Tips for Hiring a Good Contractor

Tips for finding and hiring a good contractor and making the experience a positive one.

Looking for a contractor should not be a painful experience but if you aren’t careful and selective it can quickly become an expensive learning experience. Contractors are professional businessmen and as such they are regulated by the state to protect themselves and their clients if a dispute should arise. Before you hire any contractor take some simple precautionary steps to make sure the contractor you are prepared to hire has no complaints against the company. It is easier than ever for consumers to verify a contractor is current on his license and bond with a simple check of the state contractor board web site. Information can be looked up with a name or contractor license number and any history of complaints will be listed. It is also a good idea to verify the contractor has a permanent phone number and address. A contractor who is hard to reach for a job because of a revolving phone number should send up red flags and at the very least will be even harder to reach if anything goes wrong on the job.

Any bid to do a job should be in writing and should be as detailed as possible. A good contract will clarify where the money is going in great detail. Pay attention to the budget the contractor has set up for the job and make any changes in writing to be included in the final contract. The start and finish date of the job should be in the contract along with the payment due dates and amounts due. Keeping it in writing will help keep everyone on the same page.

Of course delays happen even with the best of contractors. Supplies can be delayed, special ordered items can be slow in arriving or weather can alter the ability to do a certain part of the job that needs to be completed. It is realistic to expect delays but it is also realistic to expect the contractor to keep you in the loop and call you if there is a schedule change.

Once the job is completed, do a completed walk through of the job and check the small details as well as the over all picture. This is your only chance to have things fixed that are wrong before you give the contractor his final payment and check him off on the job.

Most reputable contractors will gladly respond to future concerns if the job is warranted but it can be hard to prove two months later that a certain task was not done if you checked if off so going down a list is a good way to be through and not cause unnecessary conflicts with your contractor.

Hopefully when you’re done you will be happy enough with the contractor you choose to use him again and recommend him to your friends and family who need a project done.

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