median price of your project as the guide.You can use this price as a bargaining chip when talking to contractors in the future.

Make a Contract Before You Start

If you have settled on a contractor you want to work with, make sure that you sign a contract. Be as specific as you can in this contract to ensure that you are protected if anything goes wrong. The contract should include the total cost, estimated starting and ending times, as well as all the plans and technical drawings used. 

You can never be too specific or detailed. If you have agreed on the brand of materials being used, put it in there. If you have a detailed schedule, it should also be included there. Once the contract is completed, both you and the contractor should review it and sign it.

Make a Payment Plan

Restorations and other house works can be quite costly. Most people do not have that kind of money in cash. Fortunately, most companies have the policy of not paying everything upfront. Typically a small percentage is given as an advance, the majority of the sum is paid during the works and the final installment is given when the work is done and you have had the chance to inspect the work they’ve done.

If they ask for all, or a large percentage of the money in advance, the company might be in some financial problems and you should think twice before doing business with them. The best option is to include this payment schedule into the contract you sign before the works start.