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So you’ve done it, you finally decided to make some changes to your home. Perhaps you're going to add that deck you’ve always wanted, or maybe your family has grown and you want to add an addition to give your family more space. Whatever the reason, expanding or upgrading your home can be an exciting time. Unfortunately, it can also be very stressful. Choosing the best contractor for your job can be a daunting task. The internet is filled with stories of people being overcharged, the work is uncompleted, or having work done so poorly that another contractor is needed to fix it. Here are some simple suggestions for how to find a contractor that will complete your work professional and on time. Get Recommendations Chances are you have a friend or family member that has had work done on their house. Talk to them and find out who they hired and what their experience was like. These recommendations can make an excellent starting point for your own research and hiring process. Do Your Research The internet is your friend. The odds are that any contractor in your area has reviews online. These reviews may be on a variety of websites and will include positive and negative opinions of the contractor. If the contractor has a website with reviews on it, remember that they may screen the reviews, so take them with a grain of salt. Reviews on independent websites will generally be more reliable. You can also look the contractor up on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB will show if any complaints have been filed against that contractor and whether or not those concerns were resolved and in what manner. Do a Phone Interview Once you have researched potential contractors, give them a call and do a phone interview with them. Discuss what work you are looking to have done and verify that they are able to complete that work. You may also want to ask for a list of references, such as previous clients. If they are not willing to provide references, it is probably best to move on to another contractor. Another good question for a contractor is how long they have been working with their subcontractors. Visit a Work Site After following up with former clients and references, ask to visit a current work site. You can learn a lot about a contractor by seeing a home currently under construction. Are the contractor and the employees treating the property with respect? Is the work site clean and well organized? If it isn’t, it may be better to find a different contractor. Additionally, you can talk to the owners of the home (if they are around) and see how they feel about how the project is going so far. They may offer valuable insight that those with completed work may not share. Consider More than Price Some people may want to simply go with the lowest bid for the job. This is usually not the best option though when having work done on your house. The cheapest contractor may cut corners or not complete the work in an appropriate manner. A contractor that appears desperate for work probably has few clients for a reason, so be sure to thoroughly research them. Be sure to consider the entire package when choosing a contractor. While knowing how to find a contractor for your home improvement project can be a daunting and overwhelming task, following these tips can help to make it a little stressful. Remember that there is no reason to rush into the decision for something so large. Take your time, do your research and once the work is completed, you will be able to enjoy your new addition for many years to come.
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