We are about to undertake a fairly large remodeling project (2nd story room addition). You hear about so many horror stories involving contractors. We have a list of contractors we like to talk to. We’d like to avoid being one of these stories! What are some red flags to watch out for? What are some of the key questions to ask a prospective contractor?
Morgan O. ~ Chicago, Illinois
Hi Morgan, I know there are horror stories about contractors, but there are also very many outstanding contractors out there, I’m sure Chicago has quite a few. If I was hiring a contractor to work on my house, there are four aspects I would want to consider.
I would want to check references from past customers. I would want to know about the quality of work the contractor did, whether the project proceeded in a timely fashion, and if the jobsite was kept clean. I would want to talk to at least 3 or 4 past customers.
I would want to compare pricing from the various contractors. I would want a good price, but keep in mind the lowest price is not always the best price. If three contractors are somewhat close together in price, and one is considerably lower, chances are they left something out of their bid. But it is also possible that they are looking for work, and the other three have enough work, so it is important to compare the bids. If all four are bidding the same scope of work, you may get a very good deal from the low contractor.
Make sure the contractor you choose has all of their licenses, liability insurance, and workers compensation insurance, if their own employees will be working on the project.
Lastly, I would want to make sure I thought I could get along with the contractor I hired. I wouldn’t care if I thought we would be friends, although we might be after the project was finished. I would just want to know that I was comfortable dealing with this person, who I might be seeing on a daily basis for 1-2 months.
With over 25 years as a proffesional remodeler/builder I have heard numerous horror stories, unfortunately some have been from clients that chose to go with someone else over me. It is your responsibility as a consumer to check out perspective contractors. I always would suggest not only do you get references but lets face it no one would give you a reference that was not good, so that is not always reliable. Ask them where they purchase their materials, building,windows,doors and plumbing fixtures. Be leary of the box store buyers, go to the supply houses and talk to the people they buy from. The sales people usually have a good handle on a builders reputation.
Ask for the builders home address, if he is reluctant to give it be careful. I always offer my customers my home address as reassuremnt to them. I have no problem with any customer ever coming to my door because in 25 years I’ve never had a dissapointed one. Ask him how long the job is going to take, my answer is in weeks always followed by however I will be here as long as it takes to make sure you are satisfied with all my work. I’d rather go over on time then rush a job. And if you want to be really certain you can find a private investigater for around $125.00 to do a complete back ground check on anyone. That is cheap considering you may be giving this person large sums of money.
I always do my payment schedules so that I get a check every week work is completed for any job over 20 thousand. I would rather get 6-10 payments as work progresses, it makes the customer more comfortable. Good luck with your contracting and if anyone has additional questions contact me at info@kridge1.com Kurt
Hi Kurt, All of those points you brought up are excellent. Supply houses are a good place to check up on contractors, and I would also add to your list, the building inspection office of your local jurisdiction. Inspectors should be able to tell you if they have had any problems with the contractor’s work in the past. Due to privacy issues, they may not be able to devulge details, but they should be able to talk in general terms. Your information on payment schedules is also outstanding, all I would add to that is that holding a small percentage of the job total as retainage for a short time is also a good idea. That way if any problems surface within the first several weeks of the project being complete, you are pretty sure someone is going to come back to make the corrections. Most contractors would anyway, but there are always a few that drag their feet on repairs, if they have been paid for the job. Thanks for that great post Kurt!