Hiring a competent and reliable contractor is essential to making sure that the job is done right. While it may seem as if it should be as easy as opening the yellow pages and choosing one in your area, smart homeowners know that finding a good contractor takes as much time and effort as other aspects of your remodeling job.
Remember, the person you choose to do the work for you will have complete access to your home and family for several days or even weeks, so you must be completely comfortable with having them in your home for an extended period of time. The best way to find a contractor that you can trust is to:
-Ask friends, neighbors and co-workers for referrals
-Check references with people the contractor has done work for in the past
-Ask salespeople at the local lumber yard or home renovation center who they recommend
-Check with your local zooming and/or code enforcement office for a list of licensed contractors in your area
Once you find a few contractors that you’d like to consider using for your remodeling project, it’s time to schedule an interview. The Federal Trade Commission suggests that homeowners ask the following questions to determine if a contractor is right for you and your project:
-How Long Have You Been In Business?
-Are You Registered and Licensed With the State and Local Building Authorities?
-How Many Projects Like Mine Have You Completed in the Past Year?
-May I Contact Some of Your Former Clients?
-Will You Be Hiring Any Subcontractors for This Project?
-What Types of Insurance Do You Carry?
Once you’ve chosen your new contractor, be sure to insist that you get all the details of your project (including price and delivery estimates/completion dates), in writing before paying any deposits. A written contract is essential to ensuring that the work is done properly and on time.
Unfortunately, not every contractor is reputable, and homeowners need to be on the look-out for potential rip-offs. Here are a few things to watch for when hiring a contractor:
-Door-to-door solicitation.
-Offers to use leftover materials from another job.
-A contractor who only accepts cash payments.
-Someone who insists on receiving payment in full before commencing work.
-Pressure to make an on-the-spot decision.
-Offers to help you secure financing with their own “lender”.
Hiring a reputable contractor seems like it should be easy, but oftentimes it isn’t. Homeowners should be aware of the dangers of hiring the wrong person to work on their home and take all necessary steps to ensure that the work is completed to their specifications, timetable and budget.
Watch the video related to home improvement tips
www.StarkSilverCreek.com How to caulk baseboards. Loni shows a simple technique using tape to ensure clean, finished lines for a professional look.
Help answer the question about home improvement tips
Have forstered 6 , 7 week old kittens from cattery to home, starting in kitchen. They are not people friendlyI took the little ones yesterday. New homes in 2 weeks, how do I help them become people friendly? they are are frightened of me right now, in saying that there is a slight improvement since last night. They are using litter tray, drinking, eating very little. I keep going in every half hour or so but they just run behind their bed, please advise.
Thanks, any tips will be helpful.
I'd presonally say that you're better off to hire a general contractor and pay them the extra money.
If you put it out on individual contracts you open yourself up to a headache. Coordination of trades becomes your problem and if someone isn't on time and it holds someone else up they can make a claim against you for causing them a lost day.
Also as the others have said by selecting individual contractors you run the risk of getting someone that's bad. An experienced general contractor is going to select subs that do the job right, do it for the right price, and do it when it's supposed to be done.
Since most of the work looks like it could be performed by a general contractor you're better off with a single prime contractor instead of multiple prime contractors. If the only work being performed were specialized then i'd suggest going straight to the subs and saving the money but with the extensive nature of the remodel let the pros handle the headache.
Check out the link below. It might be of some help, it's the application page for Extreme Makeover – Home Edition. They've done some amazing things for people in just your circumstance. Good luck and take care.
Watch my Home Improvement video on our channel. It should answer all of the questions you have on toilet trouble.
MALTvideoz
We try our BEST to bring you the WORST!=)
rate and comment.
take a shit on the compost and piss of the lemon tree
I understand exactly how you feel. my husband and I run a licensed and insured tree service company. we have several employees, work mans comp and liability insurance to pay every month. we recently did a free estimate for a lady with several call backs because she wanted to get off cheap.
her tree needed to be removed and we quoted $2,100. she wanted us to severely prune the tree for a lesser cost, but we explained the root system was rotted out and we could not do 1/2 the job and assume the liability.
she then hired an unlicensed uninsured person to cut her tree down for $400.00
She is now paying the medical expenses of the guy who fell from a tree he should have never climbed to start with and the cost of repairing or replacing the roof he destroyed in the process is not covered by her homeowners policy.
the final cost of having her tree cut down and NOT removed is skyrocketing into a major expense.
Just another example of BUYER BEWARE for your own safety,
hire a licensed contractor
What if my toilet does not flush whatsoever. Do I need a new flapper? The toilet does not leak and it does not re-fill itself. Any suggestions or videos you would suggest for me to watch/learn?
Mine cloggs once in a while 4 no reason.
What do i do?
replace the valve in the tank
Well, the answer is obvious when the question is poised in this fashion. Of course I'm buying the cheapest appliances when presented with the opportunity. Though I am very care full about the term "cheapest".
For example – right now I'm looking for appliances for 3 suites I'm building or own. In total I need 3 fridges, 3 stoves, 3 over the stove micro wave hoods, 3 deep tub dishwashers, 2 stack able washer/dryers and a host of other items. I went directly over the where a buddy of mine use to sit and sell. Apparently he has been replaced with someone they don't have to pay benefits to.
After marching about the showroom, several calls to the sales manager – a price was created … then the extended warranty sales battle and finally taxes and delivery.
At the end of it all the contractors appliance warehouse that I used had come out considerably lower than Home Depot, than Lowes , lower than Sears, lower than Costco and everybody else; but still I needed more.
I took my written offers and called each store, informed each sales manager of the prices and asked if they could do any better and then asked then to call me in a week and I’d buy then.
A week later the appliance warehouse called, offer another $600 off and that was that. Did I buy the cheapest … oh ya! The moral of the story – no matter how many appliances I buy and from whom – none of those guys is ever going to spend $30K on a reno … with me or you. It’s not the cost or “cheapest” price, but the constant pressure to get a deal you can brag about.
As a general contractor I’ve been a one man show for over 8 years now. I can do 10million $ TI’s or $300 fences – I hire who I need, when I need them and I owe few favours.
I guess I didn’t really answer your question – but I think I reflect a lot of GC’s and their method of operation.
it will flush good for like 3 times then get clog and won’t flush evetything down…then i plunge and the cycle starts all over again. Its on da 3rd floor could it be lack of pressure…if so how do i solve dis???????
Funny I was looking for a lesson in guitar not this o well helpful I guess
Nice Movie Guys – hes a legend! atomicfeedback.com
I am very pissed at my toilet. I have had it for 15 years and never a BIG problem, only clogging when we put too much toilet paper in. I took the toilet off the floor when it was flushing very wierd, it would drain very slowly. I rolled it around in my backyard and a bunch of toilet paper came out, and a rock came out with it. I thought the rock was the problem, but when I put the toilet back on the porblem was still happening. I don’t know what to do.