How to Get Quality Home Improvement Services

A good contractor will have a fine reputation and will gladly enter a contract. Choose the wrong one and you may end up with a nightmare and paying twice to get the job done.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Contracts
• File Cabinets
• Measuring Tapes
• File Folders
• Graph Papers
• Notebooks
• Pens And Pencils
• Home Remodeling Software
• Notebooks
• Contracts

Hiring

1. Plan ahead. Know what you want or need to have done before contacting a contractor.

2. Ask friends, neighbors and co-workers for recommendations.

3. Get at least three written estimates from contractors who have come to your home to evaluate what needs to be done. Be sure the estimates are based on the same work so that you can make meaningful comparisons.

4. Ask the contractors for customer references.

5. Contact the references and ask if they were satisfied with the project, if the project was completed on time and within budget, and if they would use this contractor again.

6. Be sure that your contractor has the required liability, property damage and worker's compensation insurance for workers and subcontractors.

7. Insist on a complete, written contract. Make sure to include the contractor's name and address; the total cost and payment schedule; the start date and the completion date; a full project description, including a detailed list of materials, colors and brands; how any changes in the order will be handled; and a written statement of your right to cancel the contract within three business days.

Paying for the Work

8. Understand your payment options. You can get your own loan or ask the contractor to arrange financing for larger projects. For smaller projects, you may want to pay by check or credit card.

9. Avoid paying cash.

10. Try to limit the down payment.

11. Try to make payments during the project contingent on completion of a defined amount of work.

12. Hold off making the final payment and signing the affidavit of final release until you are satisfied with the work and know that all the subcontractors and suppliers have been paid.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask for a "broom clause" in your contract that makes the contractor responsible for all clean-up work including spills and stains.
• Be especially cautious if a contractor comes door-to-door or seeks you out, just happens to have materials left over from a recent job, quotes a price that is out of line with other estimates, pressures you to an immediate decision, can only be reached by leaving messages, drives an unmarked van or has out-of-state plates on his vehicle, or asks you to pay for the entire job up front.