How to Hire a Contractor Immediately
We love good DIY projects here , but even the most experienced craftsmen still need to turn to a professional from time to time. When that happens, you’ll want to hire someone to get the job done without too much hassle.
Contractor stories seem to fall into two categories: either “Look what a great job they did!” or “Let me tell you about how this guy knocked an excavator in my garage and I paid him to do it.” The goal is always to avoid the second category, and usually all it takes is a little work on your part. Here are our top tips for hiring the best contractor for the job every time.
Conduct a home checkup
You don’t want to be forced to pick a contractor in a hurry because you can’t wait for emergency repairs, so your best defense is to check for problems before they arise. List all the systems in your home and indicate how old they are: When was your roof installed? How old is your oven? What’s with the wiring? When was your HVAC system last serviced? Then have a qualified home inspector check everything so you know what repairs to make first.
How to find a reliable contractor
Once you’ve identified the biggest problem areas in your home, the real work begins: research. It will take time and effort, but in the end it will be worth it.
Get word of mouth recommendations
Rumor is king, so personal recommendations should always be your first step. Ask family members if they know a good contractor in the area. Ask your neighbors too – they’ve probably built houses of a similar age and are probably facing the same problems that you are facing. Check out local businesses and ask for advice. (If you need an electrician, for example, go to your local power supply store and ask around.) Don’t ask who to avoid – although some people may volunteer this information voluntarily – ask who they would like to work with again.
Check for complaints
The list of recommendations is just a starting point. Your next step is to see if there are any complaints about any businesses you run. The best way to do this is to search the complaint databases through your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs or Consumer Protection. If you’re not sure where to start, this website has a list of consumer advocacy offices in all 50 US states. Some city and county chambers of commerce have grievance registers, but you may need to email or call someone in the office for help. Whatever you do, don’t look at and stop at a contractor’s Better Business Bureau rating – while BBB complaints can provide useful information, ratings alone rarely tell the whole story.
Check the licensing and authorization requirements for your region.
Before you start calling contractors, you need to know what credentials a contractor needs to carry out work in your area. This is a bit odd: some US states require all contractors and construction workers to be licensed by the state building council, while others require state accreditation only for certain types of work. Some counties and even cities also have their own licensing requirements.
HomeAdvisor.com has detailed guidelines on contractor licensing practices in every state , and it’s a good place to start, but you can still get confused. If so, find the contact section of your state, county, or city’s building licensing board website and ask them questions. Keep it simple and straightforward; the person following the building board mailbox is likely to receive the same four questions over and over.
Make some calls and get quotes
If you’ve done your research, you should now have a short list of contractors that have gone through the recommendation and review steps. It’s time to start calling. Don’t be afraid to ask many, many questions – most of the problems you might have later in the game can be completely prevented by asking a lot of questions early on.
Get insurance confirmation
You cannot afford to afford an uninsured contractor to work on your home. If they are injured or hit by an excavator in your garage and they are not insured, the bill will come to you.
Don’t be discouraged if you ask for proof of insurance. Ask how many employees they have and who will be doing the job. (Depending on the area and type of work being done, it may be that the supervisor has authority and the workers do not.) You should be able to check the contractor’s insurance policy with your state licensing board – and if you get stuck, someone at the board should be able to help.
Personal meeting with contractors
Invite a few contractors to see where the work will be done and what you expect. Communicate what you need as clearly as possible to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and wasted time and money.
This is also the time to conduct a thorough vibration test. If you have a bad feeling about any part of the meeting , don’t move forward. I once told a contractor that I needed a quote for my insurance company and he immediately replied, “So are you really going to get the job done, or what?” If he’d let me finish, I’d say I need a quote today so I can get started. This comment cost him his job.
Receive and track quotes in writing
Always get quotes in writing in as much detail as possible. Never take something like, “This should scare you [put price here].” If something goes wrong, oral contracts are worthless in court. In some areas, it is not possible to accurately estimate the cost, especially if the contractor cannot better consider the issue until work begins. But it’s perfectly reasonable to get a percentage of overspending in writing, which basically says that if the job is overfulfilled, it won’t be more than 15% of your grade.
