Ready to remodel your home?
Here are 5 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Contractor!
1.) Would you please itemize your bid?
Many contractors prefer to give you a single, bottom line price for your project, but this puts you in the dark about what they’re charging for each aspect of the job. If you get an itemized bid, it’ll show the costs for all to the various element of the job – demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, tile, fixtures and so forth. This will make it much easier to compare different contractors’ prices and see where the discrepancies are. Not to mention that if you need to cut project costs, you can easily assess your options. A good contractor should not give you a hard time abut itemizing his bid. If he resists, it means he wants to withhold important information about his bid a red flag for sure!!
2.) Is your bid an estimate or a fixed price?
Homeowners generally assume that the bid they’re seeing is a fixed price, but some contractors treat their proposals as estimates, meaning bills could wind up being higher in the end. If he calls it an estimate, request a fixed price bid instead. If he says he can’t offer a fixed price because there are too many unknowns about the job, then eliminate the unknowns. Attorney George Meyer, chair-elect of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry says. “Have him open up a wall to check the structure he’s unsure about or go back to your architect and solidify the design plans. If you simply cannot resolve the unknowns he’s concerned about, have the project specs describe what he expects to do – and if he needs to do additional work later you can do a change order (a written mini-bid for new work).
3.) How long have you been doing business in this town?
A contractor who’s been plying his trade locally for 5 or 10 years has an established network of subcontractors and supplier in the area and local reputation to uphold. That makes him a safer bet than a contractor who’s either new to the business or new to the area – or who’s planning to commute to your job from 50 miles away. Look at his business card. You want to see a nearby address not a PO Box. Ask him to include two of his EARLIEST clients on your list of references. This will help you verify that he hasn’t just recently hung his shingle – and will give you perspective from a homeowner who has lived with the contractors work for years. After all, the test of a quality job, whether it’s a blue stone patio or a family room addition, is how well it stands the test of time.
4.) Who are your main suppliers?
You’ve found a few potential contractors, you’ve talked to the happy former clients on each of their reference lists, now it’s time for one additional bit of homework: talking to their primary supplier. There’s no better reference for a title setter, for example, than his preferred tile shop: for a general contractor than his favorite lumberyard or home center pro desk; for a plumber than the kitchen and bath showroom where he’s on the first name basis. The proprietors of these shops know a contractor’s professional reputation, it he’s reliable about paying his bills and whether he’s someone you will want to hire. The contractor should have absolutely no qualms about telling you where he gets his materials, as long as he’s an upstanding customer.
5.) I’d like to meet the job foreman – can you take me to a project he’s running?
Many contractors don’t actually swing a hammer. They spend their days bidding new work and managing their various jobs and workers. In some cases, the contractor you hire may not visit the job site every day – or may not even show himself again after you’ve signed the contract. So the job foreman – the one who’s working on your project every day – is actually the most important member of your team. This will give the general contractor an incentive to assign you one of his better crews since you’re more likely to hire him if you see his A team. If the contractor says he’ll be running the job himself, ask whether he’ll be there every day. Again, he’ll want to give you a positive response – something you can hold him to later on.
It’s not only the answers to these questions that will help you judge potential contractors – its the way they answer them. Were they easy to talk to and forthcoming with details or did they hem and haw and make you ask more than once? Difficulty communicating now means difficulty communicating on the job later. But clear, timely and thoughtful responses combined with terrific references, great completed work that you’ve seen, and a smart take on your project – may mean you’ve found the right pro for your job!
The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA) was adopted by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly in October 2008 and signed by the Governor as Act 132 of 2008. The law establishes a mandatory registration program for contractors who offer or perform home improvements in PA. The statute also establishes minimum insurance requirements for contractors; requires contractors to provide their registration number in their ads and contracts’ establishes required contract terms for home improvement contracts; prohibits unfair business practices; and creates a criminal penalty for home improvement fraud.
The toll free number for the Bureau of Consumer Protection that needs to be included in home improvement contracts for your protection is 1-888-520-6680
To find out if your contractor is registered, click here!
“Teamwork Makes The Dream Work!”
Craig & Gina WileyColdwell Banker Preferred
390 Waterloo Blvd
Exton, PA 19341
Office 610-363-6006
Direct 484-881-6066
Carol has been a Women of Faith keynote speaker, is hysterically funny, culturally relevant and has authored several books including, “When I Lay My Isaac Down”, “A New Kind of Normal”, & “Becoming a Women of Influence: Making a Lasting Impact on Others”.
Philaburban Mom 