Spreadsheets are extremely useful in the quoting phase of the game. The more work you do, the more costs you’ll have to keep track of, and different citation styles can be confusing. A simple spreadsheet that lists things like parts, labor, and time estimates can help you easily compare apples to apples when looking at quotes and help you ask important questions such as “Why are you using 50% fewer materials than the other three ? contractors from whom I got a quote? »For your part, be consistent in describing the work to each contractor so that they all work with the same information.
Ask for links
If the contractor cannot provide you with at least three people who can vouch for the quality of their work, you are in trouble. Photos of past work can also be helpful for things like landscaping and large scale renovations, so ask to see them. Be sure to follow the links; if the size and cost of the work deserves it, you can even ask if you will be allowed to see the work in person.
Avoid the Biggest Red Flags
At this stage, you have done all the research, checked the licenses and permits, got – and checked – the recommendations, which means that the chances of being scammed are practically nil. However, when it comes to home renovation scams, there are serious danger signs worth knowing:
- If the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is: either you are about to be robbed, or they are using such substandard materials that you will regret that they just took the money instead.
- Beware of aggressive selling methods, such as insisting that the price of new siding is only valid for the next 24 hours.
- No contract, no deal: never hire someone who won’t sign a contract.
- Never take back a permit for a contractor: Generally speaking, the person who issues the permit is responsible for compliance. If your name is on the permit and the work crew completely screw up, you will be the only one to receive all the fines.
What to do while working
Once you’ve found a contractor to check and you feel good, it’s time to get started. There are a few key things you can do during the actual stage of getting things done to make life easier and to protect yourself if something goes wrong.
Come early and often
Do you know when it’s not a good time to tell the construction crew that the stone is the wrong color? Right after they hit the cornerstone and handed you the final bill. Be aware of the project: if something is wrong, bring it up as soon as you notice. There is no building process that is easier to fix later than before. Frequent checks will ensure that the job gets done exactly the way you want it to.
Track progress
Every day, celebrate the work that has been done – and not done – and take some pictures. Not only is it fun to take snapshots of a large project as it unfolds, but in the event of a problem between you and the contractor, clear photographic captures are invaluable.
Get proposed changes in writing
If there are any major changes made to your project, ask them to submit them in writing. Little things like moving some outlets or changing the type of sealant used usually don’t require a new contract, but if you decide to add a new level to the deck halfway through, be sure to get a new plan in writing.
Pay as you can
Reputable contractors don’t ask for all the money at once. If a contractor insists that you pay a large deposit or even the full amount before work starts, then he or she is not a good contractor. A 10-15% deposit to get started is smart, but you are never asked to pay for raw materials. A reputable contractor will have good credit and invoices from their suppliers.
Don’t be afraid to turn it off
People have a strong aversion to firing contractors, but they shouldn’t. If your contractor violates the terms of the deal, you can and should fire him – in writing, of course.
This is not necessarily an easy process because it involves contractual law that varies from state to state. According to Bankrate.com, you must make sure there is a “material breach of contract” before firing a contractor in the middle of a job. Basically, you need to prove that the contractor violated the terms that you agreed upon when you hired him. (This is where those photographs and written edits come in handy.) It’s much better to cut your losses when something else can be recovered so you can get someone else to finish the job.
Be the client of your dreams
The golden rule definitely applies to the contracting party relationship. This means that you have to be polite, ask a lot of questions, respect their wisdom and experience, and generally treat the people working on your home like people.
When they installed a new roof on my house a few years ago in the scorching 90-degree Fahrenheit heat, I made sure there was a fridge full of water and sports drinks in my driveway every day, stuffed to the brim. The roofing crew guys said I was the first homeowner to ever even ask if they were thirsty, let alone make sure they had something to drink. Sure, you could argue that drinking is their responsibility, but the fridge and sports drinks cost me next to nothing and showed that I took care of providing them with a safer work environment.
Once you get to this place, you are more than ever ready to sit back while someone else takes care of your household problems. Remember to keep a journal and photograph the work, keep in touch with your contractor and be polite – your efforts will undoubtedly be rewarded.
This article was originally published on July 2, 2010. It was updated on June 8, 2021 to reflect the current Lifehacker style guidelines, as well as add updated information, new links, and a new photo.